The Importance of Voting

Since the birth of our nation, voting still remains a privilege. The Constitution itself denied voting rights for women and enslaved people. Jim Crow laws suppressed the vote in Black communities, and language barriers were exploited among immigrants. Constitutional amendments were passed to expand the right to vote, and legislation during the civil rights movement removed some barriers to voting.

Even today, ballot drop boxes and polling places are located hundreds of miles away from Native American Reservations, and recent legislation in some states continues to make it difficult for some Americans to vote. Voter suppression has an insidious history, and an insidious future if nothing ever changes. A vote can be more powerful than any protest, petition, or phone call to your senator.

And while the fight for voting rights is a complex issue, Molly Fitzpatrick’s work as the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder is exemplary. Fitzpatrick implemented programs such as Ballot to Go (ballot curbside pickup) and High School Voter Registration Awareness Week. This year, she helped pass the Ranked Choice Voting in Nonpartisan Elections bill in the legislature and other bills that will help improve voter turnout. She is also serving as Vice-President on the Colorado Clerks Association Executive Board, Vote Early Day Board, and Election Official Legal Defense Board. The work Fitzpatrick does may not be flashy, but it does improve the health and state of our community when it comes to democracy.

If you decide to vote by mail, here is a list of some ballot drop-off locations: Avery Brewery (4910 Nautilus Court North in Gunbarrel), Front Range Community College (2121 Miller Drive in Longmont, Classroom Building), Garden Acres Park (18th Avenue between Sunset and Juniper in Longmont), and the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder’s Office (1750 33rd Street in Boulder and 529 Coffman Street in Longmont).

If you decide to vote in person, here are some polling places: The Hampton Inn (6333 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel, opening begins on November 4), St. Vrain Community Hub (515 Coffman Street in Longmont, opening begins on October 24), and the Longmont Museum (400 Quail Road in Longmont, opening begins on November 7).

Other locations for both drop -off and in-person voting can be found at https://bouldercounty.gov/elections/information/voting-locations/