Weld County Election Center gets ready for voters

It doesn't matter where you live in Weld County, you can vote at any polling place since Weld county’s chief election official Steve Moreno switched to polling centers.

“The vote center concept we transferred to, in 2005 I believe it was, we went from precincts to vote centers. Vote centers are the way to go in my opinion,” said Moreno.

Over 85-thousand registered voters receive mail-in ballots, and each ballot was created by hand by paid volunteers. These are the same volunteers that work at the polling centers on Election Day.

Training is required for the volunteers, not only to make sure everything is done correctly, but also for their own safety. Volunteers sometimes encounter impatient voters as well as some dangerous situations and need to know how to react.

“Here in Weld County, we have had situations where judges have been threatened. An individual came very intoxicated right here in the Greeley area. He threatened my staff members he was going to go home and get his gun and take care of business,” said Moreno.

90-percent of Weld County's registered voters got out and voted in 2004. In 2008 the number was up to 92-percent. This year, the hopes are just as high.

“My hopes as the chief election official are that we do get everybody. It would be wonderful to say Weld County had 100-percent turn out,” Moreno said.

A lot goes on behind the scenes at polling stations. This election season, make sure you put as much effort into voting as the volunteers do in setting it up.