With all that is going on in our world right now, we have an important local election of La Plata Commissioners this November. It is exciting to have two locals, Jack Turner and Charly Minkler, who are out there campaigning as independent candidates. They are canvasing the entire county, asking questions and listening to every concern regarding the management of La Plata County.
Jack and Charly face a unique, perplexing challenge. In order to be on the ballot they are required by the state of Colorado to collect over 1,000 signatures, just to be able to provide 600 verified voter signatures to be on the ballot. They are only allowed to collect signatures between May 14 and July 9. Can you imagine, in this age of COVID-19, how unrealistic it is to canvas the county and collect signatures?
The independent candidates have contacted the Colorado secretary of state and the governor to ask for an alternative way of collecting signatures. It could be online or by mail (as registering to vote is allowed).
Our election process is too important to make it virtually impossible to safely collect signatures. This is a terrible time for candidates that have worked so hard to be your potential commissioners.
Watch for Jack and Charly doing their utmost to collect the required signatures and their creativity to accomplish this monumental task. They need your support.
Laurel WallerDurango
