Ballot order set for Aspen’s March municipal election
Aspen’s upcoming municipal ballot will be a short one, and the City Clerk’s Office determined the candidate order at a ballot lottery on Tuesday.
The ballot order will go as follows:
For the mayoral seat:
— Tracy Sutton
— Torre
For two seats on City Council:
— Bill Guth
— Skippy Mesirow
— Sam Rose
Torre and Mesirow are incumbents. Council member Rachel Richards is not seeking re-election.
Only two new candidates for council, Guth and Rose, returned completed nominating petitions to the clerk’s office by the Dec. 27 deadline, notably fewer than the eight candidates that competed for two council seats in the 2021 municipal election.
City Clerk Nicole Henning said theorists speculate that appearing first on a ballot translates to more votes, but the city of Aspen does not have data available to support or deny that claim.
The state, through Section 31-10-902(2) of Title 31, reads, “The names shall be arranged by lot as prescribed by the municipal clerk under the designation of the office.”
Henning said she follows the practice of former Clerk Linda Manning in holding a lottery for ballot order.
The last day for a candidate to withdraw from the election is Thursday, and Henning will certify ballot language on Friday.
The municipal election will take place on March 7. Aspen voters can confirm their registration through the Colorado Secretary of State website and request absentee ballots from the Aspen City Clerk’s Office.