Surge in new voters as election approaches

Mail-in ballots are popular

With less than three weeks until Election Day and campaign craziness in full swing, some people just can’t wait to vote—and they don’t have to. Voters from any precinct can cast their ballot during early voting on the ground floor of the Blackstock Government Building at 221 N. Wisconsin in Gunnison.

Early voting is available to all registered voters between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday during the last two weeks of October, including five hours on Saturday, October 25.
Voters can also cast their vote before Election Day with a mail-in ballot. The deadline to pick one up from the county clerk and recorder is either October 28 or 31, depending on whether the voter intends to mail the ballot or drop it off by hand.
Already this year, the county, which has 9,858 active voters, has sent out more than 4,000 mail-in ballots, according to county clerk and recorder Stella Dominguez. Since April, the county has added nearly 1,500 new voters to the rolls.
“We’ve had between 50 and 60 people come every day so far for early voting, and with all of the mail-in ballots, this year is going to have a very good turn-out,” she said.
After experiences with voters struggling to read the ballot for the first time at the polls, Elise Brown, who works with the county elections office, recommends getting a sample ballot from the county clerk and recorder, online or from the office.
With a record number of ballot initiatives, Brown says it is a good idea to complete the sample ballot at home and bring it to the polling place, along with a picture ID and a pen with black or blue ink to fill out a paper ballot. Another option is filling out a ballot on an automated E-Slate machine at the polling place.
Passing on the early voting opportunities and the mail-in ballot will leave voters to the polls and the lines on Tuesday, November 4 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. For more information on voting and the election process, call Kathy Simillion at 641-7927 or go to http://www.gunnisoncounty.org/elections.html.