Flooding and road closures across southwestern Colorado are complicating Election Day for some voters, but officials say residents still have options to cast their ballots.
County clerks in Archuleta, La Plata, Conejos, and other affected counties are monitoring conditions and making adjustments as needed. Here’s what voters need to know about voting amid the flooding.
La Plata County
All elections operations will be open as scheduled in La Plata County despite numerous road closures, power outages and evacuations caused by flooding rivers.
La Plata County is advising residents who are unable to vote because of evacuations, road closures, or other flood-related emergency conditions to contact the La Plata County Elections Office at 970-382-6296 or elections@lpcgov.org.
The clerk’s office will work directly with affected residents to make appropriate arrangements for displaced voters, the county said in a news release Monday.
Though county offices were closed Monday, all polling centers were set to remain open to the public for the election as originally scheduled, La Plata County said in a news release.
Voters can drop off their mail ballots at numerous locations around the county, including four ballot boxes in Durango, one in Bayfield and one in Ignacio.
Polling centers will be open until 5 p.m. Monday and 7 p.m. Tuesday. These centers are located at the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Office and Fort Lewis College in Durango, the Pine River Library in Bayfield and the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio.
Officials encouraged residents to call the La Plata County Call Center at 970-385-8700, if they have questions about the flooding and sign up for local emergency alerts at www.readylaplata.org.
Archuleta County
The drop box at town hall has been closed because of flooding. A mobile drop box has been set up in the parking lot for Mountain Spirits Liquor and Feather Your Nest, 10 Solomon Drive, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
An Archuleta County vehicle will have a bipartisan team of judges and a sealed box collecting ballots in the parking lot, the county said.
The drop box at the TARA Community Center, at 333 Milton Lane in Arboles, is still available until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The main voter service and polling center at the Archuleta County Election Office, where people can vote in person, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The voting service and polling center at the Ross Aragon Community Center will now be located at the Archuleta County Courthouse at 109 Haran Park Drive in Pagosa Springs. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day only.
In-person voting will also be located at the Archuleta County Extension Building, located at 344 U.S. 84 at the county fairgrounds, will be open as planned from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day only.
There is also a joint La Plata/ Archuleta polling center at the Pine River Library at 395 Bayfield Center Drive in Bayfield for Archuleta County residents to vote in person Tuesday.
Montezuma County
All dropbox locations and in-person polling locations are open as scheduled, according to the county’s elections office.
Ballots can be dropped off until 7 p.m. Tuesday at the following locations:
- Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office at 140 W. Main St., Suite 1, in Cortez
- Dolores Town Hall at 601 Central Avenue in Dolores
- Mancos Town Hall at 117 N. Main Street in Mancos
- Cortez City Hall at 123 Roger Smith Ave. in Cortez
- Lewis Post Office at 18794 Highway 491 in Lewis
- Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Headquarters at 125 Mike Wash Road in Towaoc
In-person voting, where residents can register to vote for the first time, update an existing voter registration, request an original or replacement ballot or vote in person, is available at:
- Ute Mountain Ute Community Center at 495 Sunset Blvd. in Towaoc, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday
- Montezuma County Annex 1 at 107 N. Chestnut St. in Cortez from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday
- Dolores Public Library at 1002 Railroad Ave. in Dolores from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday
- Mancos Public Library at 211 W. 1st St. in Mancos from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday
This is a developing story that will be updated.