Sen. Dan Laursen has spent the last nearly 12 years representing the Powell area in Cheyenne, first in the House and the last four in the Senate. 

Now, Laursen wants to make an impact at a more local level, which is why he’s running for Park County commissioner. His goal, he said, is to make it a more conservative body.

“If you want the same thing that’s been happening for years, well, you know which way to vote,” he said. “If you want a little change, you vote the other way. And that’s kind of what I’m hoping at the county level.”

Laursen’s hope, he said, is that other more conservative candidates are elected as well to achieve a conservative majority that he found elusive during his time in the Senate. Laursen indicated he’s done with Cheyenne, saying the 6 1/2 hour drive to the capital made him “growly” and frustrated. 

He said a number of people suggested he run for commissioner, a position he also sought in 2012. Laursen said he’d been thinking about doing something else after the Legislature, and jumped at the opportunity. He feels he has a lot to offer with his past experiences both in and out of government. 

For 23 years he farmed north of Powell and still owns some beet acreage, but said “it’s tough to be a farmer.”

Laursen then managed the Heart Mountain irrigation District for nine years, a job he enjoyed, before being elected to the state House in District 25 in 2014. He served four terms in the House while also working as a hydrologist for the state government. Then, in 2022, he won a three-way race for Senate District 19, which includes the Powell-based House district and northern Big Horn County. 

He said voters looking for a reason to vote for him amongst the 9 other Republican candidates for three available seats can look at his voting record during his time in the Legislature. 

“I think I could do good there [on the commission],” Laursen said, adding, “I just thought I’d jump in and give people the choice, and if you want a real conservative vote, then I might be the one.”

He said his experience in ag, water issues and in his knowledge of both sides of the state Legislature would be an asset for the commission. 

Beyond providing insight, Laursen has a few main goals he’d like to accomplish. That includes protecting private property rights as the new development standards and regulations process continues. 

“I’ve always thought that private property is important,” he said. “It’s one of the mainstays of the U.S., and it’s vital to make sure we keep private property rights. I’m worried they’re going too far.”

Laursen said it’s concerning for the county to be able to tell a property owner how small a subdivision can be — some areas, especially around Powell, are under new zoning areas that restrict future subdivisions to a larger average lot size than in the current regulations. 

“I think a lot of it comes down to that people moved in and now they don’t want neighbors,” Laursen said, adding that if someone wants to protect open space near their property, they should buy the land if they’re able. 

Also, as a proponent of the 50% residential property tax reduction ballot measure this fall, he said the county and the state will have to figure out ways to reduce spending if it passes while ensuring vital issues such as road and bridge and law enforcement is maintained. 

He said the state may have to step in and find ways to make sure small special districts such as fire districts have enough funding if the ballot measure passes. 

The area Laursen has been most public about at commission meetings in recent years is hand counting elections, as he’s been part of a group of county residents advocating for hand counted ballots since 2020. His group has repeatedly tried to get county commissioners to agree to at least a hand count of ballots after the fact, but the real goal is fully hand counted elections, which Laursen said they’ve proven can be done effectively. 

He also said a survey of area residents conducted by the group found that a majority of people they talked to are in support of hand counting. 

“We came out definitely above 80% said they would rather have humans count than the tabulating machines,” he said. “That’s a big number, and it was really frustrating that our county commissioners wouldn’t even listen to that.”

Commissioners have said their hands are tied due to a ruling by the state attorney general that says statute requires the county to use electronic voting tabulators, although Secretary of State Chuck Gray disagrees and has on multiple occasions told commissioners they are allowed to switch to a hand count. 

“I trust my humans more than I trust what happens inside the machines,” Laursen said, adding that it’s also the perception many people have of the electronic tabulators being unsafe. “A lot of them say ‘I’m just not going to vote,’ and is that what we want?”