YOUNG VOTERS LEFT HOLDING BAGGIE ON POT

They'll Help Decide Fate Of Amendment 44 After Backers' On-Campus Push

The ballot was a long, strange trip for Lauren Vogel, a 19-year-old
Colorado State University student taking part in the first day of
early voting on the campus.

But when it came to Amendment 44, she didn't hesitate.

"I voted no," she said simply.

No matter, according to Mason Tvert, the campaign director for the
ballot measure seeking to legalize possession of up to an ounce of
marijuana for adults 21 and over. Monday was the day he got a chance
to reap the rewards of working the campus hard to register young
people to vote in an effort to spur the initiative to victory.

"It was really exciting to see the people who never voted before get
out on something they cared about," Tvert said. "A lot said they
registered for just this and they would only vote on it. I'm not
saying that's a good thing. But they got out there, and they're participating."

Tvert, with the help of the campus Libertarian Party, began
registering students months ago at a small table outside the student
center. Because election rules prohibited him from being within 100
feet of the voting center, he staged a rally in the open space
outside and had all the volunteers dressed in green with the SAFER
logo on it. SAFER is the nonprofit voter-education group spearheading
the campaign. SAFER stands for the Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation.

Vogel, who said she felt pot was readily available already and didn't
feel the need to legitimize it further, saw the pro-44 forces outside
the center but already had made her decision.

Not so for Scott Metz, a 25-year-old construction-management major
who happily said he voted for the ballot measure.

Metz said he began his college career as a law enforcement major but
became disillusioned with the war on drugs. He said the war was a
lost cause and that resources were wasted on busting those who smoke marijuana.

"Overall, it's just stupid - the gateway drug thing and the amount of
money spent chasing after people who want to smoke marijuana," he
said. "We could spend that money better on other things."

Kristen Singer also voted for the measure, saying Tvert was smart to
try to target younger voters, who she said are "more likely to listen
to all the arguments" about marijuana use.

"We're not from the Reefer Madness generation, so we're more likely
to give it a fair look," she said. "But then again, I think my mom
and dad are going to vote for it, too."

The early voting area on campus consisted of 32 voting machines and
opened at 8 a.m.

Nancy Lubinski, the school's early voting supervisor, said traffic at
the polling place was "pretty slow," with students "trickling in
throughout the day." By late afternoon, most of the booths were open,
with just a couple of students hunched over the long ballot.
Lubin-ski said early voting would continue on campus for two weeks
and would be open each day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Early Voting

500 Denver voters cast ballots at City Hall on Monday, the first day
of early voting, a spokesman for the Denver Election Commission reported.

* What Is Early Voting

It is voting in person at designated voting centers or precincts in
your county before Election Day.

Where Do I Vote

Contact your county clerk for early voting locations in your area:

* Adams County

www.co.adams.co.us

303-654-6030

* Arapahoe County

www.co.arapahoe.co.us

303-795-4511

* Boulder County

www.co.boulder.co.us

303-413-7740

* Broomfield County

www.ci.broomfield.co.us

303-464-5857

* Denver County

www.denvergov.org

720-913-8683

* Douglas County

www.douglas.co.us

303-660-7444

* Elbert County

www.elbertcounty-co.gov

303-621-3127

* Jefferson County

www.co.jefferson.co.us

303-271-8111

* Larimer County

www.co.larimer.co.us

970-498-7820

* Weld County

www.co.weld.co.us

970-304-6525