Colorado’s Official Election Guides Missing Pages Due To Printing Glitch

Originally published on October 11, 2018 4:24 pm

A printing error is keeping some Colorado voters from studying up on statewide ballot items this election season.

The error caused some of the state's voting guides, known as blue books, to be printed without some of the pages.

"We believe it was a small number of books affected," said Natalie Mullis, the acting director of the state's legislative council office, which is responsible for the books. "Even one household not getting a blue book is a problem, and a serious problem. But we don't think this is widespread."

Mullis said her office had received about 30 to 40 emails from voters complaining that their blue books were missing pages. She noted the state printed and distributed more than 2 million of the books.

The printing error wasn't the only glitch with the blue books this season.

In another mistake, blue books were accidentally sent to the wrong addresses in some rural counties. In these cases, the books were delivered to physical addresses that mail carriers don't deliver to instead of P.O. boxes.

Mullis said the problem was corrected and the books were eventually sent to the correct P.O. boxes in those rural counties.

Voters who still haven't received a blue book or discover that the one in their mailbox came without some pages can still obtain a copy before ballots start arriving next week.

Full copies of the books are available online.

Capitol Coverage is a collaborative public policy reporting project, providing news and analysis to communities across Colorado for more than a decade. Fifteen public radio stations participate in Capitol Coverage from throughout Colorado.

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