Voters: Be prepared for election result delays

Technology is nice, but it has its kinks.

Although Weld County's voting machines are new and improved, election results might trickle in a little slower on Tuesday night, said Steve Moreno, Weld clerk and recorder.

"I don't want everybody's hopes to get up that it will go how it's gone in the past," he said.

Each voting site has several ballot machines. Election judges will have to take microchips out of the machines, which are made by Diebold Election Systems. The chips will have to go to the new county election office, 1401 N. 17th Ave., so results can be tabulated.

With 34 voting centers around the county and a handful of machines at each center, that's a lot of counting, Moreno said.

To make things faster, election officials will count absentee ballots first and then start counting the regular primary ballots, Moreno said.

The county sent about 10,400 absentee ballots, and so far, around 6,000 have come back, Moreno said. The other 4,000-ish absentee ballots are due to the election office by 7 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.

To expedite the actual voting, it's a good idea to bring your signature card, which should have been in the mail recently, along with your required ID. That will help election judges determine what ballot you should get. Then you get to vote.

"Then (voters) can get their 'I Voted' sticker and be on their way," Moreno said.

Only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their party's primary. Unaffiliated voters will have to declare a party in order to vote.

No matter what, be prepared for slightly longer delays for election results, Moreno said.

"It's not because we're having hiccups, I don't think -- we've got more machines and more challenges," he said.

Moreno hopes the unofficial results will be in by 10 p.m. Tuesday, but it could be earlier.

"Hopefully they'll prove me wrong, and we'll be wrapping up shortly before 9 p.m.," Moreno said.

Election results will be available on the clerk and recorder's Web site, www.co.weld.co.us/ departments/clerkrecorder.html. The site also has a list of the 34 Weld vote centers.