Vail Valley Voters: Even sparse ballot worth the trouble
VAIL VALLEY, Colorado – There wasn’t much on this year’s Eagle County ballot, but Star Doll still cast a ballot.
“I’ve never missed an election, and I’m 85,” Doll said after hand-delivering her ballot to the Eagle County Clerk and Recorder’s office in Eagle. This year’s election was conducted by mail, but voters were able to drop off their ballots at the clerk’s offices in Eagle, Avon and El Jebel.
Turnout was light – less than 20 percent of the 25,000 ballots mailed out had been returned by Monday – but a light trickle of voters were dropping off their ballots Tuesday.
Doll acknowledged she didn’t know much about the one contested race this year – a school board position from Gypsum. But, she said, she did have some strong feelings about county ballot issue 1A. If passed, that measure would give the county the authority to create an “energy smart loan” program.
Karl Howard of Eagle had strong opinions about the program, too, saying backers should have given voters more detail about their plans.
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Rosie and Uli Burki live just a block away from the county administration building, and walked their ballots to the clerk’s office.
Both Burkis said they were opposed to the ballot measure.
“Eagle County shouldn’t be involved as a bank,” Uli Burki said.
“And if people don’t have the money to do these improvements, then they shouldn’t do them,” Rosie Burki added.
In Avon, Ivonne Van Loveren said 1A was the main reason she cast a ballot this year. An immigrant from the Netherlands, Van Loveren said she votes in every election she can.
“We do have that opportunity here,” she said. “I want my voice to be heard.”
After dropping off his ballot, Kyle Roberts said it’s important for people to be involved in the political process.’
“Even if it’s just on a community level, people need to be cognizant of what’s going on,” he said.
Business Editor Scott N. Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930 or smiller@vaildaily.com.
