Voting in Colorado

Colorado voters have been bombarded with political ads these past few months. Colorado is what they call a “swing state,” which means it usually is split right down the middle between Democrats and Republicans. Because of this, each party does anything they can to convince voters to vote for them. Television ads, radio ads, billboards, signs, and rallies are just some examples of the media attention Colorado has been receiving.

Many Coloradans are starting to get annoyed. Corie Rajala, the Slavens K-8 School Spanish teacher, stated that the amount of money spent on ads negatively affected the overall vote of the people. She is not alone in thinking this. Linda Brown, a Slavens parent, agreed with Mrs. Rajala. She was relieved the election is over.

What exactly goes on in a polling booth? Many non registered voters, meaning kids, may not know. There’s a Supervisor or Election Judge. They are in charge. When people enter, they go to the first desk where there is a large book of all the registered voters in that area. If you are not for some reason in the book, then you can still vote but you have to fill out papers and the process is longer. Then you get your ballot and you stand in a voting booth. In here, you are surrounded on all or three sides so no one can see your vote. Then there are two boxes. One is labeled “Mail-In Ballot,” one is a computer voting machine. Citizens also have an option to fill out the ballot at home and send it in, or drop it off at a local poll.

The boxes have a lot of security on them. First, the supervisor has to show everyone that its empty before locking it and putting a plastic tag with a number on the lock. If the tag is removed, they know that the boxes have been tampered with. There is also security with the computer ballot. First you need to go the first desk, but instead of receiving a ballot you receive a number. Someone else turns that number into a card. You stick that card in the machine and begin voting. The computer keeps track of all the votes that have been submitted on that certain machine. This way, the staff can know that when they get the computer, if it says zero, then it has not been tampered with or cheated. Each staff must go through about eight hours of training to work in the Poll room. A Supervisor and his assistant must have an extra four hours of training. Any media must stand 100 feet away from the poll in order to conduct an interview.

In the end, Barak Obama won the election against Mitt Romney. Colorado didn’t get a chance to be called one way or another until after his victory. We did eventually end up blue, or Democratic, but the margin was extremely slim — just like in many states all over the country.

—By Kid Reporter Jenna Winocur