“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.”
Pericles had that right a long time ago, and Wyoming is proving it again now.
In August 2024, only 27% of Wyoming’s eligible residents voted in the primary election. One in four. That’s not broad self-government. That’s a small slice of the state deciding who will run the rest of it.
In the first column of this series, I wrote about the stewardship-minded conservatism that built this state. In the second, I wrote about how a louder, more ideological version of politics gained ground. Now comes the practical question: How do we keep that newer style from taking a firmer hold for the next four years?
You vote.
Not only in November. In August.
The 2026 midterm election will decide all five top statewide offices, every seat in the Wyoming House, half the Wyoming Senate, all county elected offices, and most city and town council seats and mayoral races. These are the people who will make decisions about schools, roads, taxes, public safety, elections, land use, public lands, and the rules that shape your business and your daily life.
And the last full midterm tells us exactly where most of those decisions are really made.
In 2022, 91% of Wyoming’s legislative seats were effectively decided in the Republican primary election. All seven Democratic legislative wins came from Albany and Teton counties. For most of Wyoming, the election that mattered most wasn’t in November. It was in August.
The same pattern surfaced at the county level.
In 2022, 184 county elected offices appeared on the ballot across Wyoming. Only nine were decided in a competitive November general election. Seven were decided in Democratic primaries. The other 168 were effectively decided in the Republican primary. That means the offices closest to your daily life, county commissioners, clerks, treasurers, sheriffs, assessors, attorneys, coroners, clerks of court, were mostly settled before the fall campaign even started.
That’s why the practical conclusion matters.
Putting partisan loyalty aside for a moment, the numbers say that unless you live in Teton or Albany County, or you hold strong Democratic convictions, registering Republican and voting in the Republican primary election gives you the greatest opportunity to influence who governs Wyoming.
That’s not ideology. That’s math.
Here’s another piece of the problem. Even when people do show up, many skip voting on the offices further down the ballot as if those matter less.
In 2022, the number of undervotes in the Republican primary for Secretary of State and Superintendent of Public Instruction exceeded the gap between the top two candidates. In plain English, enough people cast ballots and then left those races blank to have changed the outcome. Those offices matter.
One oversees elections. The other influences the direction of public education. Skipping them isn’t neutral. It’s surrender.
And if you’re under 40 and skipping primaries, you’re handing the future of this state to someone else.
The numbers are blunt. Voters 18 to 24 had a 13% turnout rate. Voters 25 to 29 were at 19%. Voters 30 to 39 were at 29%. Older Wyoming voters turned out at much higher rates.
The people who will live the longest with the consequences are participating the least.
What we’re really discussing is whether Wyoming will reinforce the habits that built this state - stewardship, practical judgment, local accountability, restraint – or let a narrower slice of the electorate lock in louder, more ideological politics for the next four years.
That choice doesn’t get made in a complaint. It gets made in a primary.
Here’s the simplest way to think about it. Elections are a hiring process. You’re choosing people to represent you, manage public money, make laws, run elections, oversee schools, and make decisions that affect your business, your property, your community, and your family.
Approach it that way.
Understand the job. Evaluate the applicants. Measure their ability and their alignment with your values. Then vote in your own, selfish, best interest.
If you need to change party affiliation, the deadline is May 13. The primary is Aug. 18.
Learn what offices are on your ballot. Learn what those offices do. Spend a little time on Wyoming Civics eLearning at Civics307.com and learn about the offices. When the filing period closes, go to WYvote.vote, select your county, and review the candidates.
The future of this state won’t be decided by the people who care the most. It’ll be decided by the people who show up.
Gail Symons can be reached at Gail.Symons@mac.com
