Dates, locations voters should know

With less than a month to go until Nov. 5, election season is well underway. Ballots will be mailed to Gunnison County residents on Oct. 11 and voters should expect them to arrive in the mail within a week.

Ballot boxes will open mid-morning on Wednesday, Oct. 16, followed by Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPC). Dates, hours and locations can be found online at gunnisoncounty.org/elections, along with sample ballots. A VSPC is a location that has been set up during the election to provide mail-in ballot and voter registration services, offer in-person or ADA accessible voting and to issue replacement ballots.

If residents have not received their ballot by Oct. 21, they should call or stop by the Gunnison County Elections Office at the Blackstock Government Building at 221 N. Wisconsin St. Early, in-person voting begins Oct. 21. In-person voters will need to show their ID with proof of their Colorado address.

According to Gunnison County clerk and recorder Kathy Simillon, to-date, just over 15,000 residents are registered to vote in the upcoming election. This includes roughly 3,800 Democrats, 2,760 Republicans and 8,200 unaffiliated voters. Another 330 are registered with miscellaneous parties.

Simillion said she is expecting a high voter turnout this year due to the presidential election.

“We are ready [and] everything is in place for a safe and secure election,” Simillion wrote in an email. “Please vote your ballot and get it in as soon as you possibly can.”

Colorado law now allows for same-day voter registration. For voters registering for the first time or changing precincts, applications can be filled out in the county clerk's office. Ballots are not forwardable, so residents should update any changes of address at govotecolorado.gov.

Every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail. To receive a ballot in the mail, residents need to register or change their mailing address by Monday, Oct. 28. Mail-in ballots must be received by the county clerk and recorder no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The best option for voters is to drop off ballots at one of the five designated county drop-boxes scattered throughout Gunnison and Crested Butte. Those who want to track the status of their mailed ballot, can sign up for “BallotTrax”at ballottrax.coloradosos.gov.

(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)