Candidates running for La Plata County positions took a sit-back-and-watch approach Tuesday as last-minute voters deposited their ballots into unmistakable drop boxes garnished with red, white and blue decals.

Democracy, many of them said, was at stake.

La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee, who is herself up for reelection albeit in an unopposed race, reported no hiccups as of noon Tuesday.

“It’s going beautifully,” Lee said. “... Drop boxes are very, very heavy. We’re seeing a significant number of ballots coming in, just nonstop at drop boxes.”

Lee estimated that as many as 15% to 20% of the county’s active voters may drop off a ballot on Election Day, although she said she still expects only about 2% of voters to fill out a ballot in-person.

At the ballot drop site outside the County Administration building on East Second Avenue in Durango, voters cited a mix of national and local issues that motivated their desire to vote. However, almost all said the ritual was an important one.

“I’m excited about the psilocybin measure,” said voter Tom Lee. “I’ve definitely experienced the beneficial medical benefits. I suffer from anxiety, and microdosing really helps me.”

One unaffiliated voter who declined to give his name said it was “the whole democracy thing” that brought him out to vote. He said he voted for Democrats down the ticket.

“I always vote,” said Weylin Ryan after dropping off his ballot. “I think it’s important that we always vote. It seems cliché, but with all the stuff going on nationally, I think it’s more important now than ever, no matter where you stand on politics, you’re getting out to vote, to be heard.”

Forty-nine percent of the county’s active voters are unaffiliated with a political party. But despite several high-profile races with independent candidates, including the races for District 1 County Commissioner and County Treasurer, several voters said they were voting with the Democratic Party down the ballot.

Cassidy Barry, however, said she voted exclusively for Republicans with the exception of independent County Commissioner candidate Jack Turner.

“I just know his family really well and I really like him,” she said. “He’s definitely more liberal than conservative, but he’s independent. I have just known him for years and he’s a really good guy.”

Barry, who wore a “Let’s Go Brandon” shirt as she dropped off her ballot, said she knew people on both sides of the aisle, herself included, who were not entirely trusting of the democratic process.

“I really don’t think that they do a good job anymore making sure people feel comfortable with voting,” she said. “From both sides there’s just so much corruption that no one that I talk to thinks that their vote is just seen and heard and taken fairly. And that’s from the left and the right.”

About 23,300 ballots had been cast in La Plata County as of 12:30 p.m. Election Day – 57.4% of the county’s active registered voters. Lee said she was still optimistic the county could hit 70% voter participation.

Despite Lee’s prediction that as many as 20% of active voters could cast a ballot on Election Day, the candidates running for positions within county government were not frantically campaigning. Only one, Republican Brad Blake, said he was actively trying to get out the vote.

Clyde Church, the incumbent Democrat facing two challengers for his seat on the Board of County Commissioners, said he was busy in BoCC meetings all day. Depending on how the early returns look, Church said he may not even stay up late.

Blake, who lost to Church in 2018, said he won’t celebrate until every vote has been counted.

“Last time, on election eve I was ahead by over 200 votes and eight days later I lost by 23,” he said. “That’ll give you an idea of how cautious you have to be.”

Blake said he attended a few meetings and tried to encourage people to vote throughout the day.

“My major thing today is hoping for good luck and that all of the work paid off,” Turner said. “I guess my feeling is if you haven’t done the work before today, it’s probably too late.”

Erin Hutchins, the elections administrator with the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, said she can’t do any active campaigning because of her job. Hutchins, an independent, is challenging incumbent Democrat Allison Aichele for the role of county treasurer.

“I technically can do all of my job functions,” Hutchins said. “However, just because of the election, I have removed myself from doing any sort of tabulation (or) mail ballot processing, so I’m not seeing live ballots. I am here for support for our voter service centers, for voters, I’m doing everything that I can do, but I have removed myself from anything that involves seeing live ballots.”

Lee said her office was the only voting location that sustained any sort of line during the day, but that the wait remained a manageable 15 to 20 minutes.

A news release from the county Tuesday afternoon warned residents that one county resident had received a scam phone call from individuals pretending to be representatives of the U.S. Postal Service hired to collect and return ballots. Lee warned that any such calls are not legitimate and the instances of election interference should be reported to her office or local law enforcement.

rschafir@durangoherald.com