From national to local races, voters head to the polls Tuesday

Voters in Big Horn County will go to the polls next Tuesday, Nov. 8, to help elect a President, Wyoming’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives and, locally, elect a variety of offices for the legislature, county commission, town councils, school board, hospital board and a variety of special district boards.Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling places will be the community center in Lovell, the town complex in Byron, the community hall in Deaver and the old school building in Frannie.Although Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton have received the lion’s share of the national publicity, there are actually six presidential candidates on the ballot in Wyoming, along with their running mates: Trump, Clinton, Libertarian Gary Johnson, Constitution Party nominee Darrell Castle, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Reform Party candidate Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente.Four candidates are on the ballot for Wyoming’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives hoping to succeed the retiring Rep. Cynthia Lummis: GOP nominee Liz Cheney, Democrat Ryan Greene, Libertarian nominee Lawrence Struempt and Constitution Party candidate Daniel Clyde Cummings.With Wyoming State Rep. Elaine Harvey also stepping down, there are three candidates for the House District 26 seat in the Wyoming Legislature: Republican Jamie Flitner of Shell, Democrat Jean Petty of Shell and Constitution Party nominee Joyce Collins of Lovell.There are two remaining candidates for Big Horn County Commissioner hoping to succeed the retiring Jerry Ewen following the hotly contested Primary in August. Deb Craft of Basin survived the five-way GOP race and will be joined on the ballot Tuesday by Constitution Party candidate Stanley Jones of Otto.All five North Big Horn County municipalities have contested town council races this year. In Lovell, there are four candidates for two seats on the council: incumbent Brian Dickson and challengers Carol Miller, Tom Newman and Jim Szlemko. Councilman Scott Allred did not run for re-election. Likewise, there are four candidates for two seats in Byron: Allan Clark, Michelle Hoyt, Todd Wilder and Joyce Zarate. Two of the four will succeed Sydney Hessenthaler and Gary Petrich, who did not seek re-election.There are three candidates for two seats on the Cowley Town Council, and all three have experience. Vying for the seats are incumbents Robert Johnson and Dexter Woodis, along with former councilwoman Diane Badget.Voters in Deaver and Frannie will choose from three candidates for two council seats in each community Tuesday. In Deaver, current councilwoman Kayla James is on the ballot along with Allison Armstrong and Aspen Beall. In Frannie, council members Millie Armstrong and Terry Moore are joined on the ballot by former councilwoman Nadine Kreutzer.The most interesting school board race locally will take place in School District No. 1, with four candidates vying for one at-large seat on the school board. Incumbent Brett Crosby is seeking re-election and is being challenged by Wendy Fuller, Amanda Robertson and Kelly Spann. Designated Deaver-Frannie Trustee Joan Zier and Byron Trustee Ed Riding are unopposed.All four school board trustees in Lovell are unopposed to retain their seats on the school board: Daniel Anderson, Stacy Bair, Hans Hawley and Rebecca Moncur.Three seats are also up for election on the North Big Horn Hospital Board. At-large board members Chad Lindsay and Don Minchow did not seek re-election, but designated Lovell board member Mary Matthews is running for re-election. Running for the two at-large positions are Hans Hawley and David Winterholler.Two items on the ballot concern the North Big Horn County Senior Citizens Service District. There are five candidates for five positions on the district board of trustees: Patricia Parmer and incumbents Dueane Calvin, Verna Hawkins, Ron McClure and Loretta Tippetts. Also up once again is the Senior Citizens Service District 1-mil tax levy to fund operations at the North Big Horn Senior Citizens Center in Lovell and its outreach programs.There are four candidates for two directorsfor Big Horn County Fire Protection District 1: incumbents Keith Grantand Chad Petrich and challengers Bruce Jolleyand Greg Rael. Two candidates for Fire Protection District 5 (Deaver-Frannie) are unopposed, Coleen Wagner and Cherie Wambeke.Also on the ballot is a Wyoming Constitutional Amendment regarding further state funds being allowed to be invested inequities, cemetery trustees in Lovell, Cowley, Byron and Deaver-Frannie, Shoshone Conservation Districtsupervisors and the retention of judges at the Wyoming Supreme Court, District Court and Circuit Court (magistrate) levels.An election watch party will be held at the Bankof Lovell starting at 7 p.m. National presidential returns will be available by television at the election party.

By David Peck