Colorado has endured obstacles since mail-in ballots became prominent throughout the state.

But because of the lessons learned from challenges such as the 2013 floods in Lyons or the Vallecito fire in La Plata County in 2012, officials are confident that ballots dropped in ballot-boxes or mailed prior to the evacuations will be counted. 

“All counties have written contingency plans they develop for each election that address relocation of election operations in rare circumstances,” said Pam Anderson, the executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, in an email statement. 

Because of those contingency plans, Grand County’s clerk says, the process has constantly been improved. 

“I feel like our system has improved every year since we went to an all-mail state … it’s not a perfect system, but it’s a pretty good system,” said Grand County Clerk Sara Rosene. “I believe we will get (all the ballots).”

Before the evacuation orders caused by the East Troublesome fire, Rosene said, in many municipalities 30% of those eligible had already voted.

Thanks to quick thinking by Rosene and first responders, many ballots were saved from a drop box in Grand Lake.

On Thursday morning, as the fire continued to spread, Rosene informed the Grand County Sheriff’s Office that there was a stranded ballot box in Grand Lake. 

Officials said that during a break in the fire, sheriff’s deputies escorted nonpartisan election officials to the box and recovered all the ballots.

“We collected them, we locked the box so nothing else could be put in there, and brought it back to the county administration building to be processed,” Rosene said. 

In Boulder County, despite the ongoing CalWood and Lefthand Canyon fires, officials said that none of their drop box locations have been affected. 

If a situation were to occur where any of the boxes were affected, Mircalla Wozniak, a communications specialist for Boulder County, said they were prepared.

“I think the floods in 2013 put in place a lot of provisions, especially with Lyons, so every year now those contingency plans are revisited and restrategized,” Wozniak said. “This is what election officials plan for year-round, so if something does come up we’re ready to act.”

Although thousands of people are currently displaced because of the fires, both officials said that there are still plenty of options for voters.

These options include dropping off a ballot at a ballot box outside of the county, returning to polling locations within their county of residence if applicable, or printing out an electronic ballot from the Secretary of State’s Office.

The electronic ballot is not available as of Friday, but when it is only residents from Grand, Larimer and Boulder counties can use the service, Rosene said.

If voting at a polling place outside of their county, residents can vote in statewide races, but not local races.

Despite what she described as the great relationship the U.S. Postal Service has with county clerks throughout Colorado, Rosene said she urges people who want their voices to be heard, at least in Grand County, to use the drop-off ballot-boxes.

“The most important thing for people to know is they really need to return their ballot through the drop box.

She said using a drop box was the best way for Grand County voters to have their ballots reach the county clerk. 

Attempts to reach officials from Larimer County on ballot boxes were unsuccessful.