Vote on November 3rd – there’s something for everyone
If you’ve been to the Gilpin County Courthouse in Central City lately, you’ve noticed that the voting machines are set up in the first floor hallway, and you may have wondered what for—this hasn’t been the most heavily publicized election cycle.
Still, there are at least two ballot measures for everybody in Gilpin County to vote on, and the machines will allow people to cast their ballots early should they choose to do so.
One issue that everyone will vote on would extend the terms limits for the 1st Judicial District Attorney from two terms to three; everyone in both Jefferson and Gilpin Counties will vote on this measure.
And everyone in Gilpin County will have a school issue to decide: the folks in the south end, who are served by the RE-1 School District, have five candidates running for four seats on the school board. In the north end, voters have six candidates running for three seats, by district, for the Boulder County RE-2 school board.
The City of Black Hawk has a lodging tax measure on the ballot, to levy a 2% tax on hotel rooms in the City to fund a potential visitor center or other tourism promotion activities; only Black Hawk residents will vote on that measure.
Finally, Central City voters have two issues to decide: a charter amendment to change the way ordinances are published, and a tax question that would levy an excise tax on ticketed events held in the City.
Issues like these don’t draw the attention of the electorate the way a presidential election might, but they’re important to the entities involved, and the County is glad to help with the administration of the election.
In fact, the election itself will be conducted pretty much the way a presidential election might. The County will again have three vote centers for people to vote at on Election Day, November 3rd: one here at the Old Courthouse in Central City, one at the Community Center, and one at the Rollinsville Road & Bridge shop on Tolland Road, just west of Highway 119.
Any Gilpin County registered voter can cast his or her ballot at any of these vote centers, regardless of where he or she lives in the County and the ballot measures on which he or she is entitled to vote. So someone who lives in Rollinsville, but works in the casinos won’t have to rush home by seven o’clock election day to cast a ballot; he or she can vote right here in Central City, or at the Community Center.
Voting by mail is another option, but time is running out; voters have to request a ballot no later than October 27th. Call the Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 303-582-5321 to exercise that option.
And folks who might come to the Old Courthouse to conduct other business can vote early; that’s what the voting machines in the hallway are for. Those machines are open from 8 to 5, Monday through Friday through the 30th of October; after that, voters will have to wait until Election Day.