Register as Unaffiliated to vote for Montezuma commissioner

In 2016, Colorado voters approved Proposition 108, allowing unaffiliated voters to vote in Colorado primary elections without registering with a particular party.

Unaffiliated voters receive two ballots in the primary and choose which primary they will participate in. Only one ballot can be submitted. If both ballots are returned, they will be rejected and no votes will be recorded. In Montezuma County, there are 7,544 registered Republicans, 3,283 registered Democrats and 7,841 unaffiliated voters. Third parties equal 318.

Proposition 108 had bipartisan support, passing with almost 53% voter approval. There were several arguments in favor: 1) Only about 5% of voters participated in party caucuses before the passage of Proposition 108 — not a sign of a healthy democracy. 2) Opening primaries to unaffiliated voters increases participation in a process that is fundamental to a democracy — voting. 3) Elections are publicly financed and unaffiliated voters who comprise over 1/3 of registered Colorado voters should have a role in selecting the candidates who will be on the ballot in the general election. 4) Allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in the primary may result in candidates being selected who better represent all Coloradans — not just those adhering to a particular party platform.

In Montezuma County, your voter registration will determine whether you will have a say in who will most likely become our next county commissioner. No Democrats are running for any county offices. The chance that an independent or write-in candidate will petition on to the fall ballot is slim and none. Unless you are registered as a Republican or unaffiliated, you will have no say in determining who will play a major role in our county government over the next four years.

If you are a registered voter or will be registering to vote in Montezuma County for the first time and want to think about what option you would like to take in this year's primary, consider changing your registration to or registering as an “unaffiliated” voter. It doesn't mean you're changing parties, nor will it dictate how you will have to vote in the general election.

Colorado's elections are all-mail ballots, and ballots for the June 28 primary will be mailed June 6 to 10. The deadline for changing your registration is June 6. You can do this by going online at GoVoteColorado.gov or stopping by the county clerk's office, 140 West Main St. It's quick, easy and free! If you need help registering or have questions, the county clerk's staff is knowledgeable and very customer friendly, so don't hesitate to call (970) 565-3728.

The League of Women Voters was founded Feb. 14, 1920, just months before the 19th Amendment was ratified and women won the right to vote. Its mission is “Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy” and was founded in the belief that it wasn't enough to have the right to vote; women needed information to make “an informed vote.” The League is a nonpartisan organization — we do not support nor campaign against any candidate. However, the League does take positions about issues of importance to our democracy. As part of the mission to “empower voters,” the League sponsors candidate forums.

The Montezuma County League will sponsor a Meet the County Commissioners' forum, 6:30 to 8 p.m. June 9 at Empire Electric's Calvin Denton Room.

On June 8, LWV Montezuma County will join with the Gunnison, La Plata, Mesa, Pueblo and Uncompahgre local leagues to host a candidate forum for the Congressional District 3 candidates: Lauren Boebert (R), Don Coram (R), Adam Frisch (D), Sol Sandoval (D) and Alex Walker (D). This will be a virtual Zoom webinar and a livestream on Facebook from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Please plan to attend both events.

The 101 year old League of Women Voters envisions "a democracy where every person has the right, the knowledge, and confidence to participate."

We in Colorado enjoy some of the most fair and comprehensive voting laws in the nation; but, right now, dozens of state legislatures are crafting new laws designed to restrict voting especially by poor people of color.

The LWVUS--while remaining strictly and proudly non-partisan--develops positions about voter issues. These positions are carefully and thoughtfully arrived at through consensus of the Board.

To be informed about these evolving positions, go to www.LWVUS.org.

The national League supports Senate Bill 1, the "For the People Act." It would protect the voting rights across the country which are being assailed in too many states.

If you would like to actively support passing the For the People Act, call our Senators today and every day. Program their telephone numbers into your cellphones:

Senator Michael Bennet: 202-224-5852

Senator John Hickenlooper: 202-224-5941

The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County sponsored a presentation on the Empire Electric Association (EEA) rate structure change on Saturday, July 10th. The presenter was Andy Carter, Member Engagement Manager, Empire Electric Association. The following is a statement from EEA about the program:

"Regarding the rate structure change, we have been working on this for the past two years. The board set a strategic goal in 2019 to evaluate and propose rate structures that are fair to all members. So, the main driver of this structure change is fairness. As a member-owned business, we strive to limit subsidizations and recover our costs to run the business in as fair of a manner as possible. A second driver is member control. The new structures will give members options to choose from, and the new time of use and demand (TOUD) option will give members the opportunity to use the same amount of electricity yet still save money on their bill by planning how they use electricity. A third driver is the financial stability of the cooperative. Presently, there is misalignment between how we incur cost and how we recover costs. The new structure will better align our expenses with our revenue sources."

"When the new rate structure takes effect on September 1, 2021, all accounts will be changed to the Time of Use Demand (TOUD) rate unless you request to be on another available rate."

Click here for the EEA Rate Structure Change Information
or contact Andy Carter (970)564-4489 andy.carter@eea.coop

The January 9th meeting for the League of Women Voters of Montezuma County was a Zoom session with Marc Meyer who is the Director of Infection Control for Southwest Health Systems. The discussion was informative with emphasis on vaccines. Listen to Marc's presentations to see how you can learn about how you can be vaccinated. Marc's presentation can be viewed by clicking on the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/. . .

To celebrate the 100th Birthday of the LWV in 2020, a revised history of the LWV of Colorado was published, and it contains many local League histories as well as many biographies of past leaders.

This fascinating book is available on Amazon for $15 plus tax! Just type "League of Women Voters of Colorado" into the Amazon search field.

    "Seven Women Who Never Gave Up" a 30 page booklet about seven leaders of the American suffragist movement is now available. While isolated at home during the pandemic, a team of members of the Montezuma County League of Women voters have written, edited, proofread, and published this project. Half of the copies will be donated to the high schools of the county to be a resource for civics and history teachers.

     A copy can be purchased for a donation of $5.00 to the League of Women Voters of Montezuma County. The booklets are a trove of little known facts. One entry is about Colorado’s own newspaper owner and suffragist, Caroline Nichols Churchill.

     The booklets would be interesting holiday gifts for family, friends, and young people. Send requests to Connie Fox at 6cpfox@gmail.com. She will arrange to deliver the booklets to you.