DENVER — On Election Day eve, the men in black with red boxes in tow retraced their steps to the ballot box they’d visited earlier in the day.
“Today, we’ll make it two times. Tomorrow, three,” said Keithen Smith while walking down Bannock Street.
Smith walked alongside Dave Williams, who dragged the red ballot boxes on a dolly.
“This is my first year,” Smith said, dressed in his black Denver Elections Division vest. “Dave’s been here over 10 years.”
Voter Guide 2018: Everything you need to know about the upcoming Colorado election
Smith and Williams are members of the Denver Elections Division ballot security team. They’re among 16 two-person teams working to empty ballot drop boxes in Denver. Smith and Williams were collecting ballots from boxes near Civic Center Park Monday morning.
“Oh yeah, that’s pretty full,” Smith said, opening a ballot box outside the Webb Building. The box was so stuffed, several ballots dropped to the ground. Smith bent down to pick them up, handing them to Williams who started filling up the smaller, red boxes he’d carried on the dolly.
Smith was the newbie on the team, but already he was getting used to the routine of emptying boxes and returning to find them full.
“The never-ending story,” Smith laughed.
While Smith and Williams loaded up hundreds of ballots, a steady stream of people stopped by to drop off their own. Smith handed out “I voted” stickers until he ran out.
“The vote to me is a very important, serious business,” he said. “It makes me feel proud to know that folks are doing their civic duty.”
After Smith and Williams finished loading up the ballots, they carted them off to the Denver Elections Division. They don’t mind the work. Each emptied ballot box gives them energy to go onto the next. They’ll be working through Election Day, and then?
“Go home and sleep for a week!” Smith laughed.
9NEWS received reports of ballot boxes stuffed to the brim across the metro area. If you come across one of those ballot boxes, give your local county clerk a call.
You can also find nearby drop box locations by entering your address on the Colorado Secretary of State website.