Voters in La Plata County will get their primary election ballots in the mail by June 12 and should complete and mail them by June 22 to make sure they are counted for the June 30 primary election.
Monday was the last day county residents can withdraw or change their party affiliation, including the “unaffiliated” category.
County residents still have the option of voting in person for the June 30 primary election, though La Plata County Clerk & Recorder Tiffany Parker strongly encourages voters to take advantage of the mail-in option or drop boxes for ballots scattered throughout the community.
Mail-in ballots are nothing new for Colorado voters, but here is what you need to know about the upcoming primary election:
Ballots for the primary will go out June 8. If residents have not received their ballots in the mail by June 12, they should contact the county clerk’s office.
Drop boxes for ballots are available at:
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive in Durango.La Plata County Administration Building, 1101 East Second Ave., in Durango.Farmers Fresh Market, 535 Goddard Ave., in Ignacio.Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway, in Bayfield.
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 679 Turner Drive in Durango.La Plata County Administration Building, 1101 East Second Ave., in Durango.Farmers Fresh Market, 535 Goddard Ave., in Ignacio.Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway, in Bayfield.County residents can vote in person at Bayfield Town Hall on June 29 or June 30, or the Clerk and Recorder’s Office from June 22 to June 30.
Voters must wear masks and use hand sanitizer if they choose to vote in person. Masks will be provided at voting locations.
“We are also anticipating this (format) for November,” Parker said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald.
Parker also warned that election results might take longer to process, as fewer workers are counting ballots because of social-distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results may not be in until July 1.
“We had to really reduce down how many people we have working,” Parker said.
The election determines which candidate will receive the Republican or Democratic nomination to seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. La Plata County voters will also select a state Board of Education member, a state representative and a district attorney, as well as county commissioners for District 2 and District 3.
Registered Democrats will choose between former Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff for the U.S. Senate position, and business owner James Iacino and former member of the Colorado House of Representatives Diane Mitsch Bush for the U.S. House seat.
Registered Republicans will choose between incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, and restaurant owner Lauren Boebert for U.S. House. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., is running unchallenged in the primary.
Registered Libertarians are able to choose between U.S. Navy member Gaylon Kent and Raymon Anthony Doane of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs for U.S. Senate.
Voters registered as unaffiliated will receive a ballot packet with both party’s ballots. However, they can select only one party ballot to submit, Parker said.
Parker said 15,141 ballots will be mailed to residents registered as unaffiliated; 11,668 to Democratic voters; 10,151 to Republican voters; and 408 to Libertarian voters, as of June 1.
The League of Women Voters of La Plata County will hold an online forum via Zoom for the 3rd U.S. Congressional District on June 10 with both Democratic and Republican candidates. Boebert, Iacino and Bush have confirmed their participation as of June 1.
ehayes@durangoherald.com
