We’re closing in on the filing period for this summer’s primary election, but that hasn't stopped a flood of announcements from those looking to run, or run again, for seats up for grabs, generally in the August Republican primary. 

As regular readers will surely note, we’ve been getting in stories on those who announce in as timely as we can, depending on when we can connect and talk with candidates. We appreciate candidates who send us press releases and that information can be helpful when we run the stories, but we still want to talk with each candidate before publishing a story.  While that may mean our stories can come out much later than the official announcement, we feel our job is to present the reader with a full story on each candidate. 

Some candidates have reached out to us right off the bat, others we have reached out to upon seeing an announcement if we have contact info. So if you’re running for a Park County elected position and we haven’t already talked, please feel free to contact us,  and we’ll set up a time to talk (zac@powelltribune.com). 

For the Tribune, elections are one of the most important times as we feel we can do our part in making sure we have an educated electorate. 

Not only will we continue to write stories on candidates as we talk to them, we’ll compile those all in an online voter’s guide a few weeks prior to the primary. That’s earlier than usual, but with the growing popularity of early voting we’re ensuring as many people as possible can view it before casting a ballot. 

Of course, we’re not the only source for learning about candidates. Many organizers for local and statewide candidates are holding events around the area that give potential voters chances to get to know them. I applaud all the candidates taking the time to do these events, as in this small town with long streets, everyone ought to have a chance to talk to a candidate face to face before they see their name on a ballot.

Reading the Tribune offers just one more way to get to know them.