As the national polling industry does some soul searching, Jackson Hole’s long-standing barbershop poll also has some scratching their heads.
Most recent election news
As news broke Saturday morning that winning Pennsylvania had put former Vice President Joe Biden past the 270 Electoral College votes needed to claim the presidency, a small group of people gathered to celebrate on Town Square.
Though some initially worried that the pandemic would negatively impact voter turnout, Teton County surpassed 2016’s total by 1,992, with 14,787 ballots cast, an incredible percentage of the record number of voters who are registered in the county this year.
Voters said no Tuesday to a seventh penny of sales tax, a measure nine out of ten Town Councilors and County Commissioners supported as a way to pay for community priorities like human services, housing and transportation.
County Commission
There are five candidates running for two seats on the County Commission. Read more about them and their positions here.
Only one candidate for the County Commission said he would have voted in favor of the Gill family’s rezone proposal in northern South Park, which the sitting commission voted down, opting instead for a neighborhood planning effort in the area.
Town Council
There are two candidates running to be Jackson's next mayor. Read more about them and their positions here.
There are four candidates running for two seats on the Jackson Town Council. Read more about them and their positions here.
Candidates for Jackson mayor and Town Council tackled several hot-button issues last week during a video forum presented by the League of Women Voters, Teton County Library and local media, including the News&Guide.
Sales Tax
While 9 out of 10 sitting elected officials support adding a seventh cent of sales tax, it’s ultimately up to voters to decide.
School Board
There are five candidates running for four seats on Teton County School District No. 1's Board of Trustees. Read more about them and their positions here.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one topic dominated last week’s debate among the candidates for the Teton County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees.
Hospital Board
Five candidates are vying for five open seats on the St. John's Health Board of Trustees. All are incumbents. Read more about the race here.
Though the race for the St. John’s Health Board of Trustees is likely a foregone conclusion, with five incumbents running unopposed, four who appear on the ballot gathered Wednesday night in a virtual forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and Teton County Library.
WY House
The two candidates vying to represent parts of Teton, Lincoln and Sublette counties in District 22 in the Wyoming House of Representatives struck different positions in an Oct. 8 forum over new sources of revenue for the state’s flailing budget and housing mitigation.
Independent incumbent Jim Roscoe and Republican challenger Bill Winney are the only two candidates in contested races to represent Teton County in the Wyoming House of Representatives. Both are running to represent House District 22, which also includes parts of Sublette and Lincoln Counties…
WY Senate
Two veteran Wyoming politicians well acquainted with Capitol Hill marched to easy victories Tuesday night in the general election.
U.S. House and Senate
Republican Cynthia Lummis and Democrat Merav Ben-David are competing to represent Wyoming in the U.S. Senate. Read more about them and their positions here.
Republican Liz Cheney and Democrat Lynette Grey Bull are competing to represent Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives. Read more about them and their positions here.
Other issues on the ballot
From 1890 to 1972 the citizens of Wyoming voted their judges into office, but now they get only an occasional chance to vote them out.
If you don’t trust your town officials to keep a lid on sewage spending, this amendment to the Wyoming Constitution looks good. But there’s more to it.
Other election news
Four out of five candidates for the county commission support the Tribal Trail Connector, the long-debated stretch of road that would connect the Indian Trails neighborhood to Highway 22 on what’s imagined as a low-speed neighborhood road.
County commission candidates were generally supportive of repurposing the Teton County Fairgrounds for housing during a Thursday candidate forum that saw the five commission hopefuls address systemic racism, climate change, planning and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other topics.
County Commission hopefuls aired some longstanding differences on planning issues Thursday night in an election forum that saw candidates address systemic racism, climate change and county government’s role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jackson Town Council candidates briefly got testy as they took turns answering questions about how they would handle the town’s challenges, from COVID-19, racism and short-term rentals to housing, parking and climate change.
Mayoral and Town Council candidates said changing the way people get around would be critical for reducing carbon emissions and slowing the effects of climate change in Jackson Hole.
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