Special to Tiger Media Network
This election year has been marked by confusion and misinformation about how mail-in voting can cause chaos at the ballot box. When set in the context of COVID-19, this storyline has citizens all over the nation skeptical and second-guessing whether their vote will really count — especially if their state uses “vote-by-mail” methods.
However, if you want to look at an example of voting success in terms of voter turnout, mail-in methods, registrations and so on, you only have to turn your attention to the state of Colorado. Fort Hays State University political science alumnus and Colorado State Election Director Judd Choate has helped turn Colorado into the third-ranked state in the nation for voter turnout — and he and his staff have done it with voter-as-customer and vote-by-mail models and a commitment to engage voters. This latter commitment has produced registration numbers that have been impressive.
This Wednesday, Choate will participate in an online national American Democracy Project webinar and share how Colorado’s customer and mail-in voting model has worked successfully to grow an actively engaged electorate. In addition, Choate will discuss voting challenges, how to understand early voting statistics, and the tabulation of votes on and after Election Day. Viewers also can ask questions during this virtual event’s question-and-answer period.
To attend the event from 1 to 2 p.m. Central time Wednesday, October 28, visit the Zoom link below to register.