Record number of mail-in ballots, but most haven't been sent in

By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Carrie Porter, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 1, 2008 at 9:42 p.m.

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Photo by Javier Manzano / The Rocky

Denver Elections Division personnel test the voting system that will be used for the Aug. 12 state primary and municipal election.

More than 200,000 Colorado voters have cast ballots by mail so far in an election season that is already drawing pockets of heavy turnout, the secretary of state's office said Friday.

The largest number of mail votes are being cast in El Paso, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties, where hot congressional races are expected to be decided in the Aug. 12 primary.

"There's very big interest in the primary, and I hope it continues," said El Paso County Clerk Bob Balink.

Over the past two weeks, county clerks statewide have sent out a record number of mail ballots for the primary. That's because many people are taking advantage of a new law that allows them to become permanent mail voters.

But most of those ballots are still sitting in homes. In eight of the largest voting counties, up to 75 percent of the mail ballots distributed so far haven't been mailed back, according to figures provided Thursday by county clerks. There are slightly more than 3 million registered voters statewide.

Election officials have had high hopes that the new mail voting law that took effect last year would drive up usage of that voting option.

For county clerks, mail voting is much easier to administer than election day voting. But some voting activists dislike that method because of security concerns and a tallying process that occurs out of the public eye.

In many counties, clerks mailed out more ballots than the total votes cast in the 2004 primary. But whether the primary will see record mail voting remains to be seen. Voters have until Aug. 12 to return their ballots.

"I think it's too early to tell," said Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson. "We still have at least a week and a half before election day. It's really difficult to predict voter behavior."

El Paso County is seeing heavy mail voting. Nearly 27,000 voters have already sent back ballots, Balink said. That's already 4,000 more mail ballots than were cast in the 2004 primary.

Mail bag

* Colorado County clerks sent out a record number of mail ballots for the primary over the past three weeks, and requests continue to come in. Here's how many voters have submitted mail ballots so far. The primary is Aug. 12.

County ballots mailed back

Arapahoe 32,000

Adams 11,000

Boulder 15,100

Denver 20,000

Douglas 14,000

El Paso 27,000

Jefferson 38,100

Larimer 18,100

• August 2, 2008

  12:05 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  jbowen43 writes:

  Only front range counties matter??

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