An ominous-sounding letter that El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink sent to a journalism student at Colorado College has reignited a three-week old controversy over his past erroneous assertion that out-of-state college students are not eligible to vote in Colorado.
El Paso County is Colorado’s most-populated county. It’s also, undeniably, a GOP stronghold with a rich legacy of political hijinks and shenanigans — usually inspired by Republicans. And that leaves plenty of progressives leery that, come Election Day, Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink will do everything he can to make it difficult, or at least unpleasant, for non-Republicans to vote.
Which leads us to Democrat state Sen. John Morse’s claims of Balink’s 12-point strategy to suppress the vote.
Colorado College, a liberal arts school in Colorado Springs, is oft seen as a cradle of progressive thought in one of the most conservative cities in the United States. In recent years, that designation has caused some tension in the greater community. This week, the antagonism came to a head with a prominent State Sen. John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) accusing Republican Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink of deliberately trying to stop Colorado College students, many of whom come from out-of-state, from voting.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
rss