Good to see enthusiasm from candidates
There may still be roughly a month until the filing window opens for the primary election, but already there have been a lot of county residents announcing runs for local office.
It’s good to see the enthusiasm, and we welcome all candidates to reach out to the Tribune for an announcement story — I’m sure you’ve seen some already if you regularly read the paper.
Serving your community is one of the greatest ways to be a valuable citizen in this country, and just as it’s vitally important for people to be informed voters, it’s also crucial to have a diverse array of people to vote for.
This will be an important primary election in Park County. In addition to all elected county offices — county attorney, treasurer, clerk, clerk of the district court, sheriff and assessor — most of the commissioner seats are on the ballot.
These are important positions in the county and can have a big impact on our lives, whether it’s the clerk handling elections, the assessor’s role in determining house values or the sheriff’s role in keeping the peace.
While some of the incumbents, such as the sheriff, sound like they will be running again, others, such as the clerk, are retiring, meaning there’s guaranteed to be a change in leadership for at least some of the departments. Whoever is chosen as a replacement could have a big impact on Park County for at least the next four years.
Of course, beyond the county seats all of the area State House seats are up for grabs — as usual as they are two-year seats — as well as some important Senate positions such as Senate District 19 covering Powell, currently held by Sen. Dan Laursen and challenged by R.J. Kost, who had held the seat prior to Laursen.
As Park County is a deep red part of a deeply Republican state, the primary will all but decide who will be governing going forward.
Major dates for 2026 election cycle
May 13: Last day to declare or change party affiliation prior to primary election.
May 14: Candidate filing period opens for primary election, for partisan and municipal offices.
May 29: Candidate filing period closes for primary election, for partisan and municipal offices.
July 21: Absentee and early voting begins for primary election
Aug. 3: Voter registration closes for the primary election at 5 p.m.; registration continues on Election Day and when early voting.
Aug. 5: Candidate filing period opens for school, college and special districts for general election.
Aug. 17: Filing deadline for minor and provisional party candidates.
Aug. 18: Primary election — Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Aug. 24: Filing deadline for both independent candidates for partisan office (a petition is required) and for school, college, and special district candidates.
Oct. 6: Absentee and early voting begins for general election.
Oct. 19: Voter registration and party affiliation changes close for the general election at 5 p.m.; registration continues on Election Day and when early voting.
Nov. 3: General election — Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.