The El Paso County Clerk’s office announced that Tuesday’s primary election will go on as planned, despite more than 6,000 people having been evacuated from their homes due to the Waldo Canyon fire.

To make sure everyone has a chance to vote, the clerk’s office has begun issuing emergency ballots for anyone who has been evacuated, said Alissa Vander Veen, spokeswoman for the El Paso County Clerk’s office.

Voters who have been displaced by the fire can obtain a replacement ballot by emailing the clerk’s elections department at elections@elpasoco.com, and can get more information by calling 719-575-8683.

Ballots can also be obtained and returned via fax, at 719-520-7327, but must be requested in another way, whether email, phone, or in person.

The clerk’s office had to get permission from the Secretary of State to hand out emergency ballots, but that was no problem, said Vander Veen. Other aspects of the  election will go on as planned.

“We’re operating business as usual,” she said, and added that as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, a little more than 58,000 ballots had been counted.

Voters can pick up replacement and regular ballots — and drop them off — at any of the clerk’s four locations around the county.

That includes the main service center at 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Road, the north office at 8830 N. Union Blvd., the southeast office at 5650 Industrial Place, and the downtown office at 200 S. Cascade Ave.

Anyone who has not mailed their ballot can drop it off in person at any of the clerk’s offices, or at any of the following locations: in east Colorado Springs at 3275 Akers Dr., at Fountain City Hall at 116 Main St., and in Palmer Lake at the city clerk’s office, 42 Valley Crescent.

All of those locations are open until 5 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, with one exception: the Palmer Lake location is open Monday only until 4 p.m. Its hours Tuesday are the same as the others.

Replacement ballots will be available only until 5 p.m. Tuesday, and any ballot received after 7 p.m. will not be counted. Any ballot postmarked but not returned by 7 p.m. will not count.

The Teller County Clerk’s office is a very different story. Clerk JJ Jamison said the town is on “pins and needles,” ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. And that includes her.

“I have no idea what tomorrow’s going to look like. This is my first election by fire,” said Jamison.

Currently, the election center is at the Woodland Park Library, at 218 E. Midland Ave. But they’re ready to move to Divide if necessary. They haven’t picked out a specific location yet, but Jamison said that’s the plan.

Jamison said at roughly 11 a.m. on Monday that she was working with the Secretary of State’s Office to make sure the election goes smoothly, and was waiting for permission to begin handing out emergency ballots.

The Teller County Election polling places are still open, and are scheduled to be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters may also drop ballots off at those locations.

Those are the Woodland Park Library, the Centennial Building in Cripple Creek, 112 N. A St., and the polling place at Florissant Library, 334 Circle Dr.

There will be curbside drop-offs at 540 Manor Court in Woodland Park (the DMV office) and the courthouse in Cripple Creek, at 101 W. Bennett Ave.