Too Many Unopposed Candidates In Wyoming

The filing deadline for running for office in Wyoming will soon be upon us: August 18th. Unless we get a last minute flurry of registrations, it looks like around 1/3rd of candidates for Wyoming legislation will run unopposed.

I wonder, if we looked across the state at other races like county commissioner, city council, mayor, and other elected offices, how many candidates will simply just walk back into their old job?

We often hear the cry that politics and politicians need to be removed, perhaps with term limits. But I've often wondered what we would do if someone's time was up due to term limits, and no one was willing to step up and take their job.

Some years ago I was living in Gillette, in Campbell County, and there was only one person on the ballot for sheriff. That actually concerned me a lot. Just for a laugh, I wrote in Walt Longmire. I thought I was being cute and clever. Turns out I was not the only one who thought of it. Several hundred people in Campbell County did the same thing that year. Not that it mattered. There was only one guy who could actually win.

The moral of the story is, when you claim we need someone to show up and make a difference you need to understand that the person who needs to show up is looking back at you in the mirror when you brush your teeth.

If you don't brush your teeth, don't bother running for office. Seriously, please don't.