Who would have predicted that Montezuma County residents would go to bed on Election Night knowing who had won the hard-fought presidential contest but still waiting to hear about local races?
As Journal staffers waited for local results, the Internet displayed results from other Colorado counties big counties, small counties, counties approximately the same size as Montezuma. Come at 9, our clerk said. Or 11. Or midnight. Or tomorrow. Or watch the clerks website which was not updated when all the votes were tallied.
Its the clerks job to make sure the office has sufficient equipment and staff to handle elections efficiently. This isnt the first time the election process has gone wrong here, but this must be the last, because Montezuma County citizens are not well served.
Accuracy is more important than speed, but the 2012 ballot was not particularly long and complicated, the turnout while laudable was not overwhelming, and not a single result was close at all.
Elections arent recreational exercises. The results matter. They can change the course of peoples lives, and even when they dont, they reflect, legally, the wishes of people who cared enough to vote. Thats no small thing.
Elections also dont sneak up on the people running them. Theres plenty of time to plan for various possibilities, including the one that a lot of ballots would be cast or delivered on Tuesday. After all, it hasnt been too many years since they all were.
We hope that the new commission will work to ensure that the clerks office has the resources necessary to perform on Election Day. And we hope that next Election Day, voters will make clear their preference for a county clerk who is up to this important responsibility.