La Plata County residents can expect ballots for the Nov. 2 election to be arriving in their mailboxes as soon as Tuesday.
According to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, ballots were printed in Phoenix and trucked Friday to Albuquerque, where they will be mailed to La Plata County voters.
“Friday is actually also the first day, by law, that we can mail ballots,” said Erin Hutchinson with the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
With Monday being a federal holiday – Columbus Day at the federal level, Frances Xavier Cabrini Day in Colorado, and Indigenous Peoples Day in Durango and La Plata County, among other places – it’s likely residents will not see their ballots until Tuesday.
La Plata County contracts its ballots to be printed in Phoenix and then shipped to the U.S. Postal Service hub in Albuquerque before being shipped to voters.
“The reason we have them ship out of Albuquerque is that we found that people get their ballots a lot quicker,” Hutchinson said. “Instead of having them transported up to Grand Junction or Denver, we went with the post office that would give us the quickest turnaround for ballots.”
La Plata County voters will make decisions this November about three statewide initiatives, as well as school board candidates.
Voters living within the boundaries of Durango School District 9-R will choose between Catherine Mewmaw, Erika Brown and Kristina Paslay for District A; Richard Dean Hill and Rick Petersen for District C; and Andrea Parmenter and Donna Gulec for District E.
Ignacio School District voters will choose between Leila C. Baker, Lee Petty and James (Jim) Bulwan. (Jay Dee Brunson is also running unopposed for a two-year term.)
Voters in the Bayfield School District will chose between Rebecca Parnell, Kira Charlotte Wennerstrom, Jill M. Shocklee and Matt Turner.
A “yes” vote on Amendment 78 requires state spending be allocated by the state Legislature and that custodial money be deposited in and spent from a new fund. A “no” vote allows state agencies to continue spending custodial money and certain other money without appropriation by the state Legislature.
A “yes“ vote on Proposition 119 will increase taxes on marijuana sales to the tune of $137 million annually to be used to provide out-of-school learning opportunities to children ages 5 to 17. A “no” vote would keep taxes the same.
A “yes” vote on Proposition 120 would change property tax rate assessments from 7.15% to 6.5%. A “no” vote keeps assessment rates the same.
njohnson@durangoherald.com
La Plata County Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive, Ste. C, Durango.
Monday-Friday, Oct. 25-29, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m.-noon.
Monday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 2, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway, Bayfield
Friday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 2, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall 1000 Rim Drive, Durango
Monday, Nov. 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov 2, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
24-hour mail drop-off locations through Nov. 2
- Durango: La Plata County Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive, Ste. C; La Plata County Administration Building, 1101 East Second Ave.; La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.; Fort Lewis Community Concert Hall, 1000 Rim Drive.
- Bayfield: Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway.
- Ignacio: Farmers Fresh Market, 535 Goddard Ave.
