JACKSON, Wyo. — The bright sun of democracy was shining over Jackson Hole on Tuesday as voters trekked out to cast a ballot.

Election Day brought residents to the polls in Alta and Wilson along with three polling places in Jackson. Buckrail spoke with voters after they cast their votes.

“Voters who have left the polling place describe it as a well-oiled machine,” County Commissioner Len Carlman noted. He was stationed on the lawn of the Old Wilson Schoolhouse, where he greeted some voters by name. “It’s been steady since 7 this morning. We had a small line at 10 till 7. Those folks were welcomed and absorbed into the polling place quickly. … Good turnout.”

Voters line up to cast a ballot at the Teton County Library. Photo: Monica Stout // Buckrail

“We came out for the proposed … property tax cut, and conservation district,” said Abby Hallett, who was voting at the library.

Proposition One, which could allow a 50% property tax exemption on residential structures owned by full-time Wyoming residents, was a hot topic leading up to Election Day. Janice Stoner, voting in Wilson, said it was the race that mattered to her most. “I do feel sorry for schools and stuff like that, but I pay a lot of property taxes.”

“My main issues were seriousness of candidates, their strengths, and their reasons for running … what have they said versus what have they done,” said Teton County Democratic Party Secretary Julien Hass, who had voted early. “My main issues were housing, development, conservation and health care,” he added.

A number of voters who spoke with Buckrail were invested in outcomes beyond Teton County.

“I am following the national and state level races most closely because of the chaos at the federal level, and the sad, sad fact that our nationally elected people here in Wyoming are supporting a pathological lying, racist, sexist bully with no morals or ethics,” said Kurt Gries, who was voting at the library.

Voters at the Teton County/Jackson Recreation Center on Tuesday morning. Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail

Matt White, voting in Wilson, was also paying close attention to the federal races, “to try and get the opposition vote in.”

Some voters were pondering the political makeup of the Cowboy State, an evergreen consideration.

“I’m a newly registered Republican,” said Cameron Stone, voting at the library. “I’ve been a Democrat my entire life. I grew up on the East Coast. I just felt like the Democratic Party over the last decade has lost their away. There’s so much craziness going on out there, and there’s a lot at stake on the state ballots. Wyoming is pretty deep red, so I didn’t feel like it was gonna be a major thing here, but I still wanted to do my part to try to keep things a little more balanced by going Republican this time around.”

Polls are open until 7 p.m. Still figuring out ballot plans? See Buckrail’s election coverage here.

Marianne is the Editor of Buckrail. She handles breaking news and reports on a little bit of everything. She's interested in the diversity of our community, arts/entertainment and crazy weather.

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.

Hannah is a Buckrail Staff Reporter and freelance web developer and designer who has called Jackson home since 2015. When she’s not outside, you can probably find her eating a good meal, playing cribbage, or at one of the local yoga studios. She’s interested in what makes this community tick, both from the individual and collective perspective.