A ‘SUPER’ INTENDENT
TRANSPIRING
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Cherry Creek’s Harry Bull named Superintendent of the Year
‘Better safe than sorry’ County produces election guide for law enforcement
VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 50 • NOVEMBER 3, 2016
TheVillagerNewspaper
@VillagerDenver
Serving Arapahoe County & Surrounding Communities
Don’t forget to vote
Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Matt Crane issued an elections guide this week for law enforcement. It focuses on laws surrounding campaigning and voter rights, rules on electioneering, voter intimidation, interference with election officials, challenging to a person’s right to vote and rules for poll watchers. Crane describes the guide as precautionary in nature. “We’ve received no specific threats to Arapahoe County or any of our vote centers specifically, but understanding that the dialogue this year has been at a much higher fevered pitch around the election and everything going on, we wanted to make sure that we were prepared for any eventuality,” the clerk said. “… It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Crane, an elected Republican, said his office has been interacting with law enforcement agencies in preparation for anything that may happen on Election Day. Efforts have included “active threat training” in cooperation with the county sheriff’s office. “They’ve given us some training pieces for our [election] judges that we were able to include in the training and into our manual,” Crane said. Continued on page 29
Ballerina Misty Copeland ‘stands’ for something FLAIR | PG 22
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Never too early to learn to vote. Little Ellie Ashley, helps her mom, Katherine, drop off her ballot Nov. 1. Ballots must be received by the county clerk and recorder's office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Photo by Stefan Krusze
Why are there so many choices for U.S. president? $1,000 or 5,000 signatures is all it takes in Colorado Is the real battle in 2016 between Rocky De La Fuente and Emidio Soltysik? As voters continue to peruse their ballots in anticipation of next week’s Election Day deadline, most could not help but notice a wide range of esoteric presidential candidates not mentioned in the recent high-profile discussions of emails and sex talk. De La Fuente, of something called the American Delta Party, and Soltysik, the nominee of Socialist U.S.A., are but two of 22 presidential hopefuls to make Colorado’s 2016 ballot. “We always see a lot of candidates on there, but this year there’s definitely more than there has been before,” said Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Matt Crane, who notes
that 2008 and 2012 each saw 16 candidates for the nation’s highest office. The 2016 contenders run the gamut from the more well-known Libertarian Gary Johnson Littleton resident Frank Atwood, nominee for the and Green Par- Approval Voting Party, is one of 22 candidates ty nominee Jill on Colorado’s crowded presidential ballot. File photo Stein to such outright esoterica as Bradford Lyttle one-off Kotlikoff for President Party. To get on the ballot in Coloraof the Nonviolence Resistance/Pacido—and each of its 64 counties—an fist Party and the Nutrition Party’s unaffiliated or minor-party candidate own Rod Silva. If armistice and sound diet are must either collect 5,000 valid petinot your political priorities, some tion signatures or play a flat fee of of the other choices include Dar- $1,000 to the Secretary of State’s rell Castle (American Constitution Office. Although Crane thinks dissatParty), James Hedges (Prohibition Party—yes, they oppose legalized isfaction with the two major-party alcohol), and Michael Maturen candidates has contributed to this year’s flurry of alternative hopefuls, (American Solidarity Party). Laurence Kotlikoff fronts the the clerk notes that many of the can-
didates have motives other than their longer than longshot chances at the White House. Crane points to Littleton’s own Frank Atwood, the nominee for the Approval Voting Party, an essentially one-man organization established to push the idea of voters being able to select or “approve” of as many candidates as they want in a given election. “People have different motivations,” Crane said. “The law says if you’re qualified for the office based on the laws, you can get your name on the ballot.” Oddly enough, Atwood says he has no plans to vote for himself— saying it would be a waste without the alternative voting system his candidacy was designed to promote. “My goal is not to win votes. I don’t want to be elected to office,” he told The Villager in March. “My goal is for you to investigate approval voting.”