What Democracy Looks Like
By Elaine Connell
Special to the GPHN
If you are even considering not voting this year, my guess is that you are under 40.
You don’t remember the days when political action made a tremendous difference in our government’s policies. You don’t live with images of firehoses and attack dogs trained on our black fellow citizens who simply wanted to vote and to be treated fairly as human beings. Your mind isn’t seared with images of students gunned down on the Kent State campus in Ohio because they were protesting against the Vietnam War.
Those of us over 60 do remember these things, and they are part of the reasons that we vote.
I’ve seen how things have deteriorated in our national government. I’ve seen how our politics have become so divisive and our Congress so ineffective that its approval ratings teeter close to single digits.
I’ve watched as party machinery works at manipulation on both sides, resorting to obstructionist tactics.
I’ve sighed many a disheartened sigh at the prospect of donating to a candidate or a cause, knowing that those with great wealth can and will give thousands of times what is a sacrifice for me.
But, I still vote. I vote because our democracy is essentially rooted in the vote. Yes, things are terribly screwed up these days, but the solution still comes down to the fact that the people have the vote.
This year in Colorado, we have a long and complicated ballot. Voting wisely will take some time, and some thoughtful study. But please take the time you need and vote.
Grab that ballot that came in the mail. Open the envelope, spread those pages out before you, and sit down. Daunting, huh? But you can do this. Do it for children. Do it for the youth who are marching for their lives, and for ours. Do it for the hope we can have in our democracy.
Didn’t get a ballot? Colorado has same-day voting. So as long as you’ve lived in the state more than 22 days and are a citizen over 18, with a very few exceptions you can still vote until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Your ballot basically breaks down into three categories of questions: 1) candidates for offices, 2) changes in the form of amendments, propositions, referred questions, initiatives; and 3) retention of our judges.
You don’t have to vote on every one of these questions. And some of these questions will be a whole lot easier than others. Start with some blank paper and a pencil, and an internet-connected laptop or phone. Don’t start with your official ballot, as you might want to change your mind later on in the process. Smudged or altered ballots are considered “spoiled.” You can ask for a replacement, but it’s easier if you don’t have to take that time.
Here are some reliable resources to help you decide:
Candidates: If you got your ballot in the mail, you also should have received a booklet from DenverVotes.org. This booklet only goes into the issues, but you can learn a lot about the candidates if you Google “Denver Decides” (the website is denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-decides.html). Check out the top of the page for information about the candidates.
Another great source for candidate information is Colorado Public Radio’s “Colorado Voter’s Guide to the 2018 Election” (The link is cpr.org/news/story/2018-election-colorado-voter-guide). Scroll down to the list of candidates for comparisons. Click on the Colorado governor’s race and you’ll find positions of both Jared Polis and Walker Stapleton, as well as highly informative articles about this and other races.
Issues: For the amendments and propositions, check out the Colorado Blue Book, which came in the mail. Colorado Public Radio’s voter’s guide (see the link above) also covers the ballot measures nicely. Other local publications, including last month’s Greater Park Hill News, and the Front Porch, have also covered the issues in readable and insightful ways.
Judges: We are not voting judges onto the bench. We are voting whether or not to keep them on the bench where they are already serving. The Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation does in-depth evaluations and reports on all of the judges who are up for retention. Those evaluations can also be read in the Blue Book, or at www.ojpe.org.
Voting is not an easy thing to do. But you’re almost done! Now it’s time to turn in your ballot! By the time you read this, it’s too late to mail your ballot back. Instead, you should drop it off at one of several ballot drop-off stations in the neighborhood. Need more information, including how to get a replacement ballot? Contact the Denver Elections Division at 720-913-8683 (VOTE).
Once you get your ballot in, take that little “I Voted” sticker and slap it on your chest.
This is what democracy looks like!
Elaine Connell is a retired librarian who has lived in east Denver most of her life. She and her husband Jeff enjoy cross-country motorcycle riding on their Harleys, and long walks with their dog, Tucker.