Voting by mail now business-as-usual for state elections

Outdoor drop box available for June primary

Gone are the cramped, rickety booths with flimsy curtains. Twenty-first century voting has arrived to Gunnison County.
Last year, Governor John Hickenlooper signed House Bill 1303 into law, making Colorado an all-mail-ballot state. “Everybody who’s registered will receive a mail ballot,” says Gunnison County Election Specialist Diane Followell. Those ballots will be mailed June 2.
“People are used to knowing the precinct where they live and going to a designated location to vote,” Followell says. Votes will still be counted by precinct, but voters won’t have to go to a certain place on a certain day between certain hours to cast ballots. Instead, they can vote anytime between receipt of a ballot in the mail and 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The first, and easiest, way to choose a candidate is by mail. “You can also come in and leave your ballot,” says Followell. There are three Voter Service Polling Centers (VSPC) in the county, official drop-off locations. “We’re also encouraging people to use our 24-hour drop box.” The solid, behemoth of a box, patrolled by 24-hour surveillance cameras, stands near the south end of the Blackstock Government Building, across from the post office in Gunnison.
If you make a mistake on your ballot, Followell says, no worries. “You can surrender your ballot at VSPC locations and get a replacement ballot.”
“You can also surrender your ballot and vote electronically if you’d like,” she says.
The county’s primary VSPC site is Blackstock. At the north end of the valley, the Parish Hall at the Queen of All Saints Catholic Church will function as a VSPC for Crested Butte, for several days leading up to Election Day. The Fred Field Western Heritage Center will open as a third VSPC option, only on Election Day.
Colorado is a closed-primary state. That means voters can choose candidates only from within their own party to nominate for the general election. Only those candidates representing the party for which you are registered will appear on your ballot. If you are registered as an independent voter, or unaffiliated, you will not receive a ballot this June.
There’s no need to have registered to vote a month in advance of an election. With valid, state-issued I.D., you may now register any time up until the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day. You also have until then to claim major party affiliation, so long as you are not already a member of a political party. Take note: Claiming affiliation when you had none before is different from changing parties. The deadline to change party affiliation for purposes of this election, for example from Democrat to Republican, was May 23, so that is no longer possible for the June 24 primary.
If you don’t receive a ballot, it could be because you’ve moved. It could also be because you are unaffiliated with a major political party, or have not registered to vote.
To register, affiliate with a party or make changes to your voter record, visit a local VSPC or go to www.govotecolorado.com. The Website, says Followell, is an easy way to verify your address. “We need an accurate address,” she says. Gunnison County residents are notorious for address changes, Crested Butte residents in particular.
The ballots this year will have a new look. The envelopes are larger, with bold red lettering. Inside, is a return envelope, with a signature box outlined in yellow. “Voters must sign in order for their vote to be counted.”
This June 24 primary, democrats will choose between two candidates for county treasurer: William Spicer and Kent Fulton.
Republicans will select from a field of gubernatorial candidates: Bob Beauprez, Scott Gessler, Tom Tancredo and Mike Kopp. The winner will run against the current governor, John Hickenlooper, in the general election. In the Republican primary, David Cox of Palisade has thrown his name into the arena against Scott Tipton for the U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District.
If you have any questions about the coming election, contact Diane Followell at 641-7927.