News

On Mondays during Election Season, KOTO News has covered this year’s ballot initiatives. With Election Day tomorrow, we’ve got our final installment, a story on 2B, which asks Telluride Voters to approve an amendment to the town’s Home Rule Charter.

The amendment changes the definition of qualified elector in the Town of Telluride — basically it adjusts who can vote in town elections. Here’s Town Clerk Tiffany Kavanaugh:

“Right now, the definition states that someone needs to have lived in the Town of Telluride for 22 days before an election to vote in town elections. The state allows anyone to vote [in state elections] who has lived in the state for 22 days,” Kavanaugh explains.

So a vote ‘yes’ on 2B would allow any resident in Telluride to vote in a town election, as long as they have levied somewhere in Colorado for 22 days prior to the election. Currently, that voter would need to reside in Telluride specifically, not simply anywhere in Colorado, for 22 days prior.

“Yeah, if someone moves even from Mountain Village to town two weeks before an election, they would be eligible to vote on town matters,” says Kavanuagh

This slight adjustment to the definition comes with big stakes for how town runs its elections. Telluride currently coordinates elections with San Miguel County and the state of Colorado.

Kavanaugh says coordinating comes with benefits.

“It is just a more efficient, more affordable process. It causes less voter confusion. If we were to have a stand-alone election at the same time there was an election at the County going on, we would have to send separate ballots, have a separate voting and polling center. So it really streamlines the process and makes it more affordable for the town and more efficient in general.”

In order to continue coordinating elections, Telluride needs to align its definition of an elector with the state’s definition, for purposes of ballot processing and efficiency.

“It’s going to allow us, if the voters vote ‘yes,’ to continue coordinating our elections with the county,” Kavanaugh reiterates, “and if not we could probably see standalone elections in the future.”

The proposed change was put on the ballot by Town Council this year, as only voters can approve an adjustment to the town’s Home Rule Charter, which acts as a sort of constitution for Telluride.

Be sure to vote, if you haven’t already in this year’s coordinated election: ballots are due in drop boxes by 7 PM on Tuesday November 7th.