High Points: Vote!
High Points
It’s the first of November, and the town is about as quiet as it gets. Many bars, restaurants, hotels, and art galleries are dormant for the off-season having shuttered, so folks can get away before ski season begins in just 24 days.
But the most important places in the county will be open daily from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., now through Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day. Yes, the Pitkin County Administration and Sheriff’s Office at 530 East Main Street in Aspen, the Town of Snowmass VillageTown Hall at 130 Kearns Road, and the Basalt Town Hall at 101 Midland Avenue in Basalt all have secure drop boxes that have 24/7 video surveillance, so that you can safely and securely drop your ballots and ensure that your votes are counted in the 2024 elections.
If you prefer in-person voting, you can do so Friday, Monday, and Tuesday (Election Day) at the Pitkin County Administration Building, 530 E. Main St. in Aspen. On Election Day, in-person voting will also be available at the Snowmass Village Town Hall, 130 Kearns Road, and Basalt Library, 14 Midland Ave. You can also drop your ballot at the Church at Redstone, 230 Redstone Blvd., from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
At this point, these are the only options for the 13,000 or so registered voters in Pitkin County. Fill out, and drop the ballots you have already received in the mail or go exercise your right and vote in person. But remember, it all ends at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The right to vote is one of the most important and tangible opportunities to make our voice and choice known within our collective community. Regardless of where you stand on the candidates or the issues, the one thing that we can all agree on as Americans is that the opportunity to vote is one of the most powerful rights that can be bestowed upon a population in a democratic nation.
This year, we have a presidential election at the top of the ballot with believe it or not eight pairs of candidates ranging from … well you know who … to Jill Stein of the Green Party and the unaffiliated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has been an Aspen visitor for his entire life.
Next up is a vote for our Congressional Representative in District 3, a position currently held by Lauren Boebert who has decamped for redder climates running for election in District 4. Aspen local Adam Frisch and Republican Jeff Hurd will square off to fill the spot in Congress.
Locally, a big issue is the competing, conflicting, and somewhat confusing, County Ballot Measures 1C and 200 found on the last page in the upper right-hand corner of your ballot. If you vote “yes” on 1C and “no” on 200, you are reaffirming the Pitkin County Commissioners authority to continue their role in the planning for the Aspen Pitkin County Airport improvements. Vote the opposite, and you will limit the power of the Board of County Commissioners and potentially open up the changes to a vote in a future election. It is not clear what will happen if both pass — and they could.
In between, there are state ballot measures and other county measures along with judges and state representatives. All can have significant impacts, and all deserve our attention.
When you fill out your ballots, don’t forget to mark the oval next to your choice with black or blue ink. When done, place your envelope in the Secrecy Sleeve enclosed, and be sure to sign the outside of the envelope on the back on the bottom under the Self-Affirmation symbol.
Regardless of your affiliation, you have both the right and, dare I say it, the responsibility to vote.
Be sure you do.
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