Just a few days remain before the Nov. 5 general election, and ballots are pouring in.
Nearly half of La Plata County’s 43,600 active registered voters had cast a ballot as of Friday morning. About 9,500 of Montezuma County’s 20,000 active voters had cast a ballot.
In the office run by La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee, teams of election judges are already hard at work separating paper ballots from envelopes and verifying signatures.
It is too late to return a ballot by mail; all ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Voters who did not receive a ballot or need to replace the one mailed to them may vote in person at one of five voter service centers located across Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio. All voter service centers are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
As Election Day approaches, La Plata County Democratic Party Chair Anne Markward said the party is focusing its efforts on getting out the vote by knocking on doors and urging voters to participate not just in the big-ticket races, but important down-ballot questions as well.
“Whether you’re for us or against us, every vote should count in La Plata County and should be counted,” she said. “So that’s our No. 1 message. We will be knocking and knocking until Tuesday late afternoon.”
The La Plata County Republican Central Committee Chair Dave Peters declined to comment on the party’s last-minute efforts.
| La Plata County Clerk & Recorder, 679 Turner Dr., Ste. C, Durango |
| Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr., Bayfield |
| La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave, Durango |
| Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango |
| Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum, 503 Ouray Drive, Ignacio |
Twenty-four hour dropboxes are located in Durango at the clerk and recorder’s office, the county administration building and the county fairgrounds; in Bayfield at town hall; and in Ignacio at Farmers Fresh Market.
The La Plata County Assessor and Treasurer’s offices, along with motor vehicle and county recording services, located at 679 Turner Drive in Bodo Park, will all be closed on Election Day. But the election office at 679 Turner Drive will remain open for voting and ballot drop-off. Staff members of the Assessor’s office will work remotely on Monday, Nov. 4.
Election night coverage
Results from Tuesday’s primary election will arrive after voting ends at 7 p.m. Because of The Durango Herald’s print deadline, results will not appear in Wednesday’s print edition. However, results and coverage can be found on election night at www.durangoherald.com, and full coverage and results will appear in Friday’s print edition.
A single voter may collect and drop off up to 10 completed ballots on behalf of the voters who used and signed them each election cycle. The status of a ballot can be tracked at GoVoteColorado.gov.
A full list of frequently asked questions can be found on the clerk and recorder’s website.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
The photo cutline has been updated. A previous version contained an incorrect first name for Weylin Ryan.
