Filing begins today for 2026 Wyoming Primary Election

Filing for office begins today (Thursday) for the 2026 Wyoming Primary Election in what is expected to be one of the most active elections in recent memory.

The Wyoming Primary will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 18, and filing ends at the end of the workday on Friday, May 29 – 5 p.m.

The Primary is a nominating election for the November 3 General Election, with the election deciding Republican and Democratic nominees at the state, legislative and county level. For non-partisan municipal offices (mayor and town council), the Primary will whittle the field to two candidates per seat.

School board, hospital board and cemetery district and conservation district board positions will be elected in the General Election, with filing running August 5-24.

Candidates running for federal office file with the Wyoming Secretary of State and pay a fee of $750. State office candidates also file with the secretary of state and pay a fee of $300. Candidates for county office file with the Big Horn County Clerk with a $100 filing fee.

Mayor and council candidates file with the candidate’s respective town clerk, with a $25 filing fee.

Also on the ballot in August are party precinct committeemen/women and supreme and district judges up for retention.

The list of offices up for election in 2026 in North Big Horn County is as follows:

Federal government – U.S. Senator, currently held by Sen. Cynthia Lummis, and U.S. House of Representatives, currently held by Rep. Harriet Hageman.

State government, executive branch – Governor, currently Mark Gordon; Secretary of State, currently Chuck Gray; State Auditor, Kristi Racines; State Treasurer, Curt Meier; State Supt. of Public Instruction, Megan Degenfelder.

State government, legislative branch – Senate District 19, currently held by Dan Laursen; House of Representatives District 26, currently held by Dalton Banks. Also up in the south end of the county are seats in House Districts 27 and 28.

Big Horn County government – Two county commissioners, seats currently held by Dave Neves and Deb Craft; County Clerk, currently held by Lori Smallwood; County Coroner, currently held by Mike Jameson; County Attorney, Marcia Bean; County Sheriff, Jason Beal (appointed); County Treasurer, Nicole Vigil; County Assessor, Cozette Winters (appointed); County Clerk of District Court, Serena Lipp.

Town government – Lovell mayor, currently Tom Newman, and two council seats held by Bob Mangus and Dan Anderson; Cowley mayor, currently Joel Peterson, and two council seats held by Emily Simmons and Scott Crosby; Byron mayor, currently Allan Clark, and two council seats held by Shae Abraham and Brandon Hessenthaler; Deaver mayor, Bill Camp, and two four-year seats held by Kayla James and Steve Gillett and one two-year seat held by Shauna Crouch, appointed; Frannie mayor, Garret Frescoln, appointed, and two four-year council seats held by Guy DeSantis, appointed, and Keara Poole, and one two-year seat held by John Ellis, appointed.