Political office filings now open

Though the 2020 Primary Election may seem to be farther away than it feels, the date of August 18 is rapidly approaching. In addition to this being a presidential election year, there are also a number of state, county and municipal offices that are up for grabs this year as well. May 14 marks the beginning date for those who may be looking to file as a candidate in the upcoming election.

On the national level, the seat for United States Senator, a six year term, is up for grabs as Senator Mike Enzi announced his retirement last year. The office of United States Representative will be up for re-election with Representative Liz Cheney looking to hold onto the seat.

On the state level, House District 15 and House District 47 will be up for re-election. Representative Donald Burkhart currently represents House District 15 and Representative Jerry Paxton represents House District 47. Burkhart ran unopposed in the 2018 Primary Election while Paxton beat out perennial challenger Julie McCallister by 69 percent of the vote.

At the county level, there are three seats up for re-election on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. Those seats are currently held by Byron Barkhurst, who filled a two-year unexpired term in the 2018 General Election, John Espy and Sue Jones. All seats are for a term of four years.

With a number of mayors elected in the 2018 General Election, there are few seats open save for those that are unexpired terms. In the Town of Medicine Bow, the unexpired term for mayor will be up for re-election. Kevin Colman, who was elected mayor in 2016, resigned from the position in September 2019 and Sharon Biamon was selected as his replacement.

In Saratoga, two council seats will be up for re-election. While Mayor John Zeiger and Councilmembers Jon Nelson and Bob Keel were elected to their seats in the 2018 General Election, the seats currently held by Councilmembers Steve Wilcoxson and Judy Welton will be on the ballot this year. Wilcoxson was elected to the council in 2016 and Welton was appointed to the council in 2019 to fill the unexpired term left by the resignation of JennieLou Garland.

In Rawlins, three wards will appear on the ballot. This includes Ward 1, currently held by Louis Espinoza, Sr., Ward 2, currently held by Mayor Steve Nicholson, and Ward 3, currently held by Vice-Mayor Steve Sanger. All three are four year terms. 

There will also be two council seats on the ballot in Encampment as well. The seats currently held by Councilmember Bill Craig and Councilmember Kim Loftice will be up for election in 2020. There are two council seats on the ballot in Riverside. One, previously held by Liz Swynarczuk, is currently vacant. The other council seat is currently held by Katie Cheesbrough.

In Medicine Bow, there are a total of three council seats that will appear on the ballot. Two seats are for a full four year term and one is a two-year unexpired term. The unexpired term was previously held by Karla Denzin, who resigned from the council less than 48 hours after the resignation of Colman. It is currently held by Lyle Flansburg, who ran in 2018.

The Town of Elk Mountain has two four year terms on the council that will appear on the ballot as does the Town of Hanna.

The closing date for filing for political office is on May 29. The fee for filing to run for state representatives is $25 and must be filed with the Secretary of State. The fee for filing to run for county offices is $25 and must be filed with the county clerk. The fee for filing to run for municipal office is $25 and must be filed with the town clerk.