Sunday, October 12, 2008

Message to Colorado Voters: Mail it in!

The media have been reporting that voter registration is WAY up for the election next month. This will mean long lines at the polls. And the lines will be even longer here in Colorado due to the ridiculously long and cumbersome ballot.

Besides all the candidates running for election--president, senate, congress, school boards--there are many addenda and referenda, plus a list of sitting judges and a Denver school funding issue to decide on. Estimates are that it will take around 20 minutes for each person to vote at the polls. If they have to read through every single addendum and referendum proposal, I figure it'll be more like an hour.

This morning, it took me a good 30 minutes to fill out the densely printed ballot (2 pages & 4 sides). And that was with the help of a tub o' tea, the Blue Book from the CO Election Commission (which includes a handy "cheat sheet" inside the front cover) and the special section in today's Denver Post. (See Colorado Voter Guide that you can print out for your own cheat sheet. Ballotpedia has detailed analysis of ballot initiatives, searchable by state.)

So I STRONGLY urge you to get a mail-in ballot. If you haven't received an application form in the mail, or from the many volunteers blanketing the area, you can download one HERE. Then mail/fax it to your County Clerk; contact info HERE.

The mail-in ballot requires $1.17 postage. If you don't have stamps, or don't trust the USPS, you can drop off your ballot at the early voting stations listed on it, or at your neighborhood polling place on November 4.

Don't delay! Deadline for mail-in applications is October 28; in-person is Oct 31.

Here's to civic duty!

5 comments:

Tayari Jones said...

STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE
www.stealbackyourvote.org
says don't mail it! That organization is run by Greg Pallast and RKF Jr! They say don't mail it because many many mailed-in ballots are disqualified and you aren't there to challenge it.

I hate that it has come to this.

Bella Stander said...

In Colorado there's a color code (sheesh!) on the mail-in ballots:
A blue border on the envelope means that you're A-OK. A red border means that additional I.D. verification is needed. Fortunately my envelope had a blue border.

Carleen Brice said...

My neighbor requested a mail-in. Didn't get it. (Her son got his though.) If it doesn't show in the mail, she'll only be able to vote provisionally. That scares me.

I went to the polls today and they had run out of paper ballots on the morning of the FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING.

No getting around it. It's going to be messy. But we gotta do it.

Bella Stander said...

Your neighbor can send in another request; deadline is Oct 28.

Lisa said...

We got our mail-in ballots and then dropped them off at the Greenwood Village City Hall yesterday. There was something satisfying about dropping them into that metal box. Now...if we could hurry up and get to the actual election day, maybe I can stop obsessing and my life will get back to normal!