DENVER — Voters are just not that impressed with the job of Clerk and Recorder.
In the June 4 Denver municipal runoff between Paul Lopez and Peg Perl, 20,775 turned in a ballot, but without picking either Lopez or Perl.
In the May 7 election, 41,637 turned in a ballot without picking a Clerk and Recorder option.
"Of course, I'm disheartened," said current Denver Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson. "People really don't understand what we do."
If you came here for the sultry sounds of an elementary school recorder, click on the video.
As of Wednesday night, Lopez leads Perl by 315 votes. That means the undervotes, those who did not pick a candidate, could have swayed the results.
“Thanks to the people of Denver, their passion and hard work, I'm overjoyed to report that the final uncertified results show we have won our race for Clerk and Recorder," Lopez said in a Wednesday night statement. "The vote margin in this race will likely trigger an automatic recount. We will respect this process and ensure that every vote is counted and every voice is heard. Our team fully expects the official tally to reflect the results we saw this afternoon."
According to the clerk's office, there are 959 ballots that did not count for some reason, perhaps a missing signature or a smudged ballot, that can still be fixed by the voter.
Lopez or Perl, who might have to wait for a recount, will be responsible for administering future recounts. Elections are just one role of the Clerk and Recorder.
"Number one, administering the elections for the city and county of Denver. Number two, we administer the foreclosure properties for the city and county of Denver, and also we give out marriage licenses, which is also part of the recording process that we do for real estate," said Johnson.
In 1916, the Denver Clerk and Recorder issued the marriage license for Dwight D. Eisenhower. The same Eisenhower who would become the 34th President of the United States. He married Mamie Doud at her home in Denver.
Unlike in other counties, the Denver Clerk and Recorder does not handle motor vehicle registration.
Before the 2023 election, just know that the city provides an interactive ballot option on its website, where you can learn more about races or candidates that you might not know anything about.
Denver has only elected two other Clerk and Recorders.
In 2007, Stephanie O'Malley won the first election. The job became an elected position after election issues in 2006. Long lines and software issues caused the change from mayoral appointee to an elected representative.
"Since it is such an administrative, managerial position, I truly believe it should be an appointed position," said Johnson, who chose not to run for a third term. "My personal feeling about Clerk and Recorder being elected, if it's going to be an elected position, it should be a non-partisan elected position like it is in Denver. The rest of the state, Clerk and Recorders are elected by party."
All counties elect their Clerk and Recorder except for Broomfield, which still appoints the job.
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