Crested Butte taking a look at voter rolls after recent questions

Mail ballot makes it harder to keep rolls clean

The town of Crested Butte is researching a potential problem regarding its voter rolls. Councilmember Glenn Michel raised the concern to the town staff that some people who lived and registered to vote in Crested Butte have moved out of the town proper and haven’t changed their physical address.

This could result in their being sent a town election ballot. Last November, a proposed sales tax increase lost by just three votes.
The issue is not uncommon in towns with transient populations. Gunnison city clerk Gail Davidson said many Western State Colorado University students register to vote here and then don’t change their voter registration after they graduate and leave the valley. Mt. Crested Butte town manager Joe Fitzpatrick said, like in most resort communities, the town voter “rolls are filled with names of people not living here anymore.”
Town manager Todd Crossett, town attorney John Belkin and the town staff are gathering information on how to handle the situation. They have spoken with the attorney for the Colorado Municipal League and are contacting other sources on how to assess and potentially deal with the problem.
“One recent, new variable with the voter roll situation is the state’s new mail ballot legislation, which requires the mail ballots,” said Crossett. “In the old days before the state-mandated mail ballot–only elections, people would show up at the polls and be asked if they still resided at a specific address. They were given an appropriate ballot and the address was changed. With the mail ballot, voters are sent a card before the election and asked to adjust their address if needed. It’s possible that not everyone reads the cards or takes the time to make the change.”
Crossett explained that actually clearing up the rolls “could be a relatively complex issue. We intend to gain a thorough understanding of any potential situation, including any appropriate solutions before taking any action. We will bring any findings, information and an appropriate recommendation to the Town Council for direction.
“If there is an issue, the objective would be to ensure that the rolls are as clean as possible prior to the next election,” Crossett concluded. “The town would of course work with the county. But we want to be clear that there is no desire on our part to go after people if they were sent and returned a town ballot even if they didn’t live here last November. We just need to ensure that our rolls are as accurate as possible in upcoming elections.”