Ballots are in the mail: what Eagle County voters need to know for Nov. 3
More than 33,000 ballots are on their way to registered active voters, with seven 24-hour drop boxes open countywide and in-person vote centers opening Oct. 19.
Official mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election are on their way to more than 33,000 registered active voters across Eagle County, the Eagle County Clerk and Recorder's Office announced Oct. 7, inviting residents to prepare to cast their votes.
Voters should watch their mailboxes in the coming days. Because official election mail cannot be forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service, anyone who recently moved or updated a mailing address should check registration details at GoVoteColorado.gov. Voters can also track a ballot from sent to counted by signing up for direct alerts through Eagle BallotTrax.
Completed ballots can be dropped off at any of seven secure 24-hour drop boxes across the county. The locations are the Town of Avon Municipal Building at 100 Mikaela Way in Avon, the Town of Basalt Municipal Building at 101 Midland Ave in Basalt, the Eagle County Building at 500 Broadway in Eagle, Eagle County Commons at 410 Miller Ranch Rd in Edwards, the Eagle County Community Center at 20 Eagle County Dr in El Jebel, the Town of Gypsum Municipal Building at 50 Lundgren Blvd in Gypsum, and Vail Town Hall at 75 S. Frontage Rd. W in Vail. Ballots may also be returned in person to any official county drop box in Colorado.
Vote centers open Oct. 19
In-person vote centers open on a staggered schedule. El Jebel and Edwards open Oct. 19, Eagle opens Oct. 26 and Vail opens Oct. 28. Voters who have not received a ballot, need a replacement, require accessible voting options or prefer to vote in person can visit any open vote center.
The mailing follows the statewide calendar. The Colorado Secretary of State's office said county clerks could begin mailing ballots Oct. 2 and must send them to active voters by Friday, Oct. 9. All ballots must reach a county drop box or voter service center by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
What is on the ballot
Beyond county and municipal contests, the Nov. 3 ballot carries three statewide questions, according to an Oct. 8 public notice published in The Eagle. Initiative IP26-645 would repeal a 9.9 percent tax on annual individual income over $1 million, prohibit taxes measured by individual income, and decrease funding for public K-12 education, higher education and human services, primarily health care. Initiative IL26-001 concerns parental rights relating to children in public school. Initiative IL26-638 would bar students it defines as biologically male from competing in certain school athletic activities intended for female students only, and would require verification of biological sex by students' health care providers.
Locally, Gypsum voters will also decide whether to replace the county lodging tax collected in town with a municipal 4 percent lodging tax, keeping the revenue under Town Council control with no change to the rate visitors pay.
