La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee said some 42,000 ballots for the June 25 primary were sent out to voters Monday and should arrive in mailboxes later this week.
The ballot gives voters a chance to weigh in on party nominations in advance of the November general election. Candidates running for Congress, the General Assembly, state Board of Education, University of Colorado Board of Regents, county commissioner and district attorney all appear on the ballot.
In-line with recent trends, 22,321 ballot packets, or 53%, were sent to unaffiliated voters. Roughly half the remaining active electorate was split evenly: about 24% of ballots were sent to Democrats and 23% were sent to Republicans.
Unaffiliated voters, also called independents, will receive ballots for both the Republican and Democratic primaries. However, an unaffiliated voter may only participate in one party’s primary. The other, unused ballot should be destroyed, Lee said.
If a voter returns both parties’ primary ballots – as about 170 people did in the March presidential primary – the whole packet will be voided.
On the Democratic ballot, only the UC Board of Regents at-large seat is contested.
For Republican voters, there are six candidates vying for the nomination to represent the 3rd Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert. Boebert announced late last year that she would run in the state’s 4th Congressional District.
In the race to represent District 3 on the CU Board of Regents, Kristine Sposato announced recently that she would withdraw, leaving only Ray Scott in the race. Sposato’s name will appear on the ballot, but votes for her will not be counted.
Previously registered voters may no longer change their party affiliation, Lee said, although new voters may register for any party.
Residents have until June 17 to register to vote online and still receive a ballot in the mail. After that date, new voters must register in-person at a voter service center.
The centers, where voters may also vote on electronic machines, will be open at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office in Durango beginning June 17, and at the Pine River Library in Bayfield on June 24 and on primary day, June 25.
Ballots should not be mailed after June 17, and instead should be delivered at a voter service center, or at one of six 24-hour dropboxes located in Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio.
For more specific information on voter service center hours and how to vote, visit the Clerk and Recorder’s Frequently Asked Questions page at bit.ly/4e4rVZX.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
