Just in case you haven’t noticed, an election is coming up Nov. 2, 2010.
If you’re a registered voter in Mesa County, you have three options for casting your ballot – mail-in ballot, early voting, or voting on Election Day. Three options, but you can only vote once. This isn’t Chicago.
Mail-in ballot
To vote by mail-in ballot in a general election, you’ll need to fill out an application form supplied by the Elections Division of the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s office. Submit the completed application to the Elections Division, and they’ll send you a ballot in the mail. After completing the ballot, you can either mail it back to the elections office (be sure to put it in the mail several days ahead of the election or it might not get there in time to be counted) or drop it off in person before 7 p.m. on Nov. 2.
You can find an application for a mail-in ballot at http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/vote/mib_application_eng_clr.pdf
Early voting
However, it’s getting late enough in the election season that if you try to vote by mail-in ballot this year, you might run out of time before all the paperwork is processed. A better option for casting your ballot early is to visit one of Mesa County’s early-voting centers. Beginning Monday, Oct. 18, Mesa County will set up voting machines at five sites throughout the county where you can cast your ballot. Hours at the vote centers are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting will be available through Friday, Oct. 29.
For a list of early voting centers in Mesa County, visit http://recorder.mesacounty.us/earlyvotecenters.aspx
Election Day
Finally, if you’re tied to tradition, you can cast your ballot between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, at any one of the 21 voting locations set up throughout Mesa County. For a list of the voting locations, visit http://recorder.mesacounty.us/votecenters.aspx
Sample Ballot
Just like when you were back in school, it pays to study before an exam. You can find a sample copy of the Mesa County ballot at http://recorder.mesacounty.us/mcweb/clerk%20and%20recorder/elections/SAMPLEBALLOT2010Web.pdf. The process of voting on Election Day will go more quickly and smoothly if voters decide in advance how they want to cast their ballots on all the candidates and ballot questions.
And there will be plenty of questions on the ballot. The Blue Book, which the state of Colorado publishes before each election, contains thorough summaries of all statewide ballot questions, as well as arguments for and against each one. You can find a link to an online version of the Blue Book at http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CGA-LegislativeCouncil/CLC/1200536134742
As a voter, you’ll also be asked whether to retain several judges. The Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation’s job is to assemble panels of attorneys and others who are familiar with various judges and ask them to evaluate judges’ performance. Those performance reviews are then posted online so voters can read them before Election Day. Links to the reviews of all judges who are standing for retention this year can be found at http://www.coloradojudicialperformance.gov/retentionlist.cfm/year/2010
For more information about this year’s election, visit the Mesa County Elections Department website at http://recorder.mesacounty.us/elections.aspx
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