Voters quietly streamed into Longmont’s polling locations Tuesday afternoon and few problems were reported, which made first-time voter Stella Crubaugh happy.
Crubaugh, 21, recently moved here from Wisconsin, and even though her absentee ballot was lost in the mail, she was determined to vote at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, considered a voting “super center.”
“I brought all my utility bills to show that I was a resident here, and they (election judges) let me vote. “I had a lot of anxiety at first, but they made it easy.
“I just think it so important to vote, and to make your voice heard,” Crubaugh said. “I couldn’t wait.”
Voters find it easy and quick to cast their votes at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. (Photo by Matt Maenpaa)
A small line formed to get into the fairgrounds before 7 a.m. said Molly Fitzpatrick, Boulder County clerk and recorder. Since then, voters moved steadily into voting booths and there were no delays in casting ballots, Fitzpatrick said.
Don Lewis, who has assisted voters as a volunteer for several elections, said voting went smoothly and no conflicts arose during the voting at the fairgrounds.
“I’m a Republican but I think it’s important that this is a bipartisan effort to keep things running well and I think that’s what happened here,” Lewis said.
Roger Guiden said there were no hitches when he cast his ballot at the Boulder County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. “Things were awesome,” he said. “It was quick and easy.”(Photo by Matt Maenpaa)
Roger Guiden, who wore a Trump/Pence mask, agreed there were no hitches when he cast his ballot.
“Things were awesome,” Guiden said. “It was quick and easy.”
That was the theme of voting at other polling places earlier in the day, too.
Upon opening at 7 a.m., the St. Vrain Community Hub reported there was a line of people ready to cast their votes.
“Many were here to just drop off ballots,” said one Boulder County Election volunteer, who only identified herself as Julia.
The number of people coming through the St. Vrain Hub to vote then slowed but steady but kept a steady pace, according to volunteers. Slow and steady also was the norm at the Ed and Ruth Lehman YMCA and the Longmont Museum, according to volunteers at those polling places.
A volunteer who only identified herself as Amy H. said she was part of a six-person crew working the car ballot drop off outside the St. Vrain Hub. She said this year hasn’t been as busy as past years and she credited that to more people voting early.
At 9:30 a.m., the St. Vrain Hub recorded the average voter got through the voting process in 4 minutes.
There were no lines to vote at any polling places at the Hub, museum or YMCA between 9 and 10 a.m.
The trend continued at the Hub in the afternoon which pleased Noah Hess, who set up a table outside the facility to offer coffee, water and other treats to voters.
Hess and a few of his friends also wanted to make sure there was no intimidation of voters. Hess said everyone was congenial and reported no problems.
“There’ve been no altercations,” Hess said. “People have been great. It’s great we’ve had a lot more people trying to help rather than hinder during Election Day.”
There are 20 voting centers throughout Boulder County. Fitzpatrick said. She spent her morning visiting as many as she could.
“What I’m doing is going around and checking in with everybody, checking with our judges, and seeing if they have all the information that they need, clarifying any questions that have popped up today and telling them how much I appreciate them being here, especially in the midst of a pandemic.” Fitzpatrick said while visiting the Longmont Museum.
Ramsey Sen voted in his first American election and received support from poll workers. (Photo by Matt Maenpaa)
Ramsey Sen earned applause from poll workers at the St. Vrain Hub Tuesday afternoon after he cast his first ballot in an American election
“I’m so happy, so excited to vote,” said Sen, who came to the United States 10 years ago. “It makes me so proud.”
As of 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, 82% of active Boulder County voters and 76% of active Colorado voters had already cast their ballots, according to data from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. That made voting during Election Day a lot quieter than usual, Fitzpatrick said.
“It’s a quieter in-person day than I think probably in years past on Election Day because so many people have already voted by mail,” she said.
Election volunteer Julia Yaeger directs a voter where to go at the polling place at the St. Vrain Community Hub on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (Photo by Matt Maenpaa)
Voter Chantel Mauck arrived at the St. Vrain Hug polling location around 9 a.m. and brought along her niece, Felicia Salcido, who voted for the first time. Mauck wanted to be sure her vote was counted and to support her niece.
Salcido said her first time voting was scary because she didn’t know what to expect but felt good about the experience as she walked away from the polling place. She chose to vote in person because she only registered to vote on Monday.
Cate Powers said she enjoys the experience of voting in person and feels empowered when she steps into a polling place. Today she brought her son with her to the YMCA to share the voting experience with him. She said her experience today was “really, really smooth.”
“I knew what I was doing before I came, which I would recommend. If you want to vote in person, just do your research beforehand so you know when you get here what you’re doing and you’re able to get through it and feel good about it,” Powers said.
Fitzpatrick said there have not been any incidents at the polls this morning or in the entire election window thus far. However, her office is ready to receive reports of intimidation or other prohibited behavior. Voters can report their concerns by calling 720-729-7667 or emailing [email protected]. Reports should include a description of the incident, the time and the location to help with investigation.
“We live in a wonderful community and I think, in general, everyone wants to really support voters. They want them to be able to cast their vote in a way that is free from intimidation and is comfortable as well,” Fitzpatrick said.
Boulder County has been working around the clock to ensure voters feel comfortable voting and have all the information they need to participate, Fitzpatrick said.
“Go out and vote. We want you to vote. We want you to participate and we want you to feel good about the process,” she said.
