Early voting ballots returned top 1M

Unaffiliateds make up 40.3% 

By PRISCILLA WAGGONER, Courier Reporter
Posted 10/30/24

COLORADO — With the final day to vote in the general election less than one week away, the number of ballots returned across the state of Colorado topped 1.25 million on Monday with the Secretary of State’s office reporting 1,271,157 ballots returned as of Tuesday Oct. 29. That number is significantly less than the roughly 1.8 million ballots that had been returned by this time in 2020. 

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Early voting ballots returned top 1M

Unaffiliateds make up 40.3% 

Posted

COLORADO — With the final day to vote in the general election less than one week away, the number of ballots returned across the state of Colorado topped 1.25 million on Monday with the Secretary of State’s office reporting 1,271,157 ballots returned as of Tuesday Oct. 29. That number is significantly less than the roughly 1.8 million ballots that had been returned by this time in 2020. 

Across the San Luis Valley, the Alamosa County clerk’s office reports that “about” 10,000 ballots were mailed out and, as of Tuesday morning, about 2900 had been returned. When asked if that return was above or below the number of ballots usually received by this time, the clerk’s office was unable to answer. In 2020, 7808 votes were cast. 

In Rio Grande County, which typically votes Republican, the clerk reports that 8,296 ballots were mailed with 2,801 returned. In 2020, 6305 votes were cast in Rio Grande. 

In Costilla, which typically votes Democratic, 2,920 ballots were mailed out with 1,023 returned.  

The Costilla clerk’s office reports that that number is “a lot more” than previous years. In 2020, 2,094 votes were cast. 

In Conejos County, which has a strong Republican presence, 5,200 ballots were mailed with 1,600 returned, a number that is “on par” with previous elections. The tally of votes cast in 2020 equaled 4,333.  

In Saguache County, another county with a strong Democratic presence, 4,726 ballots were mailed with 1,745 returned to date, a number than was reported as being more than 2022. The clerk’s office could not make a comparison to 2020. According to the Secretary of State’s office, 3,389 votes were cast in the 2020 elections. 

Party affiliations were not reported from clerks’ offices. 

Statewide, of the 1.2 million ballots returned so far, Democrats make up 385,286 or 30.31% of the ballots returned to Republicans 28.03% (356,300 ballots) returned, resulting in Republicans only lagging behind by 2.3%  

But statewide, the largest number of returns to date have come from Unaffiliated voters, totaling 512,740 ballots or 40.34% of all ballots returned so far.  

As has been true in the past, 62% of the ballots completed for the 2024 election were submitted by voters in Colorado who are 55 years or older. The younger voters – ages 18 to 34 years old – have yet to engage at a rate even close to comparable with less than 14% returned to date.  

In the age group of 55 and older, women are outpacing men but ages 54 and younger, more men have submitted ballots than women. 

What this means in terms of trends or predictions is impossible to discern with any certainty, especially in this election cycle which is unlike any other in recent memory.  

Perhaps the greatest takeaway from this – and all elections – is that, most importantly, people need to vote. Politics may often feel like a confusing game to the casual observer, but the reality is that, for those living in a democracy, it is anything but a spectator sport.