With final tabulation for the Nov. 3 general election slated to be completed by Friday, Nov. 13, a trio of local ballot issues are poised to pass.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Archuleta County Clerk and Recorder Kristy Archuleta explains to The SUN via email that the office still has a batch of ballots to count prior to the final tabulation, but that there weren’t enough ballots to change any of the results.
Updated vote counts will be included in next week’s issue of The SUN and on www.PagosaSUN.com following tabulation. The results will be finalized on Nov. 25 following canvassing.
As of the unofficial results report released shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with 7,752 ballots counted, the following were the vote totals for the three local ballot issues:
• Archuleta County’s Ballot Issue 1A (increasing the lodging tax) had 4,950 votes in favor (67.63 percent) and 2,369 against (32.37 percent).
• Archuleta School District’s Ballot Issue 5A (approving a bond for a new school if a Building Excellent Schools Today grant is received) had 3,535 in favor (50.65 percent) and 3,444 against (49.35 percent).
• Upper San Juan Health Service District’s Ballot Issue 7B (extending is waiver from the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) had 5,440 in favor (77.03 percent) and 1,622 against (22.97 percent).
Contributing to the delay in results were election changes stemming from the flooding, which included Archuleta administering an oath to a helicopter pilot to be able to have election equipment transported to La Plata County and having voted ballots transported back to Archuleta County via helicopter Monday, Nov. 9.
On Nov. 1, the Colorado Department of State notified voters of changes in some voting locations in Archuleta County due to flood risk.
Those changes resulted in moving vote centers and drop boxes, including locating some in La Plata County, and allowing emergency online voting.
Delays also stemmed from transportation challenges due to the flooding and the process required to adjudicate ballots when write-in candidates are involved.
Archuleta previously explained bipartisan election judges reviewed each ballot with a write-in candidate listed, with Archuleta County ballots featuring two races with write-in candidates: U.S. senator and Archuleta County surveyor.
randi@pagosasun.com
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