La Plata County voters can expect Tuesday’s primary results to begin rolling in soon after polls close at 7 p.m.
Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee said her office will release the county’s preliminary results around 7:30 p.m. on the elections page of the Clerk and Recorder’s website after election judges finish tabulating the day’s ballots.
Voters can follow primaries for statewide and national offices on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website, and results for regional races will also be available on The Durango Herald’s website at www.durangoherald.com.
La Plata County’s primaries will yield few surprises as local offices for Republicans and Democrats are uncontested. However, regional and statewide races have drawn intense interest and their results have yet to be decided.
The Republican primary for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers the Western Slope and stretches to Pueblo County, pits far-right incumbent Lauren Boebert against state Sen. Don Coram, a moderate Republican from Montrose.
Boebert, who has made waves nationally for her firebrand and combative approach to politics, attacked Coram during their only debate in Ignacio, portraying herself as the clear choice for Republican voters. Coram drew a contrast between himself and Boebert, highlighting his focus on legislation and his ability to enact policies that help the voters of western Colorado.
In the 3rd Congressional District, Democrats face a three-way race in which voters will choose who the party will stand to challenge the Republican in a district that has become more conservative with redistricting. Sol Sandoval, a community activist and organizer from Pueblo; Alex Walker, an engineer from Avon; and Adam Frisch, a former Aspen City Council member, are vying for the party’s nomination.
As the party in power, the Democratic nominations for state and national offices are uncontested, while Republicans have competitive races for U.S. senator, governor and secretary of state.
Greg Lopez and Heidi Ganahl are running for the Republican nomination for governor; Tina Peters, Mike O’Donnell and Pam Anderson for Colorado secretary of state; and Ron Hanks and Joe O’Dea for U.S. senator.
Trying to ease any concerns about election integrity, Lee said La Plata County’s elections are secure.
“Everything is processed by bipartisan teams of election judges. Nothing is linked to the internet. We cannot extract results until 7 p.m. on election night,” Lee said.
The tabulation equipment has its own independent server, and the results that are uploaded to the state are double-checked with the official record, which is paper, she said.
The county’s election judges were caught up on ballots as of 5 p.m. Monday with only those cast on primary election day to be counted. La Plata County reached 30% turnout Monday and mail drop boxes were busy, though there were no lines at in-person voting sites, Lee said.
Voters who want to cast a ballot in-person can visit three locations in La Plata County between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday:
- La Plata County Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive, Suite C.
- Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway, Bayfield.
- La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave., Durango.
Mail ballots can also be deposited at these drop-off locations through Tuesday’s deadline:
- La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive, Suite C.
- La Plata County Administration Building, 1101 East Second Ave.
- La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
- Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
- Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway, Bayfield.
- Farmers Fresh Market, 535 Goddard Ave., Ignacio.
ahannon@durangoherald.com
