DENVER (AP) – Most voters in Colorado cast their ballots before Election Day, but that may not mean an earlier evening for the state’s ballot-counters. Colorado’s elections clerks are braced for a tight presidential contest, a long night and even the possibility of recounts for close races. Some county clerks charged with tabulating the votes have contingency plans to count ballots straight through the night until all are counted.
Others say they’re sending employees home around midnight and resuming Wednesday if there are more ballots to count. Statewide, there are some 6,000 counting judges. They’re temporary workers who are paired in bipartisan teams of two.
For a statewide race, a recount is required only when there is roughly a 6,500-vote difference, depending on voter turnout.
VAIL (AP) – Reports of a boy with cancer that sparked an outpouring of sympathy in Eagle County were a hoax.
Authorities are investigating a 22-year-old Avon woman told residents about a local boy who was terminally ill with leukemia. The woman has not been charged with any crime.
The Eagle County Coroner’s office said there is no death certificate in Colorado associated with the child. The photo of the boy has been traced back to a Kids Cancer Crusade website and is identified as Connor Gerber, a South African boy who is still alive. The woman said the youngster is a huge football fan and he closely followed the Eagle Valley Devils.
MARBLE (AP) – The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is looking into the possible embezzlement of more than $300,000 from the coffers of Marble. Investigators have named the late Karen Mulhall as a suspect in the alleged crime. Mulhall was dismissed as the town clerk earlier this year. Mulhall was found dead in Denver on Oct. 28. The circumstances have yet to be made public. The investigation began after Alpine Bank contacted the town about financial irregularities in the town’s bank account.
