(PUEBLO, Colo.) — The Pueblo mayoral runoff election is a little over two weeks away and ballots are already coming into the Pueblo Municipal Justice Center. On Friday, Jan. 5, the city demonstrated the processes they are using this election to make sure it is fair and equitable.
The clock is ticking for people in Pueblo to decide between incumbent Mayor Nick Gradisar and City Council President Heather Graham.
This go-around, people in the Steel City might notice their ballots are coming from the city, rather than the County Clerk, which is the first time in about 20 years.
The Pueblo County Clerk will conduct the general election and the two primaries happening in March, which is a tight time frame.
“This election happens to fall within a time frame by law where they are not capable of doing that,” said Karen Goldman, election consultant for the City of Pueblo. “Even though the presidential primary is not until March, they’re already midway through the process for doing that.”
This is also why Pueblo is bringing in outside expertise like Goldman.
“Especially when there is a recall election, it is so much better to bring in somebody from the outside who doesn’t have, what I like to call, ‘any skin in the game’,” Goldman said.
Goldman will not only have access to the door lock, but she will also be the only one with a password to the election machinery.
“We want to make sure that the elections are fair and equitable,” Goldman said. “And, one of the… ways to do that is to provide a high level of security. This way, we minimize the risk of something being inadvertently leaked.”
All of these standards and procedures are put in place to ensure people in Pueblo can feel confident in their right to vote.
“It’s best to provide information to as many people as I can regarding the processes that we use in election, because I think what it does is it helps to kind of hold off any criticism for people who may not be actually informed,” Goldman said.
Pueblo voters can mail their ballots, or use a drop box, but the City Clerk must receive their ballot by 7 p.m. on election day, Jan. 23.
