The weather is beginning to get colder; there is a constant breeze in the air, and the leaves are changing color — fall has arrived. Along with fall comes election season and an opportunity to exercise the democratic rights that have been given to US citizens. While not all of the students in Rocky are eligible to vote, it is still important for all to understand the current political atmosphere because the decisions made impact all.

This year’s elections are the 2018 Midterms and have the potential to shift the party balance in Colorado and the US Congress. The following are all of the officials who are running in the current election cycle and are included on the 2018 Sample Larimer County Voter Ballot. Included alongside the name is the official campaign website, if applicable.

Federal Offices:

Representative to the 116th US Congress – District 2: A representative of the House serves a 2-year term to specific congressional districts while serving on committees and introduces bills, resolutions, and amendments. The number of representatives for a state is proportional to the state population for a total of 435 representatives in the House. The candidates up for election in District 2 (which includes Larimer County) are as follows:

Joe Neguse (Democratic): https://www.joeneguseforcongress.com/

Peter Yu (Republican): https://www.peteryuforcongress.com/

Roger Barris (Libertarian):http://www.barris4congress.com/

Nick Thomas (Independent): https://www.nickthomasforcongress.com/

Write-In: The option to choose your own candidate and write-in a name of your choosing.

State Offices:

Governor/ Lieutenant Governor: The current governor, John Hickenlooper, is not able to run for reelection due to term limits established in the Colorado Constitution. The new governor and lieutenant governor will be involved in the redistricting process for voting districts following the 2020 census, which could have major implications for future election results.

The main roles of the governor are to uphold the state constitution and also act as the commander in chief of the National Guard. The main roles of the lieutenant governor are assigned by the governor and provide preparation to serve as the potential replacement in the case of an unfortunate event.

Jared Polis/ Dianna Primavera (Democratic): https://polisforcolorado.com/

Walker Stapleton/ Lang Sias (Republican): https://www.stapletonforcolorado.com/

Bill Hammons/ Erin Bodenstab (Unity): https://www.billisrunning.com/

Scott Helker/ Michele Poague (Libertarian): https://www.facebook.com/scotthelkerforgovernor/ (His only official website is his Facebook)

Secretary of State: The Secretary of State serves a 4-year term and oversees and administers laws under the Business and Licensing and Elections Divisions. The mission of the Department of State (which the Secretary of State runs) is, “[T]o collect, secure, and make accessible a wide variety of public records, ensure the integrity of elections, and enhance commerce,” (https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/info_center/about.html ) Wayne Williams is Colorado’s current Secretary of State and is up for reelection.

Wayne Williams (Republican): https://winwithwayne.org/

Jena Griswold (Democratic): https://www.jenaforcolorado.com/

Amanda Campbell (American Constitution): https://votesmart.org/candidate/109813/amanda-campbell#.W7TvmdNKjIU (She has no official website but this is a resource with her stances on several current issues.)

Blake Huber (Approval Voting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBXYbtkGL3A (He has no official website or page, but this is a video stating his mission statement and beliefs.)

State Treasurer: The State Treasurer serves in the Department of Treasury whose duties include overseeing the unclaimed property division, the Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERA), and investing Colorado’s tax money.

Brian Watson (Republican):https://brianwatson.vote/

Dave Young (Democratic): https://daveyoungforcolorado.com/

Gerald F. Kilpatrick (American Constitution): https://www.constitutionparty.com/about-us/executive-committee/national-treasurer/ (He has no official website, but this is his biography on the website of the Constitution Party.)

Attorney General: The Attorney General and the Department of Law collectively make up the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General is responsible for enforcing consumer and antitrust laws, training peace officers, environmental matters, and is an advisor to the executive branch of Colorado.

Phil Weiser (Democratic): https://philforcolorado.com/

George Brauchler (Republican): https://www.george2018.com/

William F. Robinson III (Libertarian): No  official website or information.

State Board of Education Member- Congressional District 2: The Board of Education members are elected every six years and serve without pay to supervise public education. Angelika Schroeder is the current State Board of Education Member. This has implications for education within Poudre School District.

Johnny Barrett (Republican): http://cd2johnny.org/about/

Angelika Schroeder (Democratic): https://www.schroederforstateboard.com/

Regent of the University of Colorado- At Large: There are nine regents who serve on the Board, seven of which represent a different congressional district while the other two represent the state at-large. They direct and control all university funds while providing general supervision for the university.

Lesley Smith (Democratic): https://www.lesleyforcu.org/

Ken Montera (Republican): https://monteraforcuregent.com/

Christopher E. Otwell (Unity): https://www.facebook.com/otwellc4CURegent/ (He has no official website but does have an official campaign Facebook.)

James K. Treibert (Libertarian): He has no official websites or affiliated links.

County Offices:

Commissioner – District 1: There are three commissioners within the county and together they make up the Board of Commissioners which is the main policy-making body within Larimer County. This commissioner will represent District 1 which is part of Northern Larimer County; not all Larimer County voters will be eligible to vote for a candidate.

John Kefalas (Democratic): https://kefalasforlarimer.org/

Sean M. Dougherty (Republican): https://www.seanforlarimercounty.com/

Clerk and Recorder: The Clerk and Recorder deals with all records for Larimer County including voting registration, vehicle licensing, pet licensing, passports and other citizen records. They strive to make sure there is access to the records for the county residents. Angela Myers is the current Clerk and Recorder and is up for reelection this term.

Dan Sapienza (Democratic): http://www.dansapienza.com/

Angela Myers (Republican): https://electangelamyers.com/

Treasurer: The County Treasurer is responsible for mailing property tax statements, collecting property taxes, and distributing the funds to their appropriate places. They do not determine the amount of taxes that are charged. Irene Josey is the current treasurer and is up for reelection this term.

Irene Josey (Republican): http://irenejosey.com/

Rick Bohn (Democratic): https://bohnforlarimer.com/

Assessor: The County Assessor values all property (real and personal) in order to ensure that the citizens are paying the correct amount of their property taxes.

Bob Overbeck (Democratic): http://boboverbeck.com/

Alexis M. Smith (Republican): http://alexisforassessor.com/

Sheriff: The Sheriff is responsible for law enforcement, court security, Keeper of the Jail, and Officer of the Court. Justin Smith is up for reelection for his third term, and served with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years prior.

Justin Smith (Republican): https://www.larimer.org/elected-officials/sheriff

Surveyor: The surveyor represents Larimer County in boundary disputes. Chad Washburn is the current Surveyor and is up for reelection this term.

Chad R. Washburn (Republican): https://www.larimer.org/elected-officials/surveyor

Coroner: The Office of the Larimer County Coroner is responsible for investigating any death in the county that does not occur from natural causes including homicides, suicides, deaths in hospitals and in custody. James A. Wilkerson is the current coroner and up for reelection this cycle.

James A. Wilkerson IV (Republican): https://www.larimer.org/elected-officials/coroner

Judicial Branch: All of the following judges are up for retention (to hold their current positions) within their various courts.

Justice Richard L. Gabriel – Colorado Supreme Court

Judge John Daniel Dailey – Colorado Court of Appeals

Judge Rebecca Rankin Freyre- Colorado Court of Appeals

Judge Elizabeth L. Harris- Colorado Court of Appeals

Judge David J. Richman- Colorado Court of Appeals

Judge Thomas L. Lynch- County Court Judge- Larimer County

Judge Peter E. Schoon Jr. – County Court Judge- Larimer County

The list is long, albeit overwhelming, but can be worked through in a couple of hours to develop a deeper understanding of the politicians who are involved in Colorado and Larimer County.

The entire Larimer County 2018 Non-Specific Voter Ballot can be found at the following link: https://www.larimer.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2018/2018_general_sample_ballot.pdf.

If you are currently 18, you can check your voting status and register using the following link: https://www.larimer.org/clerk/elections.