Multiple voting options in the midst of disaster

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file photo/Kim Cameron | JoAnna Givens returns her ballot in an earlier election. The ballot drop box is located at the CSU Extension Office in Kremmling. However, voters can put their ballots in any drop box throughout the state and still have it counted.
file photo/Kim Cameron | JoAnna Givens returns her ballot in an earlier election. The ballot drop box is located at the CSU Extension Office in Kremmling. However, voters can put their ballots in any drop box throughout the state and still have it counted.

by Marissa Lorenz
For those Grand County residents displaced by the East Troublesome Fire, various options are in place to ensure that they are still able to cast a timely vote in the current 2020 presidential election.

Any resident (not just those displaced) who has lost or not received a ballot may vote in-person or request a replacement ballot.
In-person voting can take place on the first floor of the Grand County Administrative Building in Hot Sulphur Springs until 7:00pm on

Election Day, November 3. Hours are:
• Thursday, October 29: 8:30am-5:00pm
• Friday, October 30: 8:30am-5:00pm
• Saturday, October 31: 8:30am-12:30pm
• Sunday, November 1: CLOSED
• Monday, November 2: 8:30am-5:00pm
• Tuesday, November 3: 7:00am-7:00pm

In person voting is also available the day of the election at the Granby Town Hall or the Grand Park Community Recreation Center in Fraser from 7:00am to 7:00pm.

Replacement ballots will no longer be mailed out, but may be picked up in-person from the County Clerk’s Office at the County Administrative Building.

Registered voters who have evacuated outside of the county can receive a replacement statewide ballot at any polling location in Colorado. However, the ballot only holds races common to everyone in the state. The statewide ballot does not contain regional and local issues, such as the Grand County commissioners’ and treasurer’s races or this year’s local de-Gallagherization measures.

Emergency online voting for evacuees

Those individuals displaced by the fire and who are unable to get to a polling center can vote via emergency electronic ballot until
5:30 pm on November 3 by going to myballot.sos.colorado.gov.

Grand County Clerk and Election Official Sara Rosene assures that this method is safe and reliable and is an existing procedure “similar to what our overseas and military voters use.”

Drop boxes open 24-hours

Drop box use is still encouraged for most voters. Surveilled drop boxes are found at the CSU Extension Hall in Kremmling, the Grand County Administrative Building in Hot Sulphur Springs, the Granby Town Halls, and the Grand Park Community Recreation Center in Fraser. The Grand Lake drop box has also been re-opened at the Town Hall.

Displaced voters who have completed their paper ballot can place it in any drop box in the state of Colorado, and it will be forwarded to their appropriate county.

All signed ballots must be returned by 7:00pm on November 3.

Early voting continues at high rate

Rosene reported about 5,543 ballots already cast as of Wednesday evening, representing over one-third of Grand County registered voters. Of these ballots, 1,496 were Democratic, 1,978 were Republican and 1.994 were Unaffiliated. The other parties represented were American Constitution, Green and Libertarian.

Not all recently returned ballots had been counted at the time of that report, as election officials had not been able to get ballots from the Hot Sulphur Springs Post Office for several days due to the fire. Rosene indicated that Monday’s pick-up included a large number of ballots to process and that they were expecting a large number again on Tuesday.

Complete information for Grand County voters, can be found at grandvotes.org.