Park County Primary Election Write-in Candidates Include Donald “Dock,” Trump, and “Dont Care”

The Park County Elections Office released the list of write-in candidates who appeared in the primary election – real people, different versions of real candidates, and a slew of fictional characters.

Many Park County residents are still reeling from the Aug. 16 primary election – which saw the highest number of participants in mid-term election history. One race – for Wyoming House District 24 – went through a recount which exactly confirmed the election night results.

In the aftermath of the primary, the Park County Elections Office published a report of all the significant write-in candidates that appeared on ballots. While there were hundreds of write-ins, the report only logs those from races in which the write-in votes impacted or could have impacted the results of the race.

The Elections Office emphasizes two points: all write-ins are counted, and a write-in doesn’t mean a candidate is eligible for a position (assuming they even want it.)

C.J. Baker with the Elections Office states that there were numerous precinct committee races where there were not enough candidates on the ballot. But there were other discrepancies as well.

“You’ll also see women written-in for men’s positions (and vice versa),” Baker explains, “(and) people who are registered with the other party and invalid write-ins like “anyone else.”

In some municipal races, there were twice as many spots available on the ballot as positions up for election (i.e., two slots for a mayoral race; four slots for two council seats). In those races with only one or two candidates for one or two seats, races were checked to see if anyone received three or more write-in votes.

Courtesy Unsplash & Element5

Many write-in votes are for concepts rather than people. Several entries were categorized as “illegible,” “fictitious,” or simply “blank.”

Many Republican candidates appeared as write-in candidates on the Democratic primary ballot. For instance, Scott Steward, Matthew Scott, and Lloyd Thiel all got votes on the ballot for County Commissioner.

Other write-in Democratic candidates for Park County Commissioner include:

• Seven votes for Matt Scott
• Two votes each for Matthew Scott & Mathew Scott
• Two votes each for Lloyd Thiel & Lloyd E. Thiel
• One vote for Theil
• Three votes for Scott Steward
• One vote for Scott A. Steward
• Two votes for Scott Stewart
• Three votes for Blank

In Cody, the perennial candidate “None of the Above” got a single vote for Cody City Council, as did actor and punchline Chuck Norris. Meanwhile, former President Donald J. Trump got a vote for an open seat on the Powell City Council.

The most “populated” races were for Republican and Democratic party precinct committee positions.

Mickey Mouse was well-represented in the primary election – the Disney icon received three votes for the Republican Precinct Committeeman in Precinct 9-7. His equally iconic girlfriend, Minnie Mouse, received votes as Republican Precinct Committeewoman in Precincts 9-7 and 10-1.

Both Daisy and “Daisey” Duck got votes in Precincts 10-1 and 4-2., respectively. Also, “Donald Dock” got a vote for Precinct Committeewoman in Precinct 25-3.

Ronald Reagan posthumously threw his hat into the ring for Precinet Committeeman in Precinct 9-1. Other intriguing candidates in committeeman/woman races include Liz Cheney, John Doe, Trump, Trump JR, Bank, “No One,” “Dont Care,” and “X.”

Courtesy Park County

The only races affected by write-in votes were Meeteetse Town Council, the mayor and town council of Frannie.

Dustin Taylor joined the race for two Meeteetse Town Council seats after receiving four write-ins. Meanwhile, multiple people entered the race for town government positions in Frannie after no one initially filed for four positions.