Don't let anyone tell you the primary election isn't important.Many key 2010 races will shaped — if not determined — by today's (Tuesday's) primary election.

• Wyoming Republicans and Democrats determining which gubernatorial candidate their party will bring to November's general election ballot.

• Local Republican voters choosing which three Park County Commission candidates will advance to the general election ballot from a crowded field of 11 (Democrats have only one candidate, but you can never count out a write-in effort).

• An end to the hotly contested three-man races for the GOP nomination to the state House of Representatives in the Cody and Powell districts

• Park County voters of all political affiliations settling the fate of a proposed $14.2 million special purpose tax to fund improvements at West Park Hospital in Cody.

• City of Powell Ward 3 residents picking which one of three city council candidates won't make it to the general election ballot.

Park County Clerk Kelly Jensen said she's expecting a good turnout today. Jensen said the county typically has a higher primary election turnout than the rest of the nation, and often the state.

“I can't imagine people suddenly deciding they're not going to vote when they historically have voted in primary elections — especially with the issues on the ballot,” she said.

As of Monday morning, more than 1,500 county voters had already voted via absentee ballots.

In the primary election, ballots are party- and precinct-specific — with different ballots for Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters in each precinct.

Voters can correct their address or political party affiliation at their polling place.

If you're not registered to vote, you can do so at your polling place — just bring a form of identification, such as a driver's license.

In general, residents in and around Powell vote at the Park County Fairgrounds off Fifth Street, Ralston residents at the Mountain View Club, Garland citizens at the Garland Community Church and Clark voters at the Clark Pioneer Recreation Center.

Unlike past years, folks in the Willwood area will vote at the fairgrounds and not at the Willwood Irrigation District office. The county clerk's office made the decision to close the lesser-used polling location based on the difficulty of complying with federal laws accommodating Americans with disabilities at polling places.

“It just came down to having a limited amount of equipment available,” Jensen said.

If you're not sure where your polling place is, the Secretary of State's website has a polling place locator, accessible through a link at http://soswy.state.wy.us, or you can ask at any polling place or call the county elections office at 754-8620.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Jensen is among those pushing folks to get out and vote.

“The right to vote is never ‘just another opportunity,'” she said.