La Plata County ballots will be mailed Monday, and Tiffany Lee, the county’s clerk and recorder, expects a high percentage of them will be returned during this year’s midterm election.
Lee, who admitted she sets her expectations high when it comes to voter turnout, hopes to see 70% of ballots returned from the county’s 39,772 active registered voters. Although more voters tend to stay home during midterm elections compared to presidential elections, Colorado boasts some of the highest voter turnout rates in the nation.
Lee said several contentious races might drive voters to the polls, which are mostly proverbial given that 98% of the county’s participating voters use mail ballots to cast votes versus going to a polling place.
“Usually, I can pinpoint a particular ballot question (that drives interest),” Lee said. “This year, I can’t. It’s candidates.”
She said based on conversations she has had in the community, the races for county commissioner, county treasurer, state House District 59, secretary of state, governor and the 3rd Congressional District appear to be drawing the most engagement.
“There’s a lot of heightened passion on each side and there’s also independents running,” Lee said. “And when you look at our voter registration base, a majority of our La Plata County residents are independents or unaffiliated (the same thing), so people are really watching those races and studying the candidates more, probably, than they have in the past rather than just going straight party line.”
At a local level, the three-way race for La Plata County commissioner between Democratic incumbent Clyde Church, Republican former commissioner Brad Blake and independent Jack Turner should be a tight race. Erin Hutchins, an independent, is also challenging Democratic incumbent Allison Aichele for the seat of county treasurer. Aichele has held the role since 2014.
Democratic state Rep. Barbara McLachlan is facing a challenge for her seat from Republican Shelli Shaw to represent Colorado’s 59th District. Financial reporting shows McLachlan has raised significantly more – almost three times as much – as her opponent. Democratic incumbent Gov. Jared Polis also faces a challenge from the right, although recent polls predict Polis will win reelection by a healthy margin. In the race for secretary of state, Democratic incumbent Jenna Griswold has raised and spent significantly more money than her Republican challenger, Pam Anderson.
The race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District has garnered significant attention as Democrat Adam Frisch takes on one-term incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. Boebert has made headlines for, among many things, her denial that the 2020 election was legitimate. A recent poll has shown the race could go either way.
With such a packed ballot of contentious races, the chairs of the county’s Democratic and Republican parties are anticipating high turnout.
“Certainly we’ve had a lot more engagement with Republicans over the last year than we have (had) in the past,” said chairman of the La Plata County GOP Dave Peters. “Everybody that we talk to is pretty darn concerned.”
Peters said rising inflation, gas prices and crime rates are likely to motivate voters from his party. He noted that Shaw and Blake are well-liked candidates, and he expects voters to rally around them.
Anne Markward, chairwoman of the La Plata County Democrats, has similar predictions.
“I think voter turnout on both sides is going to be strong,” she said. “I think it’s going to be an unusually active midterm election. I know that on our side of the aisle, people are extremely concerned about Roe v. Wade, about reproductive health and reproductive rights.”
She said national issues, while important, are not the only thing that will compel people to vote. The ballot questions regarding affordable housing, school lunches and the proposed reduction of state property tax are of interest to many voters.
“What enthuses me the most is how powerful the younger voters are in this election,” Markward said. “They’re showing up, they’re angry, they’re frightened and I think they’re going to vote.”
Associate professor of Political Science at Fort Lewis College Paul DeBell agrees. DeBell is the faculty coordinator for FLC Engage, an organization that seeks to increase civic engagement within the student body.
Student leaders have run a robust get-out-the-vote effort on campus this year with the help of New Era Colorado, a progressive youth-oriented civic organization that now has an office in Durango. FLC Engage also created a module on the college’s online learning platform that professors can add to their course webpages. It features a greeting from Lee, the county’s clerk and recorder, encouraging students to get in touch and register to vote.
“There are a lot of issues right now that students really care about that are in the news and engaging people,” DeBell said.
Voters should return ballots by mail no later than Oct. 31 to ensure they arrive by Election Day, or they can visit one of five voter service and polling centers located throughout the county. Unlike in many other states, county residents may register to vote up to or on Election Day by visiting a voter service location with one of the many accepted forms of identification. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
