The Home Front: Ballots go out in the mail to Colorado voters today

With election ballots going out to voters in the mail today, The Fort Collins Coloradoan has a piece about when you should get them and other common questions.

The Denver Post reports on how the first mail-in presidential election changes Colorado’s political math. “[P]olitical observers are expressing caution about over-interpreting the early returns because the cross-party currents in 2016 suggest that not all Republicans will vote for Trump and a stronger-than-usual pull from third-party candidates may hurt Clinton. “I think the numbers this year will be a bit misleading,” said Robert Preuhs, an associate professor of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “It’s going to give you a sense of the edge, but it’s not going to be as pronounced in previous elections.”

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports on a vote for retail pot set in the town of Parachute. “The election also should finally put the debate to rest from the town’s point of view as well, although Mayor Roy McClung thinks the results of a town trustee election earlier this year may be a pretty good indication of the likely outcome. Voters rejected the proposed recall of McClung and two other elected officials who were targeted for recall because they supported the town’s decision to allow retail marijuana businesses. In addition, Jarrett was the lowest vote-getter in a five-way race for four town trustee seats.”

A tough election season is causing high tempers for Weld County commissioners, according to The Greeley Tribune. “Officials have raised their voices and hurled accusations at one another, as audience members cheered and jeered. Although the commissioners say they’re feeling no more stress than usual, months of controversy, criticism and an upcoming election have been applying pressure.”

The Longmont Times-Call reports on how critics of Boulder County’s “ever having allowed genetically engineered crops to be grown on land leased from the county — as well as the farmers who have been producing those genetically modified organisms with county permission — will have several opportunities in coming weeks to react to a plan for phasing them out.”

Loveland’s city council will vote on 2017 budget items, per The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “The more than $280.4 million budget, compared with 2016’s approximately $270.9 million, “is designed to promote the status quo and provide for reasonable growth in critical service areas,” according to a City Council memo, and includes some rate increases.”

The Gazette in Colorado Springs takes a look at the ColoradoCare universal healthcare ballot measure. “In one yes-or-no question, Colorado voters must decide whether to embark on one of the nation’s most ambitious health care experiments: Socializing the state’s insurance market. Amendment 69 would change the Colorado Constitution to create ColoradoCare – a taxpayer-funded, universal health care system that aims to drop the state’s uninsured rate to zero. The measure has garnered national attention, even if the campaign battle in Colorado has been lopsidedly against it.”

A Republican state senator, Ellen Roberts, is resigning from the Legislature, reports The Durango Herald. “Her move is likely to set into motion shifts within the district, as Republican Rep. Don Coram of Montrose has expressed interest in moving up to the position. Coram’s move to the Senate District 6 seat would also leave a vacancy in House District 58, where he currently serves.”

Denverite has this opinion piece leading its homepage today: “I’m 70 years old and I live in Ballpark. Homelessness is never far for me.”