As of Thursday morning, 9,387 ballots had been returned in La Plata County for the primary election, and voters still have until 7 p.m. Tuesday to return ballots to drop-off boxes.
It is too late for voters to mail ballots to be counted for the election. Instead, voters should now drop off their ballots in one of five county 24-hour ballot drop-off sites at:
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive in Durango.La Plata County Administration Building, 1101 East Second Ave., in Durango.Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango.Farmers Fresh Market, 535 Goddard Ave., in Ignacio.Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway, in Bayfield.County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Parker said 3,728 Democrats, 2,878 Republicans, 2,745 unaffiliated voters and 36 Libertarians have returned ballots.
Earlier in June, Parker mailed out 15,141 ballots to unaffiliated voters, 11,668 to Democrats, 10,151 to Republicans and 408 to Libertarians.
“It’s been like a typical election where it was busy at the very beginning and then it just dies down, kind of this little roller coaster, and now the number of ballots being returned each day is pretty consistent,” Parker said.
The Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive, will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday for anyone who wants to vote in person. So far, Parker said only 25 people have chosen to vote in person.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, Parker said she will have fewer people available to count ballots Tuesday night, and results might be delayed. A final count might not be available until Wednesday morning.
“We’ll only be able to have a limited number of people in the building, and if a bunch of ballots come in Tuesday, results may be delayed. I should have preliminary results by 8 p.m. It just may take more time to get them all finished. And the count may even go to the next day, especially statewide,” she said.
County clerks across Colorado could begin counting returned ballots June 15. However, Parker decided to wait until Friday to begin her La Plata County count.
In Colorado, unaffiliated voters may participate in either the Democratic or Republican primary. Unaffiliated voters cannot vote in both party primaries; if they do, neither ballot will be counted.
The election determines which candidates will receive the Republican and Democratic nomination to run for seats in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Voters also will select a state Board of Education member, state representative and a district attorney for the 6th Judicial District, as well as La Plata County commissioners for District 2 and District 3.
In contested races, Democrats will choose between former Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff for the U.S. Senate position, and business owner James Iacino and former Colorado Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush for the U.S. House seat.
Republicans will choose between incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, and restaurant owner Lauren Boebert for U.S. House.
Registered Libertarians have a choice in the U.S. Senate contest between Gaylon Kent, who works in the hotel industry and is the veterans service officer for Routt County, and Raymon Anthony Doane, who works for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
