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Double ballots complicate election
Herald Staff Writer
No problems for 9-R
As of 4 p.m. Friday, the County Clerk’s Office had not received any reports of duplicate ballots for the other mail ballot this year, the Durango School District 9-R board of directors election.
Voters in the Florida Mosquito Control District have been asked to destroy any duplicate ballots they may have received and send only one ballot in the mail-in election.
Bud Smith, the attorney for the district, said some voters received duplicate ballots because of slight variations between their names on their voter registration and property ownership.
This led to ballots mailed to both names because it was not possible to distinguish between them, he said in a written statement.
There also were duplicate ballots that were mailed because of printer error.
Some people may mistakenly believe that because they received two ballots they can vote twice, but that's an incorrect assumption, Smith said in an e-mail.
When voters return a mail-in ballot, they are required to sign an affidavit on the outside of the return envelope that says they will vote only once.
It is an election offense to cast more than one ballot. Anyone casting duplicate ballots will have both ballots rejected, he said.
The duplicate ballots will not affect the validity of the election, he said.
"If you did receive duplicate ballots, simply vote one ballot and destroy the others," he said.
The mail ballot asks district voters whether they want to remove term limits for directors. Voters are eligible to vote if they are registered electors in Colorado and either live within the boundaries of the district or own property within district boundaries.
Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 3, at either the La Plata County Clerk's Office, 1060 East Second Ave., or Smith's office at 48 County Road 250, Suite 5.
tsluis@durangoherald.com'>tsluis@durangoherald.com
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Durango Herald Calendar of Events
Monday, October 26, 2009
at 1:21:12 PM
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Shawn Smith says...
The lack of concern that all levels of government are showing when considering this terrible error is horrifying to me. The right to vote in a fair and equitable voting arena is one of the most sacred rights for American Citizens and should not be taken lightly. This mail in ballot is a travesty of what an election should be. The local authorities should ask that this election be postponed until the Florida Mosquito Control District can get their act together. Every time we as Citizens blindly look the other way we are one step closer to losing the rights that make this country great!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
at 7:41:29 AM
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Tom Brueckner says...
I received THREE ballots, with identical name and address information, but I own two properties in LaPlata County. I wonder if I get to vote once or twice?