By Bev Wenger
Yuma County Clerk & Recorder
We are approximately two weeks away from the Primary Election. The Clerk and the Election Staff have diligently been preparing information, ballots, and trainings to better serve the citizens of Yuma County during this election cycle.
Ballots should have arrived in your mail boxes last week. If you did not receive your ballot by June 15, 2022, please phone 970-332-5809 to get a replacement ballot. Or you may wait until the week of June 20 and visit our Voter Service Polling Center (VSPC) in person 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
There has been several communications or publications on misinformation and disinformation concerning elections in the past few years. Some of the information that has been shared does not apply to Colorado and the standards that have been set.
UNAFFILIATED VOTERS: Colorado law allows unaffiliated voters to vote in a primary election.
Here is how it works:
1. If you preference an affiliation when registering unaffiliate you will only receive a ballot for that affiliation.
2. If you did not preference an affiliation when registering;
a. You will receive two ballots in your packet, one Democratic ballot and one Republican ballot.
b. Choose ONLY ONE of these ballots and fill it out. Discard the ballot you won’t use.
c. Sign your return envelope and return your ONE voted ballot in the return envelope.
Sending in two voted ballots will disqualify all of your votes. Your vote in this election will not affiliate you with a political party.
Below is a list of facts that are required by Colorado Revised Statutes and Election Rules setting the high standards that the State of Colorado and Yuma County follow.
Election Information:
Know the Facts for Colorado!
Ballots
Colorado uses paper ballots
Voters can track ballots at yuma.ballotTrax.net or govotecolorado.gov
Ballots and other election materials are kept for 25 months after an election, video surveillance at this time does not fall into this category. However, with legislation passed in May of 2022, we will begin to keep surveillance footage for 25 months.
Ballot Drop Boxes
24/7 video surveillance
Ballots transported by bipartisan teams (opposite parties) of election workers
Accountability logs and seals by two bipartisan teams for every step of the process
Yuma County has two 24/7 drop boxes, one located in Wray and one in Yuma
Verifying voter ID
Valid ID required for in-person voting
Valid ID required for first-time voters who didn’t show ID when registering to vote
Mail Ballots require signature
All signatures verified by trained bipartisan teams (opposite parties) of election workers
Letters informing voters of a signature discrepancy are typically sent out the following day of rejection
Voters with rejected signatures have eight days after the election to cure so the ballot can be counted
Voting equipment
Vote-counting equipment is never connected to the internet
NO unauthorized personal may enter the room with the equipment
Personnel entering the room with the Election equipment, must be certified and accompanied by another certified staff member.
Multi-factor authentication to access voter registration database
Voter registration database system is entirely different and separate from the tabulation system.
All equipment stored securely and tested before each and every election by bipartisan teams (opposite parties) of election workers
Secure access
Name Badge access required to enter ballot processing areas — coming soon, a key card enter process
All areas under 24/7 video surveillance
Election workers
CBI background checks
Security training
Work in bipartisan teams
Visible IDs required
Testing and certification
Pre-election testing: machines are tested by bipartisan election workers (opposite parties)
Post-election audit conducted by bipartisan election worker (opposite parties) audit board
Bipartisan election worker (opposite parties) canvass board reviews data and certifies election
If you have questions or would like more information, please phone 970-332-5809 or email [email protected].