La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee said 40,732 ballots went in the mail in Albuquerque on Monday bound for the county’s active registered voters. She expects them to begin arriving in mailboxes Tuesday or Wednesday.
To be considered an “active voter,” a piece of election mail such as the recent informational mailer or the primary election ballot must not have bounced back from that voter’s address. Election mail cannot be forwarded, meaning that if a voter suspended mail service for a month and the county sent election mail during that period, that voter is likely to be considered “inactive.”
An “inactive voter” is still eligible to vote but must update his or her address on the Colorado secretary of state’s website, stop by the Clerk and Recorder’s Office or visit one of the county’s five voter service centers.
“We anticipate most voters having (their ballots) by Friday,” Lee said.
If voters have not received a ballot by Monday, Lee said to call her office at 382-6296.
“We continue to mail until Oct. 31 if people want to continue to update or register,” she said.
Ballots should not be put in the return mail after Oct. 31 to ensure their on-time arrival. Ballots will be accepted until 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8. Postmarks to not qualify as having been received – they must be in a ballot drop-site by 7 p.m.
Voters may fill out a ballot in person or return the ballot mailed to them at one of the county’s five voter service centers. Three service centers are located in Durango: at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office; at the La Plata County Fairgrounds; and at the Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall. There is also a center located at the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio and one at the Pine River Library in Bayfield. Check the clerk’s “frequently asked questions” document for each site’s specific hours.
In addition to the five voter service centers, voters may drop off the ballot mailed to them (but not register or vote in person using a new ballot) at the Bayfield Town Hall, the Farmers Fresh Market in Ignacio and the La Plata County Administration Building in Durango.
If a voter chooses to return a ballot by mail, a first-class stamp is required. For more information, to register to vote or to read the “blue book” with detailed explanations of everything on the ballot, visit the clerk’s website.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
