Back on June 30, Post reporter Conrad Swanson spent the evening at the Denver elections office. That wouldn’t be a crazy place to find a journalist on an election night, except he wasn’t there to write about the primary election results.
But nothing about 2020 has been ordinary — including elections — and given the questions that had been raised about the security of mail-in voting, we wanted to be able to explain to readers exactly how Colorado’s system works.
So while the rest of The Post’s election night team covered the results from our homes — coronavirus, ugh — Conrad watched what happened behind the scenes, talked to elections judges and met an elections official from Illinois who was also there to learn more about a voting system that’s called the gold standard by experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle.
We learned a few things, and hopefully you will, too.
— Cindi Andrews, Politics Editor for The Denver Post
Vote by mail could be a mess, but not for the reasons President Trump says
Five in-depth looks at Colorado in the age of coronavirus
Colorado nursing homes face financial challenges even as coronavirus outbreaks decline
The worst of COVID-19 seems to be over for Colorado nursing homes, but they continue to face challenges trying to cover higher costs with decreased revenue. Read more here…
RELATED: Colorado governor requires masks in public for at least another month
Colorado courts catapulted online amid coronavirus pandemic
With some dropped connections, a few crying babies and the occasional hot mic, the historically camera-shy Colorado courts took a giant, forced leap into new technology this summer as safety concerns about the novel coronavirus pushed court proceedings into the virtual world. Read more here…
Denver Councilwoman CdeBaca wants to replace police department with peace force
Denver City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca wants to place a measure on the city’s November ballot asking voters to abolish the Denver Police Department and create a “peace force” in its place. Read more here…
Colorado wildfire update: Latest information on Pine Gulch, Grizzly Creek, Cameron Peak, Williams Fork fires
Four wildfires are burning large swaths of Colorado as high temperatures and low humidity contribute to prime burning conditions across the state. The effects from the smoke can be felt all the way to the Front Range, as state public health officials issued air quality alerts for older adults, children and those with sensitive conditions. Read more here…
“On the brink of full-on collapse”: Denver restaurants limp toward fall with little relief in sight
The restaurant industry is currently leading all other sectors in terms of closures nationwide, according to data released last month by the customer review platform Yelp. Itap ahead of retail stores, beauty salons, bars and fitness studios, Josie Sexton reports.
As of July, more than 26,000 restaurants across the country have closed and 15,770 of them have shuttered permanently, according to Yelp. Sixty-two percent of Colorado restaurants say they will consider closing permanently in the next six months under current or worsened conditions, according to the Colorado Restaurant Association. Read more here…
A few more important stories from the past week
+ Pandemic has cost Colorado communities $1 billion in retail sales, but in some cities revenue is actually up. Here’s why.
+ Poll: U.S. House race between Boebert and Mitsch Bush in western Colorado is tied
+ Front Range poop being tested for COVID-19 to identify outbreaks before symptoms appear
+ June was Colorado’s biggest marijuana sales month ever. July was likely bigger.
+ Coronavirus wiped out 29,840 jobs, years of growth in Denver’s arts scene, report says
+ Designated homeless encampment planned at Denver Coliseum scratched as sweeps continue
+ Denver lawyer accused of charity fraud by former Colorado Supreme Court justices
+ Giving diners the bird: More and more restaurants turning to fried chicken during the pandemic
+ Teacher testing for COVID-19 ramps up as Colorado schools look toward in-person learning
+ Bedrooms, bad advice and the ballot: What the heck is going on in Boulder?
+ The Summer of No Music: Loss of concerts makes Denver question its cultural identity
+ New Colorado coronavirus cases drop for second week, but remain above June’s low point
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