It’s election season, but an uncontested election is hardly an election — it would be like going to a restaurant that only serves one item with no options for altering it to suit your taste. 

We encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to consider running for office.

Although the presidential campaign been going on for more than a year, Wyoming’s campaign season officially started May 12 with the opening of the filing period for August’s primary election. Just about anyone can declare their candidacy for public offices such as mayor, county commissioner, state representative and more. 

But there is a deadline — aspiring candidates have until Friday to decide and file for candidacy. 

It doesn’t take a special degree or background to qualify, but there are some requirements and they vary based on the office.

For instance, governors and senators need to be at least 30 years old, but representatives only need to be 25 years old. 

All offices require U.S. citizenship, and some require a certain number of years — representatives need at least seven years of citizenship and senators need at least nine years. 

Most offices don’t have educational requirements. 

Details for each specific state and county office’s requirements can be found at soswy.state.wy.us.

Of course, the most important qualification is wanting to make a difference and being willing to serve the community. This can be quite a time commitment, since residents depend on elected leaders to make informed decisions with the public’s best interests in mind.  

This means attending board meetings and committee meetings on a regular basis in addition to many community events — representing the public means being very involved with the locals. 

Listening to residents’ thoughts, concerns and ideas is important, too. 

As journalists, we have a slightly more involved relationship with our local elected officials. We encourage aspiring candidates to be comfortable with talking to us frequently since it’s our duty to let everyone know what’s happening in the area. We also want all of our politicians, and the public, to know that our door is always open and we’re eager to talk to anyone about what’s happening out there.

Aspiring politicians who identify as a Democrat or Republican can also get involved with their respective parties and run for a party leadership position known as precinct committeemen and committeewomen. 

All of the offices currently open for filing are partisan, with the exception of city offices. 

Independent candidates will need to gather a certain amount of signatures by Aug. 29 to file their candidacy. Third-party candidates need approval from their state party. 

Filing for municipal office positions can be done at City Hall and the others can be filed at the Park County Clerk’s Office. Filing for state legislative offices can be done with the Secretary of State in Cheyenne. Application forms can be found at tinyurl.com/RunForWYOffice.

Running for a non-partisan special district is a good way to begin a political career and participation can be just as rewarding by serving on the local school, hospital or fire district boards. 

Fortunately there’s plenty of time to decide on that, as filing for special districts doesn’t begin until August. 

The Park County Clerk’s Elections Office maintains an updated list of candidates who’ve filed at www.parkcountyelections.net.

We look forward to talking to each of our local candidates, and we’re excited to build and maintain strong lines of communication with whomever wins the election this fall.