Voter Services and Reform archive

VS_Archive

The following contains LWV-LPC Voter Services and Voter reform activities for 2007-2008

Upcoming Elections.  Candidate Forums.  Voter Education.  Voter Registration.  Where to Vote.  LWVUS Election News 2009.  LWVUS Election News 2008.  Election Judge.  EVM 2009.  EVM 2008.  Member Correspondance 2009.  Member Correspondence 2-008.  refs & links.  Local Election Results 2009.  Past Events 2009.  Past Events 2008.

Upcoming Elections

*10/30/08 Durango Herald Voters now can pick up ballots, Replacement mail-ins available at Clerk's Office by Herald Staff Report
La Plata County residents who requested a mail-in ballot but did not receive one can visit the Clerk and Recorder's Office to pick up a replacement ballot.
If residents are interested in checking the status of their registration or want to make sure their ballot was received, they can visit govotecolorado.com.
To read the article, click DH10-30

*Remember that early voting has started in La Plata County. Vote early Oct. 20 through 31 at the La Plata County Courthouse or the new Town Hall in Bayfield, or apply for an absentee ballot. Don't forget the postage if you mail your ballot in.

*To view the official La Plata County ballot for November 4, 2008, click La Plata ballot

*The November 4 Colorado state ballot will contain 4 referenda and 14 initiatives for your vote. 4 of these initiatives (53, 55, 56, 57) have been officially withdrawn but will remain on the ballot
To view the LWV of La Plata non-partisan presentation of these ballot issues, click LWVLPC BI issues
To view the LWV of Colorado non-position description of the referenda and initiatives, click ballot issues
To view the LWV of Colorado ballot issue pamphlet, click BI pamphlet
To view yet another description of the Colorado ballot issues, click ballotpedia

*To access the Colorado State Legislative Council complete analysis of these initiatives and referenda, click ballot analyses

*The November 4 La Plata County ballot will contain 5 additional local issues for your vote and dependent upon your district of residence.
To view a non-position description of these local issues, click local issues

*For information concerning federal, state and county district maps, click CO district maps

*To locate your precinct, voting location or caucus location, click precinct

Candidate Forums

*To view the County Commissioner Forum held in Durango on Oct 6, sponsored by LWV-La Plata, click CC forum and click on the CC forum icon on the right of your screen.

*To access the LWV of Colorado Candidate surveys, click candidate surveys

Voter Education

*The November 4 Colorado state ballot will contain 4 referenda and 14 initiatives for your vote. To view a non-position description of the referenda and initiatives, click ballot issues

*VOTER GUIDE 2008: Candidates Answer Questions - The LWVCO invited all qualified candidates who have been certified by the Secretary of State's office for the General Election Ballot to participate in this year's Voter Guide. Questions were asked about fiscal issues, energy solutions and healthcare changes.
To read the candidate's answers to the tough issues facing Coloradoans, click LWVCO and select your office of interest.

*The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has announced the dates and locations for the presidential debates to be as follows:

• First presidential debate: Friday, September 26 University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

• Vice presidential debate: Thursday, October 2 Washington University in St. Louis, MO

• Second presidential debate: Tuesday, October 7 Belmont University, Nashville, TN

• Third presidential debate: Wednesday, October 15 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

  to read additional information on presidential debates, click cpd

  *No doubt with this busy election season, you are being asked to consider and sign numerous petitions concerning ballot initiatives and referendums for the fall elections. LWV-LPC cautions you to think before you ink!

Voter Registration

*The League of Women Voters of La Plata County will be registering new voters and answering voter questions at many locations until late October. To check out locations and times click calendar

Where to Vote

*To vote in an election, you must be registered, know your precinct, and vote at the polling place assigned to your precinct.

*If you are not currently registered to vote in Colorado, see the register to vote link below.

*To find your precinct, click precinct and answer the questions regarding name, address, and birthday. You will get your voter registration information returned. Note: The last two digits of the "Precinct Number" will be your precinct.

*When you know your precinct, you may find your polling place by clicking polling place

*If you would like to check on your current registration, download a form to change your official address, check to see if you have previously requested a permanent mail-in ballot or if you would like to request a permanent mail-in ballot, click vote CO

LWVUS Election News 2009

*2/24/09 New York Times:D.C. Voting Rights Bill Clears Senate Hurdle, 62-34 By Kate Phillips
A measure that would give Washington, D.C. voting rights in the House of Representatives cleared a major hurdle this morning when the Senate approved 62-34 a procedural motion to move the issue forward.
But the vote on the bill, S. 160, which would add two seats to the House + one from the district of Columbia and one from Utah + by no means signaled the end of a long battle. The fight to overturn what advocates for the district's voting rights call "taxation without representation" will likely wind up as a constitutional test in the courts, even if this measure is signed into law. (The House is expected to approve a similar bill, and President Obama has indicated support for it.)
Click NYT2-24 to read the story.

LWVUS Election News 2008

*March 2008: LWVUS has partnered with the Newspaper in Education Institute to publish and provide free of charge Electing the President. Using Electing the President, students will learn about all aspects of elections as required by state standards. Of course, voters will also learn a great deal about the election process as they prepare to make their choice for President. To access this 30 page pdf, cllick Electing the President and look for a copy to appear soon in your local newspaper.

*2/23/2008: Precinct Hiccups Blamed on Poor Training, Deborah Hastings, The Associated Press, WashingtonPost.com
There are an estimated 2 million poll workers, the largest one-day work force in the country, according to research published in September by electionline.org, a project of the Pew Center on the States. When things go awry at the voting booth, as they have several times in this hectic primary season, much of the blame often falls on ill-trained poll workers who are paid a pittance. Electronic voting machines have worsened the burden on poll workers, whose average age is 72.
For a view of the entire article, click AP2-23-08

*2/21/2008: Voters nationwide rely on the League to provide them with accurate, nonpartisan information on elections and the candidates. In response to questions from Leagues who are considering advertising and/or entering into partnerships with other organizations to produce their Voters' Guides, the LWVEF Board adopted "advertising guidance" last fall. This policy and many more tips and suggestions are included in the "Voters' Guides Best Practices." For a copy of the LWV-US Voters' Guides Best Practices, click best practices

*1/28/2008: A Message from our President, Mary G. Wilson:

The League is at the forefront of making election reform happen and making it work for all citizens.

To make sure all eligible voters are heard on Election Day, the LWVUS has adopted five core areas of election administration reform we are carrying out through our Public Advocacy for Voter Protection Project and other national efforts:

1-Opposing ID and documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements
2-Enhancing administration of statewide voter registration databases and guarding against wrongful or incorrect purging
3-Protecting voters against unnecessary restrictions on voter registration
4-Improving poll worker recruitment, training and supervision
5-Strengthening polling place management and ballot design
For more information on this subject, click LWVUS

Election Judge Information

*As you are aware, we expect a great turnout for the November elections this year. The League of Women Voters of La Plata encourages you to consider becoming an Election Judge for the upcoming November 2008 elections. What better way to show your interest in free and fair elections and to get paid for it as well! For more information on how you can be an Election Judge, click election judge

Electronic Voting News 2009

*10/30/09 Durango Herald:Mail-in ballots in store for 2010? Would lower costs for primary election by Katie Burford
La Plata County Clerk Linda Daley, facing rising election costs, will seek to have only mail-in ballots for the August 2010 primary. Daley's 2010 budget request includes $80,000 for election judges at polling places. Mail-in ballots, which she said grew in popularity during the November 2008 general election, would help bring down that expense...

*9/3/09 CNN News: Diebold unloads voting machine albatross: The ATM maker says it expects to lose up to $55 million as a result of the sale of its voting machine subsidiary
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Diebold Inc. said Thursday it has sold its voting machine business to Election Systems & Software, Inc., in a deal that could result in a $55 million loss for the ATM maker. Diebold said it expects to suffer a pre-tax loss in the range of $45 million to $55 million related to the sale...

*3/26/09 Durango herald: Online voting measure proposedby Katie Burford Herald Staff Writer
A bill making its way through the state Legislature would allow people to register to vote online. The legislation, House Bill 1160, also would let voters request a mail-in ballot or change their voting address online but would not provide for online voting.
Click dh3/26/09vs to read the article.

Electronic Voting News 2008

*10/30/08 Durango Herald: Agreement accepted in vote lawsuit, Groups said state illegally removed thousands from registration list, by Colleen Slevin
A federal judge accepted an agreement Wednesday night in a voter-registration lawsuit that could potentially allow thousands of people listed as ineligible to vote to cast provisional ballots with special protections on Election Day.
To read the story, click DH10/30

*10/30/08 The Denver Post: A win for purged voters Groups, state agree on process to tally, screen provisional ballots of those dropped from rolls, By Felisa Cardona
Ballots cast by voters who have been canceled from the state's voter rolls since mid-May will get extra oversight to make sure their votes are counted, under an agreement reached late Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
To read the article, click DP10/30

*10/28/08 Durango Herald: Federal judge plans to hear voter purging case Wednesday, by Colleen Slevin
Election watchdog groups have agreed to wait until Wednesday to make their case about why they think election officials have illegally removed thousands of people from Colorado's registration rolls.
To read the article, click Herald10/28

*11/3/08 edition, Times Magazine, Seven Things That Could Go Wrong on Election Day by Michael Scherer
Breaking Machines, crashing computers, vanishing votes- are we ready for 130 million voters? If you are worried about your vote not counting, here's what you can do about it.

*9/5/08 Rocky Mountain News by Myung Oak Kim: Elections chief Lowder resigns The director of elections at the secretary of state's office resigned suddenly Thursday. The departure of Holly Lowder, former Alamosa County clerk, comes two months before what is expected to be one of the biggest elections in recent Colorado history.
To read the full story, click CO election

*8/7/08: Record number of U.S. voters may cast paper ballots in November By Allison Hoffman Associated Press Writer SAN DIEGO
Come No­vember, more Americans might cast their ballots on paper than in any other election in U.S. history. That wasn't supposed to happen. If everything had gone according to the government's $ 3 billion plan to upgrade vot­ing technology after the hang­ing- chad fiasco in Florida in 2000, that sentence would read " electronic machines" instead of paper.
to read the full article click evm

*7/1/08:Senators Feinstein and Bennett Introduce Bipartisan Electronic Voting Reform Act
Legislation Would Help Ensure the Accuracy, Security and Accessibility of Voting Systems
Washington DC + U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, today announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would require electronic voting systems used in federal elections to produce an independent voter-verified record of each ballot cast.
to read the announcement, click VVPAT

*3/8/2008 Durango Herald: Counties fear costs of voting upgrades, by Colleen Slavin, AP Writer, Electronic machines require new software, for the article, click DH3-8

*3/6/2008 Durango Herald: Ballot measure moves forward, by Joe Hanel, Herald Denver Bureau, Bill allots $3.8M to help replace electronics with paper voting, for the article, click DH3-6

*3/5/2008 Durango Herald: Coffman recertifies machines by Colleen Slaven, AP writer, for the article, click DH3-5

*3/5/2008 Durango Herald: Voters' problems are few in 4 states with primaries by Deborah Hastings, AP writer, for the article, click DH3-5#2

*2/28/2008 Denver Post: Scanners used in 47 counties recertified for elections, COLLEEN SLEVIN,Associated Press.
For the entire article, click AP2-28

*2/27/2008 Durango Herald: Colorado Lawmakers announced a bill Tuesday requiring a mostly pa­per ballot election, to the dismay of many county clerks who had wanted either an all-mail ballot or greater use of electronic vot­ing machines. For the complete story, click DH2-27

*2/26/2008 Some touch-screen voting machines OK'd; no word yet on counters,Colleen Slevin, Associated Press DENVER--Three types of touch-screen voting machines have been cleared for use in Colorado this year, but the jury is still out on some optical scanners used to count paper ballots. For the entire article, click AP2-26

*2/25/2008 Coffman recertifies touchscreen voting machines; scanners pending, COLLEEN SLEVIN, Associated Press, DENVER--Secretary of State Mike Coffman recertified three models of touchscreen voting machines Monday for use in this year's elections but he hasn't decided whether to authorize the use of two brands of optical scanners yet. For the entire article, click AP2-25

*2/24/2008 Durango Herald Election day could pose challenges for state's county clerks , Linda Daley, La Plata County Clerk and Recorder

*2/5/2008 NY Times 24 states head for the polls or caucuses today to pick their party's presidential candidate. Although no one is predicting serious voting problems, many voting officials acknowledge that it could happen. For the entire article, click NYT2-5-08

*1/17/08 Durango Herald a bipartisan group of Colorado Legislators introduced a bill Wednesday allowing Sec of State Coffman to retest and possibly recertify the electronic voting machines he disqualified last month. T oread the entire article, click DH1-17. To view the text of House Bill 1155, click HB1155.

*1/6/2008 New York Times Magazine After the 2000 election, counties around the country rushed to buy new computerized voting machines. But it turns out these machines may cause problems worse than hanging chads. Is America ready for another contested election? Click NYT1-6-08 to read more

*1/4/2008 Durango Herald Dozens of citizens came to the state capitol Thursday to give their opinions about how to run the 2008 election. Secretary of State Coffman wants to use paper ballots statewide, with limited use of electronic machines for disabled voters. For more of the story, click Herald 1-4-2008

*1/4/2008 New York Times Colorado's crash course in how to hold an election has begun. County Clerks, who administer the elections, are counting the days, and the dwindling options. For more, click NYTimes 1-4-2008

*12/22/2007 Rocky Mountain News Colorado County Clerks told legislators Friday to draft legislation making 2008 an all mail-in election, even though the secretary of state is resisting the idea. For the complete story, click RMNews 12-22-07

*12/19/2007 New York Times At a hearing at the state capitol on Tuesday, the Secretary of State, Mike Coffman, urged legislators to amend state law "due to extraodinary circumstances" so counties could fix the machines for next year's primaries on Aug 12 and the general election on Nov. 4. He asked lawmakers to allow counties to use a software patch that could potentially improve their electronic voting systems and suggested that once those improvements were made, testing data from other states be used to expedite the certification process in Colorado. To read the full story, click NYTimes 12-19-08

*12/18/2007 Ken Gordon, Majority Leader Colorado Senate, has announced a legislative hearing to be held on Dec 19 where Secretary of State Coffman will present his findings and recommendations. To read the detail of this announcement, click hearing.

*12/17/2007 Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman announced the results of the court-mandated retesting ("recertification") of electronic voting equipment currently in use in Colorado. Coffman's decisions were to decertify electronic voting machines from three of the the four national vendors including Sequoia, Hart and ES&S. Voting equipment manufactured by Premier (formally known as Diebold) passed all recertification tests. The decertification of machines will affect dozens of Colorado counties including Denver, Jefferson, Araphoe, Mesa and Pueblo. The decertified vendors as well as Colorado counties currently using machines from these vendors have 30 days to appeal the findings to Secretary Coffman. To read the Colorado State Press Release concerning this issue, click recertification. To read the Durango Herald article concerning decertification, click Herald voting.

Member Correspondance 2009

*10/11/09 Durango Herald: Verified Vote League of Women Voters examined the count of 2008 mail-in ballots by Ellen Park (LWVLPC Legislative Chair)
Did you mail in your vote last year, and was it counted? The League of Women Voters of La Plata County pursued the answer to this question earlier this year.
Mailing in ballots + or voting early + for candidates running for elected offices is becoming the norm for voters in La Plata County, rather than going to a polling place on Election Day to cast votes. These popular capabilities resulted in about 70 percent of ballots cast in La Plata County in the November 2008 general election to be either mail-in, or early...

*5/25/09: Mail-in, Early and Provisional Ballot research Project
The report describing the processes used in La Plata County to tabulate mail-in, early and provisional ballots is now available by clicking MEP project results.
This research was conducted by a LWV La Plata team as a result of the fact that a great majority of votes cast in the 2008 election were either early or via mail-in ballot. While the processing of ballots voted in polling places on election day is conducted in a familiar manner, the question was raised regarding how and when ballots voted via other means were collected and tabulated. The report summarizes the processes used, along with a few concerns and recommendations.

*1/27/09 Durango Herald: Get Legislative Lowdown from Isgar, Roberts by Marilyn Brown
Click letter from MB to read the letter concerning Legislative Lowdown 2009

Member Correspondence 2008

*10/28/08: The following letter was sent from LVW-Colorado President, Marjory Beal and Voter Services Chair Gerry Cummins to Mike Coffman, Secretary of State, Colorado regarding the purging of voter eligibility rolls for the Nov 4 election. LWVCO-Coffman

*10/9/08: letter to editor - Mail In Ballots - Jill Patton

*10/6/08: letter to editor LWV-LPC Ballot Issue forums - Ellen Park

*6/4/2008: letter to the Durango Herald Editor from our Voter Services Chair - Marilyn Sandstrom

*5/18/2008: eVote , Durango Herald Sunday Opinion piece written by Ross Park, webmaster, LWV-LPC

*1/25/08 Letter to the Durango Herald Editor from Marilyn Sandstrom, LWV-LPC VS Chairperson. February 5 is the Party Caucus date in La Plata County for Democrats and Republicans. Information is available from the LWV of La Plata County to determine your eligibility, your precinct number and location. To view the letter, click DH1-25-08

*To view a few pictures from the recent (10/24/07) Bayfield School Board Candidate forum, click Bayfield pics

*Judicial Selection News from Lois Carpenter Positions on the 6th District Judicial Performance Commission are expiring this fall and new Commissioners are needed. For more information, please click judicial selection.

Useful References & Links

*To search by state for specific voter information such as the facts about:
Absentee Voting, Ballot Measures,
Candidate Information, Early Voting,
Election Dates, Eligibility Requirements,
ID Requirements, Polling Place Details,
Provisional Voting, Resources and Links,
State Contact Info, Voter Registration,
Voting Machines
click VOTE411 sponsored by the League of Women Voters Education Fund

*For 8 steps on how to pick a candidate and vote, click pick and vote (courtesy of the League of Women Voters of Newton, Mass)

Local Election Results 2009

* 11/4/09: The School Board election for District 9-R has concluded with the following results:

• Incumbent Joe Colgan defeated challenger Bill Bowlby winning 3,170 votes, about 70 percent of the ballots cast, with Bowlby taking 1,356 votes, or 30 percent.
• Andrew Burns, Julia Levy and Jeff Schell were all elected in uncontested races to the school board. Schell and Burns will serve four-year terms, and Levy will serve a two-year term.
• Additionally, In Ignacio, voters approved the dissolution of the Sanitation District by a vote of 87 for and 20 against. The town of Ignacio will continue to provide sewer service to all of the properties currently served by the Sanitation District.
• Meanwhile, voters in the Florida Mosquito District approved the elimination of term limits for officers by a vote of 454 to 355.
• to read more on the election results, click DH11-4-09

Past Events 2009

* LWVLPC members are invited to an informational meeting concerning Census 2010. Please join us on Tuesday, Nov 17 from noon to 2pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 495 FLorida Rd in Durango. Bring a brown bag lunch and we will supply the coffee and cookies.
click Census 2010 meeting Nov 17 to view the flier

*10/16/09 Durango Herald: Colgan faces Bowlby in District 9-R election Retired professor, stonemason vie for District E by Chuck Slothower Herald Staff Writer
Joe Colgan will try to fend off challenger Bill Bowlby for the District E seat in this year's only contested school board race. Colgan was appointed to the Durango School District 9-R seat in August to fill a vacancy left by Tammy Capdevielle, who moved to Boulder. Bowlby also sought the seat, but the board appointed Colgan by a 4-2 vote...

*10/16/09 Durango Herald: Three districts unopposed in board race by Chuck Slothower and Garrett Andrews Herald Staff Writers
Here is a summary of candidates running unopposed in the upcoming Durango School District 9-R mail-in election...

*Plans are in place for the 2009 Durango 9-R School Board election to be held on November 3, 2009. This is a mail-in election. Ballots will be mailed between October 9 and 19th to all active registered votersresiding in the school district and must arrive by mail or personal drop off at the County Clerk's office by 7pm on Tuesday, November 3rd. You must have registered to vote by October 5. If you think you should have received a ballot and did not, please call the County Clerk's office, 970-382-6280. Winning candidates will be sworn in during the November 9-R School Board meeting for a four-year term of office.

*10/16/09 Durango Herald: Candidate forum shows differences by Chuck Slothower Herald Staff Writer
School board candidates Joe Colgan and Bill Bowlby revealed differing styles at a public forum Thursday. Colgan, who was appointed to fill a vacancy in August, pointed to his experiences as a board member for the Durango Adult Education Center and La Plata Economic Development Action Partnership and longtime involvement in Rotary clubs and Boy Scouts. Bowlby, in contrast, asked big-picture questions while citing academic literature and news reports...

*10/15/09 LWVLPC will sponsor a candidate forum for the upcoming District 9R officer candidates to be held on Thursday, October 15 from 7 to 9pm in the Durango City Council Chambers. Click 9R Candidate Forum flier to view the flier.

*4/7/09 Durango Herald: Christina Rinderle Thompson and Paul Broderick will be Durango's newest city councilors and Doug Lyon will serve four more years after their victories in Tuesday's citywide election. Aaron Tucson, a former councilor, finished fourth in an election.
Thompson led with 2,423 votes then Lyon at 2,389, Broderick with 2,133 and Tucson at 1,210.
Click DH4/8vs to read more.

*4/3/09 Durango Herald: Candidates vie for 2 open LPEA seats- Co-op members' ballots due May 9 for electric co-op board election By Garrett Andrews Herald Staff Writer
Click DH4/3elections to read more.

* Click cityspan10 3-19-09vs to view the broadcast of the 3/19/09 City Council Candidate Forum.

*The City of Durango will conduct its regular biennial election on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, to elect three City Council members. City Council members are elected at-large to represent all residents of the City. The candidates will be elected for four-year terms. The terms of office will commence on Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

• Candidates for City Council are nominated by petition without regard to political party affiliation. Nomination petitions may be circulated beginning Wednesday, February 11, 2009 and must be returned to the City Clerk by 4:30pm on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
• This election will be conducted by mail ballot and administered by the Durango City Clerk. Ballots will be mailed on or before March 23, 2009 to all active registered electors of the City. Inactive registered electors of the City must provide identification and apply for a ballot in person at the La Plata County Clerk's Office on or before March 9, 2009.
• Applications for absentee ballots can be obtained by calling 970 375-5010 or 970 375-5015 or in person at the City Clerk's Office.
• A walk-in polling location will open at the Durango City Clerk's Office at 7:30am on March 23. All ballots must be received by mail or in person by 7pm on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 to be counted.
  *Click City Council LTE2-22-09 to read a letter from LWV-LPC to the local media regarding the City Council Candidate Forum

  *The LWV of La Plata will hold a non-partisan, public forum for all candidates for the position of City Councilor of Durango on Thursday, March 19, 2009. It will be held from 6 to 8pm in the Durango City Council Chambers at City Hall. The forum will be broadcast on CitySpan10. Please come and meet the candidates and bring your questions! Click councilor forum to read the invitation letter sent to all candidates.

  *Click E Roberts Legislative Lowdown to read remarks concerning the possible Colorado budget actions stated by Representative Ellen Roberts at the Legislative Lowdown held Saturday, February 7.

  The League of Women Voters of La Plata County and the Durango Public Library invite you to our annual "Legislative Lowdown" on Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM at the Durango Public Library, Program Room II,1900 East 3rd Avenue. Hear Colorado State Senator Jim Isgar and Colorado State Representative Ellen Roberts discuss current legislative initiatives and the potential impacts on you as residents of House District 59 and Senate District 6. Remember to bring your questions and also join us for snacks. Click leg lowdown to view the flier for our 2009 Legislative Lowdown event

Past Events 2008

*LWV-LPC has conducted Colorado Ballot Issues forums for over 400 voters at 19 locations during the months of September and October.

*LWV of La Plata will hold local candidate forums for County Commissioner candidates, District Attorney candidates and local Colorado State Representative (unopposed). The locations and times are as follows:

Wednesday, October 1 - Bayfield Town Hall, Bayfield, CO
Monday, October 6 - City Council Chambers, Durango, CO
Tuesday, October 14 - Ignacio Library, Ignacio, CO
All forums are scheduled for 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
click Candidate Forum flier for more information

*To view the District Attorney Candidate Forum (6th Judicial District) held on Wednesday, July 23, click DA Forum

*The LWV of La Plata County will be at the Durango Farmers Market to register voters, distribute permanent mail-in ballot applications and offer general voter information every 2nd and 4th Saturday starting May 24 and going through September. Drop by and chat with us!

*LWV of La Plata County will register new voters and answer voter questions at the July 4th Lions Club Pancake Breakfast from 7:30am to 10am. Join us on Church Street in Bayfield for an od fashioned 4th!

*LWV of La Plata County will register new voters and answer voter questions at the Ignacio Senior Center from noon to 1pm on July 8. Come by and see us!

*On Wednesday, July 23, the LWV of La Plata will host a forum for all candidates for the District Attorney position representing the 6th Judicial District of La Plata, Archuleta and San Juan counties. Individual party nominees will be decided in the upcoming August 12 primary election. Join us from 6:30 to 8pm in the Durango City Council Chambers, 949 E. 2nd Ave in Durango and bring your questions!

*The LWV of La Plata will be at the Durango Senior Center on Monday, May 5 from noon to 1:00pm to assist La Plata County residents who want to register to vote and/or receive ballots in the mail for upcoming elections. To read more click registration

*3/18/08: LWV-La Plata hosted a Bayfield Candidate Forum for mayoral and trustee candidates in the upcoming election scheduled for April 1, 2008.
The Candidate Forum will occur Tuesday, March 18 at the Bayfield Middle School Cafeteria, 615 East Oak Drive from 6 to 7:30pm.The public is encouraged to come to meet the candidates and bring their questions! For a copy of the flier, click 3-18flier

• Candidates for Mayor include Carol Blatnick and Rick Smith
• Candidates for the three Trustee seats include Bob Piccoli, James Harrmann, Debbi Renfro, Bill Miller, Justin Talbot and Dan Ford (in ballot order)

*Results of La Plata County Candidate Forums for November 6 School Board elections were as follows:

*10/15/07: The League's School Board Candidate Forum for Durango, District 9-R, was also cancelled due to the death of candidate Mark Dold. Of the five open seats, only one of those was contested. That seat was being sought by Mark Dold and Padraig Lynch. Upon the tragic death of Mr. Dold the day before the scheduled Forum, the Voter's Service Committee agreed the Forum should be cancelled. Subsequently, the Board of Education of 9-R cancelled the election; there were no contested seats. Mr. Lynch will represent District A; Floyd W. Patterson, Jr., District B; Dave Farkas, District D; Wendy Rice, District G; and Tammy Capdevielle, for a two year term representing District E. They will be sworn in on November 13.

*10/16/07: The League's School Board Candidate Forum for Ignacio, District 11-JT, scheduled for October was cancelled at the request of Ignacio Administration due to the lack of any open seats. There were three candidates; Betty Jo Quintana, Chris Ribera, and Toby Roderick; for three open School Board positions.

*10/24/07: The League's School Board Candidate Forum for Bayfield, District 10-JTR, was held on the evening of October 24 at the Bayfield Library. The Forum was very well attended with more than seventy in the audience. The first speaker was Justin Clifton, Bayfield City Manager, who spoke of the Sanitation District topic on the Ballot. Linda Daley, La Plata County Clerk, and Donna Elder of Linda's staff, explained some of the difficulty in determining eligibility of voters' for this ballot issue. She recommended people call her office, 970-382-6280, or stop in her office if they have further questions. The Forum included three minute introductions by each of the five School Board candidates; Jeff Eckstein, Bill Faust, Susan J. Folk, Scott Kujath, and Donald Mooney. The candidates then responded to questions submitted by the audience, with each candidate given one minute to respond. The Forum concluded with a one minute summary statement by each candidate. These five candidates are contending for three open seats on the 10-JTR School Board. Mail-in only ballots must be in the County Clerk's office by 7 pm Tuesday, November 6. Thanks to Marilyn Brown, Pam Patton, Stephanie Huss, Lois Carpenter, Donna Hugg, and Marilyn Sandstrom for this successful event. Click Bayfield pics to view pictures from the forum.

*8/18/07 - Voter registration at the Durango Farmers Market Click Ellen Park and Marilyn Brown to view the registration.

*LWV of La Plata members registered voters at the Durango Farmers Market on the Saturdays of August 18 and 25 and September 8 and 15.
During this period, we registered from 15-20 new voters and distributed dozens of applications for La Plata County permanent mail-in ballots.
Additionally, we recruited three new members for the local League!
We consider this a good success in an off-year for elections and we will be back next year.
Our sincere thanks to the Durango Farmers Market!