Colorado early voting rates show excitement about midterm election

Less than a week out from Election Day and over 1.2 million Coloradans have already cast their ballots. Data from the Colorado Secretary of States office showed that as of the morning of Oct. 29, 1,220,842 votes have been cast.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold who is running for Attorney General this election season told Denver7 that a week out, Oct. 27, early voter turnout was at 27%, outpacing the 2022 and 2018 midterms. However, the rate is still far behind the 2024 presidential election.

Denver7's Alex Dowd walks through the numbers:

It does look like there is a lot of enthusiasm at this point, Griswold said, adding that this election season has differed too.

The first mail ballots were sent out on Oct. 2, earlier than past years, and ballot drop-off boxes were set out earlier too. Over 29% of requested mail-in ballots have been returned.

Early voter demographics are fairly consistent with past years. More women are voting early than men, and voters over 40 are showing up at a higher rate than those under 40.

MSU Denver professor and political science chair Robert Preuhs says that younger folks are not necessarily still deciding, but certainly kind of taking a look and trying to wade through that blue book."

(Theyre) figuring out, maybe not so much the candidates, but those ballot questions, that does take some time," he added. "And if you're a young voter, particularly if it's your first time around, that can be a little daunting.

Hes sure, though, that they'll get to it.

While more registered Democrats consistently vote early than registered Republicans, Preuhs also said he noticed a larger gap between the two groups this cycle.

That seems to stem from kind of this energy that's been produced and maintained over the last year and a half, whether it's from the No Kings rallies or through other protests, he said. The thing is, right now we live in this hyper-polarized context. Both folks that affiliate with either party really see that party identification. They see the potential harms of electing the other party's candidates. In part, they're really supporting their own party, but I think a lot of it really is fear of the other party taking control or maintaining control.

Unaffiliated early voters beat both parties, turning in 40% of the early ballots logged so far. Thats normal for Colorado elections, though, since a large section of the state electorate isnt registered with either party.

The majority of Coloradans are unaffiliated voters, Griswold said. They're registered at a higher percentage than Republicans or Democrats independently. So I think what we are seeing in general is excitement (and) a little surge in midterm voting.

While early turnout can show excitement, it isnt the best predictor of final results. Griswold says it can help show when we will get those results.

The more that Coloradans decide to early vote, the more ballots are going to be processed as polls close on November 3rd, and the more results will be posted, she said.

It is too late to mail in your ballot, but not too late to vote. Coloradans can return their ballots to a voter center or drop box, or they can vote in person. Anyone who needs a replacement ballot can request one at a voter center.

Find a voter center or drop box near you at https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/VIP.html.

For the most up-to-date election information, visit GoVoteColorado.gov.