What if there was only one candidate in each of the two La Plata County commissioner races next November? Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold have made this scenario more likely.
In La Plata County, that means that voters would have no option except to vote for Democrat candidates Marsha Porter-Norton (District 2) and Matt Salka (District 3). They were officially nominated March 28, but they have been running uncontested in their party since spring 2019. There are no Republican nominees this year.
Charly Minkler and I declared to run for the two commissioner offices as independent (unaffiliated) candidates. Minkler is seeking the seat for District 3, eastern La Plata County, and I’ve declared for District 2, which is the Durango area.
Unlike the party nominees, we are required to collect more than 600 signatures and personal information from La Plata County voters to make the ballot. This must be done in person, witnessed, notarized and submitted to the La Plata County Clerk for verification. Signatures can only be collected from May 14 to July 9, 2020.
At least that’s the way it was supposed to work before the coronavirus pandemic.
The tradition of meeting face-to-face with voters to collect signatures is contrary to the new common sense, not to mention multiple executive orders issued by Polis. Would you want to be approached by a stranger and asked to hold a clipboard, petition and pen after hundreds of other people handled them?
In early March, when the nature of the pandemic was understood, numerous requests from independents across the state were sent to the governor and secretary of state. We asked officials to modify the petition process for the safety of candidates and voters.
The only reply was that state officials were aware of the issue. We were also told that it’s impossible to change the petition process regardless of real or perceived risks to public health.
It should be noted, however, that multiple insiders and business organizations lobbied the governor to make no changes regarding signatures whether for independent candidates or initiatives. Clearly, we are a threat to the status quo.
Fourteen independent candidates from across the state emailed and sent a registered letter on April 15 to Polis and the secretary of state’s office. We formally requested relief and guidance for petition-signing.
It was asked if the governor could issue an executive order allowing voters to mail in their signatures, as is permitted for voter registration and voting itself. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert did so for his state.
In every communication, we independent Colorado candidates explained that time is critical even if the decision is to make no changes at all. The big concern was that the governor might announce a last-minute change before the petition start date of May 14 – a scenario that would be costly and detrimental to independents.
We received no response, not even a form letter or auto-reply email.
Therefore, Minkler and I made plans for drive-thru signing events in Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio and Breen on May 16, 23 and 30. Voters could sign inside their car with minimal exposure. Our plans were reviewed and approved by San Juan Basin Public Health and the La Plata County clerk’s office.
We arranged to rent the high school parking lot and other signing locations, purchase a $2 million liability insurance policy, recruit a dozen volunteers to assist each day, order PPE materials for volunteers and voters, buy new pens for each voter, order signage and other supplies (in some cases, we had to pay rush charges to receive them by May 14), and placed an advertising order in local media to inform the public.
Our preparations were complicated, time-consuming and cost thousands of dollars. No candidates have ever faced such a task before. Political party candidates never have and never will.
Then, on May 1, almost two months after Polis’ first executive order regarding coronavirus, we learned through media reports that he issued an order for the “Temporary Suspension of Certain Regulatory Statutes Concerning Petition Gathering for Unaffiliated and Independent Candidates for Office Due to the Presence of COVID-19.”
It’s written so poorly that no one – candidates, county clerks or even staff at the secretary of state’s office – was sure what the order meant. After several days it was explained that the governor simply ordered the secretary of state to “do something.”
Finally, on May 8, just six days before our first petition event, it was announced that the official time period for collecting signatures would be pushed back to a June 1 start.
We must be reasonable and patient in dealing with each other and government agencies, but the handling of the petition process has been to the detriment of voters and independent candidates while benefiting nominees from the governor’s party.
Every resource Minkler and I spend to get on the ballot cannot be used to share our message with the public.
Please attend a petition signing event, now moved to June 6, 13 and 20. Voters can sign for both Minkler and me, regardless of whether you are a registered Democrat, a Republican or belong to no political party at all. If you’re not yet registered to vote, we can help with that, too.
All details are posted on our websites (ElectJackTurner.com and MinklerForCommissioner.com). We would appreciate a fair and safe opportunity to be on the ballot.
Jack Turner is an independent candidate for La Plata County commissioner (Dist. 2). He lives in Durango.
