Mudge, Fiedler, Shamis Win Lake County

State Sees Historic Vote Numbers

By Kathy Bedell © Leadville Today

The Election 2020 report from the Lake County Clerk and Recorder’s Office was filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday, November 3 just a couple of hours after the voting center closed at 7 p.m. Recorder Patty Berger indicated that early voting was swift and enthusiastic, allowing the Lake County Election Judges and her team to make quick work of the ballot tabulation.

Lake County Judge Jonathan Shamis earned another 4 years on Tuesday.

Two of the three Board of County Commissioners seats for Lake County were determined with Sarah Mudge securing 62% of the vote for another term for District Two and Jeff Fiedler winning District Three with 55% of the vote, rounding out a three-person Democratic Team for the BOCC. In addition, at the local level, Lake County Court Judge Jonathan Shamis secured an approval level of more than 76% with registered voters, securing another 4-year term in the position. FULL Lake County Election 2020 results can be found HERE.

Colorado Turns Blue

Even though some ballots are still being processed and counted throughout Colorado – all Clerks have until 11:59 p.m. on November 12 –  it is clear that Election 2020 was a historic election for Colorado.  As of 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, a total of 3,306,265 ballots have been received into the statewide voter registration system to be processed for tabulation in the 2020 General Election, with more ballots to be processed in the days ahead. (Latest Results)

“This is a historic election,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. “More Coloradans voted in this election than in any previous election in our state’s history, even in the midst of a pandemic.”

And the same can be said for Lake County. In fact, the increase in registered Lake County voters from the 2016 Presidential Election and the one held earlier this week is significant.

Three thousand six hundred sixty-five (3665). That was the total number of registered Lake County voters as recorded in the 2016 Presidential Election. Four years later that number is 4,819 according to the 2020 Election Report. That is an increase of 1,154 registered voters in four years. It’s a 33+% increase in a community that has seen a recent Boom, however, the number also reflects an increasing number of part-time residents or second homeowners from other areas in Colorado who have chosen to register their vacation home as the place they wish to have their voice heard at the polls. And it’s perfectly legal.

Snow moves into the area on November 9, 2020 in downtown Leadville’s historic Harrison Avenue.

In fact, giving owners of real property the right to vote provided they have held at least a 50% ownership interest (fee title) in the property for a specified period of time is a growing trend across the state, especially in resort towns. It’s not illegal and often goes unchecked, and unchallenged. It’s certainly a growing trend in Leadville as affordable housing and direct access to healthcare continues to decline under Lake County’s “new” Democratic Team.

At the state level, Colorado’s turnout among active registered voters currently stands at 86.8%, higher than the turnout in 2016, which was 86.7%. The turnout rate among all registered voters (active and inactive) currently stands at 78.4%, higher than the 2016 rate of 74.3%.  All-in-all Coloradoans get to the polls and make sure that their voices are heard. For a complete spreadsheet of ballot returns to this point including county, party, age, and gender, click here.

A few housekeeping items from the Election 2020 Colorado Vote: Ballot signature cures and mailed overseas and military voter ballots must be received by county clerks by 11:59 on November 12.  After that, the Secretary of State’s Office initiates the state’s Risk Limiting Audit.  Results will be finalized on November 30, notwithstanding recounts. For more information as well as the latest results, please visit www.GoVoteColorado.gov.

McCluskie Wins CO District 61 Seat

Voters of House District 61 have re-elected Julie McCluskie to the Colorado House of Representatives.  McCluskie was first elected to the seat in November 2018. The following press release was distributed to media outlets.

“Tonight’s outcome is a victory for the working people and families who care about protecting our Colorado way of life.  Coloradans expect bold leadership and demand that we tackle tough issues with honesty and integrity.  Our win speaks to these values and to the priorities so many of us share for protecting public lands, air and water; for providing access to high-quality health care, and for making sure every child is on a path to a successful life with a world-class public education.”

“It is a tremendous honor to once again earn the confidence of voters in this district. I am committed to bipartisanship in tackling Colorado’s challenges and making sure the state government serves all of us in fair and equitable ways. Now more than ever, I believe serving the public means listening and learning from constituents and representing their hopes for better opportunities to lead happy productive lives.”

McCluskie has served on the Education, Rural Affairs & Agriculture, Wildfire Matters, Early Childhood and School Readiness and School Finance committees during her first term.  She was appointed to the Joint Budget Committee and Chair of Appropriations this past session.  Her notable accomplishments include passing the Reinsurance Program and Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, expanding the Wildfire Mitigation Grant Program, and numerous early childhood education bills, including referring Proposition EE to voters for universal preschool funding. Providing economic stimulus and recovery support, taking care of the working people and families hardest hit by the pandemic and stabilizing the state’s budget are her top priorities into her second term.

Renew. Reorganize. Relax.

Renew. Reorganize. Relax. While these three words might be found on a home décor pillow, for most entrepreneurs that same good advice often gets pushed around on the priority list, as day-to-day challenges intersect with long-term goals.  However, as the end-of-the-day, turns into the end-of-the-week, turns into the end-of-the-month, these three words become essential to any successful business sustainability.

In short, it’s important to know when to take a break, to regroup. And so it goes for Leadville Today (LT) as the news website rolls into a hiatus. From November 5 through December 6, while LT will be posting some information, we won’t resume regular postings until early next month. This will allow staff to focus solely on some backend website upgrades, as well as streamlining business operations. Photo and video archiving alone are in need of some major catch-up!

Oh, and there’s hopefully a vacation in there too! As Leadville Today markss 9 years of publishing online news and information on November 1, 2020, thank you for your continued support! Please check in over the next weeks to see the upgrades along the way. With the history of Leadville in our hearts and the future of Leadville in our hands: Leadville Today!