Monster Of An Election

Denver Ballots Will Be Mailed Oct. 8; It’s Time To Study Up And Vote

By Cara DeGette

Editor, GPHN

Wait! Didn’t we just have an election?

As with many off-year elections, this year’s has crept up on many voters who are still getting a daily reminder of 2020, in which President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump.

Odd-year elections, by contrast, tend to focus on local, local, local. This year, Denver voters will weigh in on DPS school board races, as well as a whopping 13 city-wide ballot measures and three statewide ballot measures. In many ways, these critical local issues have a far higher impact on citizens’ daily lives than presidential elections — yet turnout is often far lower. Denver Clerk & Recorder Paul Lopez has some thoughts about that.

“Regular voting should be thought of as a quality-of-community life issue,” Lopez recently told 303 Magazine. “It is important to have elected representatives you can contact with concerns about policies for your children’s education or potholes in your street.”

Potholes are not specifically on the ballot this year, but voters will weigh in on numerous other bond issues favored by Mayor Michael B. Hancock, including a $190 million arena at the National Western Campus northwest of Park Hill. Several other citizen-initiated measures are on the ballot, ranging from preserving the Park Hill Golf Course land, to repealing the city’s Group Living Ordinance to capping Denver’s sales tax. (Click here for brief descriptions of all the local and statewide measures)..

There are four seats up on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, which oversees the state’s largest school district. One at-large seat is open, meaning all city voters will weigh in. Districts 3 and 4, which represent different parts of Park Hill, are also up for election. So, depending on where voters live in the neighborhood, they will vote for one of those seats as well. (Click here to learn about the 10 candidates running for the school board.)

Ballots are mailed to every active voter in Colorado, so it is critical that your address is up to date. Check GoVoteColorado.gov – there you will be able to register to vote and update your voter registration. You can also call the Denver Elections Division at 720-913-8683 for more information.

In Colorado, Blue Books have been mailed to all registered voters, including in English and in Spanish. The Blue Books include information about all the ballot issues, including “pro” and “con” arguments for each proposal.

There are many sites to drop off your completed and signed ballot, including in and near Park Hill: Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center at 33rd and Holly Street, the Museum of Nature and Science in City Park, at the Montclair Recreation Center in the Lowry neighborhood, and at East High School.

After you’ve turned in your ballot, check DenverVotes.org, where you can track it like a package, from printing to acceptance for counting.

Here are important dates to keep in mind:

■ Oct. 8 – Ballots  are mailed for the Nov. 2 General Election.

■ Oct. 25 – This is the last day you should plan to return your ballot by mail. After Oct. 25, return ballots in one of many official drop boxes.

■ Nov. 2 – Election Day. In Colorado, you can register to vote and vote in person up to 7 p.m. All ballots must be received by Denver Elections Division by 7 p.m. If you’re voting in person, you must be in line by 7 p.m.