Primary elections taking place through June 30 in the county

Advance ballot drop-off is the way to go

By Katherine Nettles

The state primary election is under way in Colorado, and that includes a local election for Gunnison County as well. Ballots went out by mail on Monday, June 8 and need to be turned in by 7 p.m. on Election Day, June 30.

Because of the extra handling precautions now required at the elections office, election officials request that people use the various ballot drop-off locations throughout the valley and turn ballots in as soon as possible. There will be no indoor voting facilities available for this primary.

Gunnison County elections director Diane Folowell says this primary will require more safety measures than ever due to the coronavirus, and a new method is in place for ballot drop-offs in Crested Butte and Gunnison. “It’s going to look a lot different than it has,” she says, with no walk-in voters.

There is now a ballot box installed in Crested Butte at Crank’s Plaza near Town Hall, under 24-hour camera surveillance. There are also two ballot drop boxes at the Blackstock government building in Gunnison, with one at either end of the parking lot.

“We are encouraging all voters to use the drop boxes and cast their ballots as soon as they get them,” says Folowell. The elections office has a lot of work to do to process each ballot, and will be collecting them from each drop box daily through June 30.

In addition to the existing requirements of validating each ballot, there are new requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“There are many, many steps that have to be conducted by law. It takes hours to do signature verification,” says Folowell. “Now with coronavirus, we cannot even process them for eight to 10 hours after we receive them.” Folowell predicts that local election results will probably not be available until two or three days after Election Day due to these regulations.

“We just want to keep the public safe, the voters safe,” says Gunnison County clerk Kathy Simillion. “I think the voters are going to find this new method actually very convenient. I think they are actually going to love it.”

Folowell confirmed that this fall the county plans to have a ballot box at Western Colorado University as well for the general election, as mandated by House Bill 1278.

Gunnison County will be conducting the election on June 30 in the parking lot of the Blackstock building, with limited registration services available. People can register to vote and change their address ahead of time online, and on Election Day that can still be done, says Folowell, “but they will have to wait in line. The less contact the better for everyone, but we want to serve the voters,” she says.

Folowell says the voter turnout is difficult to predict for this primary, but the last primary, two years ago, did not have a very strong voter turnout. Yet the presidential primary in March broke records for local voter participation.

Simillion encourages people to exercise their right to vote and not be deterred by the drop-off method.

“We just had to figure this out for the voters. It’s just another thing these days that had to be changed for public health,” she says. “But we hope to have a heavy turnout,” she explains.

Coloradoans registered as Democrats are voting on who will face uncontested incumbent Republican Cory Gardner in November in the U.S. senate race. The choices are former Gov. John Hickenlooper or former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. There is also a race between James Iacino and Diane E. Mitsch Bush for the U.S. House of Representatives for District 3.

Board of Education District 3 member Mayling Simpson is running uncontested, as is state representative Julie McCluskie for District 61. County commissioner John Messner, representing District 1, has a write-in Republican opponent, Dave Taylor, who needs 135 write-in votes to make it onto the November ballot against Messner. County commissioner Jonathan Houck is running uncontested for District 2.

Registered Republicans are choosing between Lauren Boebert and Scott Tipton for U.S House of Representatives, District 3. Board of Education member Joyce Rankin is uncontested, as is State Representative Kim McGahey of District 61 and District Attorney Seth Ryan of the Seventh Judicial District.

Libertarian voters are choosing between Gaylon Kent and Raymon Anthony Doane to join the race for U.S. Senator.

Unaffiliated voters can vote only one ballot, or their votes will be invalidated. Anyone who does not receive a ballot can call the county elections office at  (970) 641-7927.