Elections 2022: Rock This Vote
Nov. 8 Election Shenanigans Are Underway. A Primer For How To Vote, When To Vote, And What’s On The Ballot
By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
It’s October, the month of ghosts and goblins and ghouls — and election-season tomfoolery flooding everyone’s mailboxes, our TV sets and social media feeds.
Election Day isn’t until Tuesday, Nov. 8. However, Colorado is an all-mail ballot state — meaning that voters will begin receiving their ballots in the mail shortly after Oct. 17, the first day they can be mailed. That means that candidates and campaigns and their field armies are fanning out, looking to lock down your vote — and your contributions.
This year is the midterm elections, and statewide offices are up — including governor, secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer. (See Raw Politics on page 6 for more on those races in play.) Voters will also be asked to weigh in on 11 statewide issues — four of them dealing in varying degrees with access to alcohol and psychedelic mushrooms and other substances.
In addition, Denver voters will weigh in on seven measures, including whether to approve a new dedicated fund for sidewalks, a legal fund for people being evicted, a property tax for libraries and requiring recycling programs for commercial and multi-family residential units in Denver.
One question that Denver voters will not weigh in on in November is over the future of the Park Hill Golf Course property. After months of uncertainty, the question over whether to remove the conservation easement protecting the 155-acre property at 35th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard to pave way for development will not go to voters until next April.
For the Nov. 8 midterm election, ballots are mailed to every active voter in Colorado. 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, the Blue Book has been mailed to all registered voters, in English and in Spanish. The Blue Book includes information about all the state ballot issues, including “pro” and “con” arguments for each proposal. A separate Blue Book with the pros and cons for Denver-specific issues is mailed separately.
There are several sites in and around the neighborhood to drop off your completed and signed ballot: 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. 17 – Ballots are mailed for the Nov. 8 General Election.
• Oct. 24 – First day county drop boxes must be open to accept mail ballots for the 2022 election.
• Nov. 8 – 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.
See also:
Elections 2022: The Colorado Eleven
Elections 2022: The Mile High Seven
Raw Politics: Off To The Races