AARP Wyoming’s Video Voters Guides Highlights Candidate’s Stance On Older Adult Issues
CHEYENNE - With the 2024 Primary Election scheduled for August 20, AARP Wyoming has begun asking candidates for State Legislature for their stances on issues important to Wyoming’s age 50+. Those answers are now available to all Wyoming voters on AARP Wyoming’s blog and its Facebook page.
“Voters aged 50 and over cast two-thirds of all votes in Wyoming’s 2022 election and will once again be a key demographic for candidates in 2024,” says AARP Wyoming Associate State Director Tom Lacock. “In our Video Voter Guide series, we sought candidates’ views on issues important to our members as they vote in the 2024 election.”
All candidates were asked the same three questions - the best way to offer citizens property tax relief while maintaining sustainable funding for entities that rely on property tax for funding; how candidates feel the state can best help older adults age in their homes and communities; as well as how the state should fund ambulance service. As of Monday, July 1, the videos had been seen a collective 2,296 times on Facebook.
Candidates running for spots in the Wyoming Legislature who have been recorded and posted on AARP Wyoming’s Facebook page include (Click here to find your voting district):
Johnson and Sheridan Counties
Laramie County
- House District 7 - Bob Nicholas and Kathy Russell
- House District 8 - Steve Johnson and Dave Zwonitzer
- House District 9 - Exie Brown and Landon Brown
- House District 44 - John Romero Martinez, Tamara Trujillo, and Lee Filer
Laramie and Platte Counties
- Senate District 6 - Darin Smith, Eric Johnston, Kim Withers, Marc Torriani, Taft Love, Gary Bjorklund
Natrona County
- House District 35 - Chris Dresang and Tony Locke
- House District 38 - Jayme Lien and Tom Walters
- House District 56 - Elissa Campbell and Pete Fox
- House District 57 - Julie Jarvis and Jeanette Ward
- Senate District 30 - Charles Schoenwolf, Rob Henry, and Charles Scott
Natrona and Converse Counties
- House District 62 - Kevin Campbell and Edis Allen
Washakie County
- House District 27 - Tami Young and Marla Lawley
Park County
- House District 50 - Rachel Rodriguez-Williams and David Hill
Sheridan County
- House District 30 - Thomas Kelly and Gail Symons
Sweetwater County
- House District 17 - Tony Ellison and JT Larson
- Senate District 12 - Jeff Ramaj and John Kolb
Sweetwater, Uinta, Sublette, and Lincoln Counties
- Senate District 14 - Laura Taliaferro Pearson, Albert Sommers, and Bill Winney
The Process
In its Video Voters Guide series, AARP Wyoming is joined virtually for a conversation by candidates for state legislative office. Those candidates are then asked three questions and given 1:30 to answer each question, after which AARP Wyoming allows the candidate two minutes to make the pitch to the voters of their district.
In May, AARP Wyoming started reaching out to candidates who announced a run for state legislature and invited them to record a Video Voters Guide through phone calls, emails, and texts. Once the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office released its candidate roster for the 2024 primary election, multiple efforts were made to reach out to every candidate on the roster once again.
Next Steps
AARP Wyoming will continue to record and distribute Video Voters Guides through the month of July. After the August primary, the focus will turn to candidates who are running in the general election. Candidates wishing to take part in a Video Voters Guide should reach out to Lacock at tlacock@aarp.org or 307-214-2071.
While AARP Wyoming has recorded 50 Video Voters Guides thus far, there are some races which will not be represented. For AARP Wyoming to record a Video Voters’ Guide, two or more candidates in the same race must have committed to be recorded.
In several races a candidate for office in a district has committed to recording a Voter’s Guide, while their opponent did not. The candidates who did offer to record a Video Voters Guide but were not able to have their guides released due to their opponents not being willing to take part include: Thomas Lear, Lloyd Larsen, Tom Jones, Jon Conrad, Gregg Johnson, Rob Gehringer, David Northrup, JD Williams, Jeremy Haroldson, Dan Zwonitzer, Jackie Van Mark, and Cody Wylie.
