5280 Magazine – May 2018

MAY 2018 | 5280 | (^93)
Seth McConnell/the
Denver Post
via Getty Images
The number of unaffiliated voters in Colorado
has quickly surpassed the counts of registered
Democrats and Republicans. Recently, Democrats
took over second place, although both major
parties have since lost voter shares.
Source: Colorado Secretary of State
So what does
Proposition 108
actually change?
If you are a Republican,
a Democrat, or a
member of a minor
party, nothing changes.
Where it changes is if
you are an unaffiliated
voter. Unaffiliated
voters will get both
a Democratic and
Republican ballot, and
they are going to be
told to only return one
of them.
Is that unusual?
We’ve never done that
before. We’ve never sent
you a ballot and said,
“Don’t return it.”
Has anyone else
tried this?
There are a couple
of states, including
Washington, that have
tried something similar.
How did it go?
They had a number
of ballots that were
void because people
returned multiple
ballots. My goal as
secretary of state is that
everybody knows what
their options are and
that they not spoil their
ballot inadvertently
through turning in two.
What should people
do with the extra
ballot? Make
paper airplanes or
origami donkeys
and elephants?
Recycle it. Shred
it. Use it as mulch.
Whatever works best
for you. Just don’t vote
it, and don’t return it.
Will whom I vote for
be secret?
Yes. Whom you vote
for is always secret,
but whether you
vote in a particular
election is a matter
of public record. The
legislation—SB17-
305—adopted last
year made it clear
that is the case going
forward as well. You
are not required to
affiliate, but the choice
you made as to which
election to vote in is
a public record.
So unaffiliated voters
can’t have their cake
and eat it too?
When you look at all
the concerns in the
United States recently
about, Can we trust
the elections process? I
think Colorado’s way of
ensuring that integrity
is the way to go.
STRAIGHT TALK
BOOK IT
We sat down with Secretary of State
Wayne Williams—who oversees the
state’s election processes—to figure
out how, exactly, Colorado’s brand
new primary system will work.
Ready to exercise your
franchise? Mark these
dates on your calendar.
‡ JUNE 4
Primary election ballots are
mailed to registered, active voters
‡ JUNE 26
Primary election (you can return
your ballot by mail or at a drop-
off location after you receive it)
‡ OCTOBER 15
General election ballots are
mailed to registered, active voters
‡ NOVEMBER 6
General election (you can return
your ballot by mail or at a drop-
off location after you receive it)
ON WINNING
“We need to go
to every single
county; I don’t
care if you meet
with [only] 12
people. In the
end, because
the race is so
inundated,
people vote for
someone they
have a personal
connection
with.”
—Pat Waak, former
Colorado Democratic
Party chair
ACTIVE VOTER REGISTRATIONS FROM 2012 TO 2018
637,500
825,000
1,012,500
1,200,000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Democrat
Republican
Unaffiliated
INSIDE THE 2018 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION