Voting is not without its potential for mishaps. Westside Casper resident Faye Nobles nearly ripped the front bumper off her Subaru backing out of her parking spot at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds. A stranger who’d also just cast his ballot helped tape it up as a temporary fix. Aside from re turning home to call a body shop, the race for governor was top of mind for Nobles, as well as the statewide proposition to cut residential property tax, which she supports. She was also nervous about talk of a national “blue wave” for Democratic candidates. Though Casper resident Faye Nobles damaged her front bumper at the polls, she was happy to support the Republican Party, she said. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) “I felt it was really important to take a stand for the party that I’m with,” Nobles said, adding that she supports the GOP up and down the ballot. “I want to see the Republicans keep the Senate and the House. I don’t like the way it’s going right now, and I really hope people vote red and not blue. I feel like we live in a red state, so that makes me happy.” Early voting was strong in Natrona County, with 2,331 mail-in ballots and 5,906 in-person ballots cast before Election Day, according to County Clerk Tracy Good. That compares to 2,727 and 1,566 in the 2022 midterm election. As of Tuesday morning, there were no hiccups or incidents to report at the polls, Good said. However, a man who came to the clerk’s office Thursday morning to vote early got irate with Good and her staff, yelling about a “stolen election.” WyoFile witnessed the tirade, which ended before staff had to call a sheriff’s deputy. “Obviously, disrupting a polling place is against the law,” Good said. “You’re not going to attack us or disrupt everyone around you. But that was the only negative interaction we’ve had this whole time that I know about.”  Cooler heads arrived at the polls Tuesday, determined to vote in line with their thoughts on the economy, a top issue on Wyoming voters’ minds. The ballot proposition to exempt 50% of a primary residence’s assessed value from property taxes and the gubernatorial race also drove voters to the polls. Economy, taxes and politics Casper area resident Jaylen Baxter, 27, said his primary motivation in the voting booth was to address what he believes is an affordability crisis. “I think that Wyoming has relied on the boom-and-bust [economy] too much,” he said. Though there’s certainly room for more energy development, Baxter added, “Wyoming needs to diversify its economy to be able to withstand the financial challenges we find today.” Casper area resident Jaylen Baxter said his votes reflect his concerns about an affordability crisis in Wyoming. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) Without divulging who he voted for, Baxter said he’s most concerned about the race for governor. Regardless of who wins that one, “I don’t think that we’re going to see a lot of changes here as much as we’re going to see across the nation. But I do think that some of those policies that are carried in from the eastern [U.S.] can trickle in here, and we can find an affordable way to carry forward — especially on energy.” One man who’d cast his vote in Natrona County and didn’t want to share his name told WyoFile he’s a registered Republican. But, he added, “I’m not MAGA. So anybody who is associated with that group, I have no interest in.” At the Jackson/Teton County recreation center polling station in Jackson, voter Ryan Kertamis said the statewide races that were top of mind for him were governor and Wyoming’s federal senator and representative. The property tax exemption — Proposition 1 — “was kind of a tough one to make a decision,” he said. “The estimated loss to the budget is huge,” he said of impacts predicted to government services, including schools. “I have a young son.” Laura Kett also cited Proposition 1 as her top statewide issue. “It’s kind of a big deal,” she said. Marsha Knapp, who cast her vote early Tuesday morning in Casper, said she doesn’t expect the results of the general election to drastically change her quality of life here — with the exception of the proposition to cut residential property taxes. “It’s a big deal because there are a lot of older people who will benefit from keeping 50% of their property taxes,” Knapp said. Casper resident Don Klyce said he was in favor of local tax initiatives, including a lodging tax, but is steadfastly against Proposition 1, the residential property tax cut.  “That’s a big one for me,” Klyce said, who is worried that if the ballot measure passes, county budgets will suffer. “There’s just too many things that we need to fund right now.” Ideally, Klyce said, he’d like to see residential property taxes eliminated. But for now, there’s no plan to replace the revenue that local governments, fire departments and myriad other entities rely on. “You have to find another funding source. Where’s the money going to come from?” A man fills out his ballot on Nov. 3 2026, in the Bob Carey Memorial Fieldhouse in Lander. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile) Lander voter Tim Kramer didn’t want to share his political views, but said he was also keeping a close eye on Proposition 1.  “It’s striking a nerve with a lot of people on both sides,” he said, adding that he expected a close vote.  Local school board races were also important to Kramer, a parent. “I’m really looking at who is going to be helping guide the school systems into the future,” he said. At the Teton County Weed and Pest polling station, voter Judy Johnson said her top concern was voting for conservative candidates.  “Just want to keep Wyoming, Wyoming,” Johnson said. “I’ve lived here 50 years, so [I’ve] seen too many changes.” Low property taxes were a huge reason she originally moved to Teton County, said the 77-year-old who voted for Proposition 1. Johnson sees fears of cuts to services as overblown. “I am so for it because there’s only a fraction of a fraction that goes to those causes,” Johnson said. “I’m always for lowering taxes, not increasing them.” Two other voters, who declined to share their names, said their top concerns in this election were democracy, wealth inequality, ending wars and stopping environmental degradation. Social issues and change “I’m tired of how things are going, and it’s time for a change — like drastically,” Evansville resident Ashley Skager told WyoFile.  The economy is bad, and on social issues, “I think Wyoming is really far behind,” she added. “I’m not a Trump fan whatsoever, so I voted for people who are not endorsed by Trump. I don’t see a positive future if we remain on the track we’re currently on.” Travis Holmes, who joined Skager at the polls, said he feels the same. “I wanted to put the foot down,” Holmes said while making a stomping motion with his foot, “and say, ‘All right, enough with this.'” Grocery and gas prices are too high, he added, and the current slate of politicians don’t seem to act in the best interests of regular people. “I wish they would stop caring about all of the people who own all of us, so I voted for the people I thought would actually give a damn about us.” Voting against Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Bextel was also a priority for Holmes. “I really hope she doesn’t win. My other votes were probably more protest votes than anything else.” Election volunteer Kit Jennings helps voters at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds in Natrona County. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) Social issues were Bee Bennett’s top priority. “I came out to support my people, my community,” and that includes the LGBTQ community, said Bennett of Evansville. “Hopefully the career politicians kind of make their way out and we can get some change and try something different, because it’s not working.” Yvonne Tsinigine cast her ballot at Restoration Church in Casper and said she believes democracy is at stake in the election. “I don’t want socialism or anything like that coming into the United States — Islams and all of that,” she told WyoFile. “That’s what made me come out and [vote] all red. “I wanted to come out and make my vote count,” Tsinigine added, “before it’s too late to save the United States.” Shelley Springer of Natrona County declined to share her thoughts on candidates or issues on the ballot, but said the most important thing to her is to vote. “I, of course, educate myself on the issues, but it’s not the issues that bring me out to vote,” Springer said. “I just vote. I think it’s very important as a citizen of the United States that I vote.” WyoFile reporters Angus Thuermer Jr., Rebecca Huntington and Katie Klingsporn contributed to this story. The post Wyomingites go to the polls to vote on the economy, the state’s next governor and ‘change’ appeared first on WyoFile . ...read more read less