Vote czars vow totals will come

Absentee ballots were to be tallied before going home

Joe Garner, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 14, 2006 at midnight

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On the sixth day, the Denver Election Commission again promised results to settle the final count on three questions still close from last week's election.

"It won't be a problem," commission spokesman Alton Dillard said Monday, again declaring that about 3,800 remaining absentee ballots would be tabulated before workers were sent home, perhaps well past the usual 5 p.m. quitting time.

Because the commission's three optical scanners can read 400 ballots per minute, Dillard said he was "just going off the strict numbers" to predict the final count of absentee ballots.

In addition, some 3,000 provisional ballots cast in Denver also are to be verified and counted, but state law requires that the absentee ballots be counted first.

The statewide contest for the at-large University of Colorado regent's seat hangs in the balance. In addition, Denver voters were asked whether to add a 0.12 percent sales tax to help parents in the city pay for preschool.

Both sides in the secretary of state race, Republican Mike Coffman and Democrat Ken Gordon, are waiting for the final tally in a race considered won by Coffman.

In the regent's race, Democratic candidate Stephen C. Ludwig said he and his supporters have begun to call all 64 Colorado counties to learn his vote because totals posted last week have not been updated since.

"We've called 15 counties, including some of the largest, and the big change is that the totals are leaning more our way," said Ludwig, who faces Republican Brian Davidson.

In the secretary of state's race, "I think it looks pretty good, but I think we're still waiting," Coffman said.

"The fact that my opponent hasn't conceded yet and all the votes haven't been counted makes it difficult to claim victory," Coffman said.

Dillard blamed the news media for contributing to the slow processing of the absentee ballots.

"The same people who are asking us for numbers are the people who are interrupting us when we are trying to count," Dillard said.

Tight races

Still being watched:

• Secretary of state

Mike Coffman (R) 744,824

Ken Gordon (D) 723,661

Partial results as of Monday

• University of Colorado regent at-large

Brian Davidson (R) 571,147

Stephen C. Ludwig (D) 557,970

Partial results as of Election Day