Voters this fall could have much to choose from: City Council candidates, yea or nay on a transportation tax, and possible city-specific taxes.
But voters might not have to choose which vote center to visit. The ballots could come to voters by mail instead.
On Tuesday, Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle will ask the Larimer County commissioners to conduct a mail-ballot-only election this fall.
Doyle said he expects to save as much as $500,000 by conducting a mail-ballot election instead of sending voters to polling places.
Looming federal mandates and possible changes to state law prompted Doyle to seek a mail-ballot election. State law allows mail-ballot elections only in odd-numbered years.
Last year, Doyle said, he spent an additional $250,000 to $300,000 on last-minute election changes mandated by a Denver District judge.
He said proposed changes could cost the county millions of dollars.
“The uncertainties are just overwhelming,” Doyle said. “You can’t keep up with this stuff.”
By holding a mail-ballot election, Doyle avoids using the county’s polling equipment, which might not be recertified by Secretary of State Mike Coffman.
In a mail-in election, voters’ signatures are compared to the signatures from the voter registration card. Ballots are then fed through a tally machine. The process requires significantly fewer workers.
Also, pending federal legislation could require the county to build a secure, climate-controlled warehouse to store the election equipment, Doyle said. The current estimated cost is $6.5 million.
The Larimer County commissioners are besieged by funding requests this year, including several from the Sheriff’s Office. Doyle said he’s not trying to take money from the sheriff or other departments.
“But the law has made voting equipment like prisoners. I’ve got to keep them secure and safe,” Doyle said. “The sheriff’s got to keep prisoners locked up so they can’t get out. I’ve got to keep my prisoners locked up so nobody can get in.”
Bob Keister, budget manager for Larimer County, said Doyle wants to have a secure election without wasting money.
“He’s trying his best to use the least-expensive method he can for the time being,” Keister said.
Doyle said two weeks ago in a meeting with U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave that he expects the elections in 2008, including the November presidential election, to cost the county more than $3 million. By comparison, the 2000 election cost about $1.5 million.
Doyle said the $3 million figure does not include additional equipment or storage requirements.
Doyle said active registered voters will automatically receive a ballot in the mail sometime later this year. Those who did not vote in last year’s election, or who have recently moved, will need to reregister.
• Visit www.larimer.org/elections.• Click on “register.”
• Click on “Am I registered?” at the top.
• Type in your last name and date of birth.
• If you are an inactive voter, contact the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 498-7820, or visit in person, 200 W. Oak St., Fort Collins, on the first floor.
To comment about this issue, visit with the Larimer County commissioners, 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Larimer County Courthouse Offices Building, 200 W. Oak St., Fort Collins. Administrative matters, and discussion about a possible mail ballot election, start at 9:30 a.m.Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle is seeking a mail-ballot-only election this fall. He says new federal and state laws cost the county an additional $250,000 to $300,000 last year.