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Last Call – Election Ballots Due Tuesday

PICT - Kiowa County Press Icon
Chris Sorensen

The 2017 election draws to a close Tuesday, with all ballots due by 7:00 p.m. This year, all ballots were mailed, so voters are not lining up at the polls.

While it is too late to mail your ballot – they must be received, not post marked, by 7:00 p.m. – you can still take ballots to designated drop-off locations. GoVoteColorado.com has information about official drop-off points, and has a handy search feature where you can enter your address and find locations closest to you. In Kiowa County, a secure drop box is located on the west side of the courthouse – 1305 Goff Street, Eads - near the sidewalk leading to the main entrance. The drop box is monitored around the clock to ensure your ballot is safely received.

Did you lose or misplace your ballot? Contact your County Clerk's office for assistance - staff members are ready to help ensure every qualified person has the opportunity to vote.

Voting began October 16 for most Colorado counties, however six counties cancelled their elections since there were no questions, either locally or state-wide, to place before voters. All communities within Cheyenne, Delores, Grand, Hinsdale, Mineral and Washington cancelled their elections.

Typical "odd year" elections, generally called a coordinated election, have ballot issues for such items as school and municipal elections and local finance measures. For the first time in eight years, there are no state-wide ballot issues. In odd-number years, state-wide issues are limited to matters related to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR, amendment that was passed in 1992. Those matters included proposed new taxes, tax rate increases, or extending a tax that will otherwise expire.

In 2018, Coloradoans will vote for a new governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. They will also vote for all seven of the state's representatives in the United States House of Representatives. Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet's seats are not up for election. U.S. senators serve six-year terms. Gardner's term expires in 2021, while Bennet's term ends in 2023.

Other items that may appear on the 2018 ballot include state legislative races, election of county officials, questions regarding retaining judges, as well as possible state and local ballot measures.