Active participation in local elections is a good thing.

Encouraging voter turnout is democracy in action.  Endorsement of a favorite candidate or candidates is as American as apple pie. 

Wyoming law defines election of trustees in a number of special taxing districts as non-partisan. That’s why there is no primary election for school board, college board, hospital board, fire board and cemetery board, among others, because the primary election is largely a political party winnowing of candidates for a party nomination. The exception, of course, is municipal elections.

With special taxing districts governed by non-partisan boards, there is no party banner in play. Hence, no primary election.

Maybe that statement should be qualified. There has been no official primary election for non-partisan boards. There has been some parry and thrust by supporters loosely defined as conservative-leaning and not so conservative-leaning, focused on the school board election in Powell.

A flyer that has been dropped around the county with sponsorship and payment by the Conservative Roundup PAC doesn’t come out in so many words and say vote for candidates on the basis of the redder the better, but it comes close. It applies a self-described filter of Wyoming conservative values to tell voters how to vote in both partisan and non-partisan races up and down the ballot.

Another group, Wyoming Rising, has been active in promoting its own slate of candidates for the Powell school board.  And not surprisingly, the Conservative Roundup PAC has its four picks for the Powell school board, and Wyoming Rising has its own slate of four, and there is no agreement on any of the four on the two lists.

Again, political action in the election process is not in question.  Interested, motivated voting blocs are a positive expression of an engaged electorate. 

It’s the hyper-partisanship baked into everything that can sour the stew. Election of trustees in non-partisan special districts has always been about supporting candidates knowledgeable, experienced, committed and dedicated to the role of an independent district board member. 

From this vantage, it’s OK to keep it that way.