Andrew Brandt, a candidate for the Boulder Valley School District school board, talks to a student outside of the University Memorial Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Candidates Aaron Brocket, Ryan Schuchard and Waylon Lewis pitch in to the canvasing. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
Boulder County local elections wrap up today with multiple ballot drop boxes open on the University of Colorado Boulder campus.
If you haven’t voted yet, 24-hour drop boxes are available on campus until 7 p.m. when the polls close. They are by the University Memorial Center and in Williams Village. The UMC also hosts a Vote Center on the second floor that offers same-day registration. Buff OneCards are accepted as a valid form of ID.
Boulder’s 2023 Coordinated Election encompasses state, county and local candidates and measures including the race for Boulder’s mayor and city council. Ballot issues focus on state tax revenue, affordable housing initiatives and open space expansion, along with several City of Boulder-specific measures.
As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, 82,400 ballots were submitted in Boulder County which logged 231,611 active registered voters on Nov. 1.
Jack Megenhardt, an election ambassador and political science major at the University of Colorado Boulder, poses for a portrait in the University Memorial Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
Students rush to cast their ballots before the polls close
For many students on campus, they see the act of voting as an obligation to society.
“It [voting] is the bare minimum that we can do to have a say in our democratic process,” said Eli Grimm, a senior studying strategic communications, sports media and sociology.
Students like Grimm also view voting as a generally beneficial way to express their ideas and grievances with their governing bodies.
“I believe that it’s a privilege… that a lot of Americans and people who live in this country don’t have,” they said. “I see it as the easiest, most basic way for me to advocate for my own interests and for the interests of the people who can’t vote.”
For some, more specific ballot measures drove them to the polls. Ani Johnson, a freshman at the university, stated that she was “very for” Proposition II, which allows the state to keep some revenue from increased cigarette, tobacco and nicotine taxes to spend on preschool programs.
“You get told all your life that it’s important to do your part,” Johnson said. “Then you grow up and you realize, well, maybe it actually is important.”
As students cast their ballots today, they hoped that their peers were doing the same.
“If you are voting, hell yeah,” Grimm said. “…if you’re not voting and you have the privilege to, I highly recommend interrogating why it is that you don’t feel the need to vote.”
Ryan Schuchard, a city council candidate, carries his campaign sign outside the University Memorial Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Schuchard stood up on platforms to honk a horn and tell people to vote. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
Local officials make an appearance on campus
Between Monday and Tuesday, candidates across all levels of local offices gathered outside the UMC to canvass students passing by. Donuts, candy, pamphlets and even a dog competed for the attention of passing students distracted by headphones and airpods.
“The future is in your hands,” Mayor Aaron Brocket said about CU Boulder students. “You need to elect people who are going to look out for the long-term future of our community and our society, and not just the ones who are pandering to what’s our worst problem right now.”
Candidates walked past each other and gathered in groups to encourage students to enter the UMC and climb the stairs to the voting polls.
“I’m kind of friends with everyone, so I go around to all the different candidates and have fun and campaign in different areas,” City Council candidate Waylon Lewis said. He made rounds with his dog Winnie, temporarily canvassing alongside Brocket, City Council candidates Jenny Robins, Ryan Schuchard and BVSD school board candidate Andrew Brendt. All within 20 minutes of the day’s work.
Across the board, candidates encouraged students to take a few minutes to vote in the building.
“College kids — have about one to three seconds to talk as they’re going in between classes,” Robins said.
Andrew Brandt, a candidate for the Boulder Valley School District school board, takes an informational pamphlet from Solutions Not Safe Zones member Doug Hamilton on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
There was one common phrase across party lines shouted at students as they walked by: “Go vote!”
“The choices that they made today, or over the last month, actually decide what the community looks like,” State Representative and City Council member Junie Joseph said of students. Joseph helped canvass on Tuesday to encourage student voting. “I believe in their power to change the directions of the city, the state and the country.”
The CU Independent and The Bold will begin live coverage of the election results once the first round of ballots are recorded at 7:15 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Editor-in-Chief Isabella Hammond at isabella.hammond@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent News Editor Jessi Sachs at jessica.sachs@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Ann Marie Vanderveen at ann.vanderveen@colorado.edu.
