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August 29, 2013 07:33 PM UTC

BREAKING: "Bo" Ortiz Wins Big For Pueblo Voters

  • 13 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert
Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz.

Following court action today, a major development in the Senate District 3 recall election against Senator Angela Giron of Pueblo–as a press release this evening from Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert "Bo" Ortiz explains:

Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz announced today that Senate District 3 voters can begin casting their ballots for the recall election beginning tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Pueblo Elections Division, 720 N. Main Street. That decision comes on the heels of a court decision today in Ortiz’s favor on several issues.

Ortiz argued that in order to provide better access, voters should be able to get a no-excuses absentee ballot to vote in the recall election, they could provide a yellow voter postcard as ID at the polls to process voters faster and overturn language that would have required military and students to meet a stricter residency ruling than other voters. Denver District Judge Robert McGahey ruled in Ortiz’s favor on all counts.

“Today is a good day for voters. This will free up access to the polls for voters, apply fair rules on residency requirements to vote and cut down on lines through September 10,” said Ortiz.

The favorable rulings, turning back arguments from GOP Secretary of State Scott Gessler, mean that early voting in Pueblo will begin tomorrow, continue on Labor Day and all of next week, and–this marking a major development from the prior status quo–absentee ballots may be requested by all voters through September 3rd. FOX 31's Eli Stokols has the reaction from Gessler:

Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s office told FOX31 it has no problem with Ortiz’s decision to open early voting centers.

But Gessler was disappointed in Judge Robert McGahey’s rulings Thursday morning throwing out his proposed rules for the recall: one which requires limited access for mail ballots; and another that would have required voters to declare their intent to make the address on their voter registration form their permanent address to prevent so-called gypsy voters.

Gessler may not like it, but Judge Robert McGahey was unequivocal that the rule imposed by Gessler to deal with the chimeral issue of so-called "gypsy voters" was beyond his authority. Much more sinister in our opinion is Gessler's objection to absentee ballots being available on a "no excuses" basis.  El Paso County, where the other recall election is taking place, can't print ballots until a challenge from the Libertarian candidate to the insufficiency ruling on her petitions is resolved. But if Pueblo is able to proceed, there's no good reason why they shouldn't be allowed to deliver a mail ballot to anybody who asks for one. There's no "uniformity" at risk with entirely separate recall elections that just happen to be on the same date.

And again, as good county clerks know, these questions should always be resolved by making voting work.

Comments

13 thoughts on “BREAKING: “Bo” Ortiz Wins Big For Pueblo Voters

  1. How many more rulings will have to go against Gessler before his supporters stop pretending he's all about preventing the fraud nobody can find. As for the demand that voters claim they intend to be permanent residents, since when has that been a requirement in our highly mobile society? Since when do you have to say you plan to stay put permanently to vote? It's ridiculous. Every time one of his suppression schemes is shot down he desperately grasps at another. Gypsy voters? Whats next? Pixie voters? Elf voters?  I hope he runs for governor, loses badly and goes back where he belongs, under some slimy private sector rock.

  2. Not only the most corrupt SOS in Colorado history but the least effective, Gessler can't even screw up our voting system, poor guy. His failures just keep piling up. Whoever backs this twerpy hack has got to learn how to spell l-o-s-e-r. Sure hope he runs.

  3. Take note…this is what a great public servant looks like.  Mr. Ortiz cares about making voting accessible and accurate.

    Wouldn't it be great if his boss did, too?

    1. My only disagreement with your statement is that Gessler is not Ortiz's boss. The SOS has certain powers and responsibilities concerning clerks, but the people of Pueblo County are his bosses.

  4. A Question:

    This may be in the wrong spot but here goes:  With about Ten days to go , have any polls been conducted to see which way people are leaning in both districts?

    Giron is proclaiming that she will win already—about the Morse district?

    (Yeah, I know, TWO questions).

    1. Giron's district is heavily democratic while Morse's district leans democratic. If the democrats turn out in Pueblo. Giron will win. As far as I know, no polls have been conducted and people should always be a bit skeptical when it comes to polls. As for as Morse's district, I would say he has a slightly tougher battle than Giron, but there is no question Morse could very well beat his recall. Only 10,000 gun nuts signed the petition for John Morse. 6,000 signatures were thrown out.

    2. With all the money in the race, certainly polling is being done by both sides. You do two things with a poll: One, get the numbers and where the support and weaknesses are; and Two, try out messaging (what hurts, what helps your side, what hurts, what helps the other side). If you have the money you poll, so it's being done. Question is who is doing it and who can share with whom.

  5. From the Stokols story:

    “Despite this office’s best efforts to protect the elections, today a judge only compounded the problems,” Gessler said in a statement. “Nonetheless, we are determined to have a successful election. I will be sending a full-time observer to help resolve the problems in Pueblo, and we will also be sending staff to assist the El Paso recall election.”

    Anybody else notice Gessler's threatening choice of words to Pueblo vs. El Paso County? If I were Bo I'd watch my back.

  6. Katherine Harris hit one of the early stops on the wingnut welfare express. The congressional seat gives her enough weight to pick up speaking fees at the various wingnut conferences and maybe for a ghost-written book which will be bulk bought by Whirled Nut Daily for use as a free premium to improve her sales figures and increase her weight. The wingnuts do take care of their own.I offer Princess Sparkle Caribouboo as a case in point. Ortiz obviously remembers why he serves the public. Gessler never will.

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