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Boulder still has 55,000 dusty ballots to go

By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 6, 2008 at 2:03 p.m.

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Working in bipartisan teams, Boulder election workers visually inspect images of each ballot on computer screens Thursday as vote counting continues two days after the election.

Photo by Darin Mcgregor / The Rocky

Working in bipartisan teams, Boulder election workers visually inspect images of each ballot on computer screens Thursday as vote counting continues two days after the election.

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Boulder County, which is trailing the rest of the state in ballot counting, might be finished today.

Or not.

Election workers are reviewing the scanned image of every paper ballot, all 166,000 of them, to ensure an accurate count. That's because dust particles on ballots are causing inaccurate tallies by the computer software.

As of Thursday evening, 55,000 ballots were still uncounted, said Jessie Cornelius, spokesman for Boulder County Elections.

The rest of the state is finished counting, except for provisional or problem ballots that need more scrutiny. The final tallies are due to the Secretary of State's Office on Nov. 18.

Here is the status of other metro counties where counting continued beyond Election Day:

* Adams County finished counting the bulk of its votes about 8 p.m. Wednesday, said clerk and recorder Karen Long. Workers are still processing an unknown number of paper ballots that were cast Tuesday.

As it stands now, more than 158,000 voters turned out, representing about 72 percent of all registered voters in the county.

* Arapahoe County finished counting the majority of its ballots early Thursday. Workers are poring through an unknown number of problem ballots that were mismarked or mail ballots that were returned without signatures, among others. More than 254,000 voters turned out, representing 74 percent of all registered voters.

* Douglas County finished counting its last pile of mail ballots about 7 p.m. Wednesday, said clerk and recorder Jack Arrowsmith. In all, just under 150,000 people voted, representing 81 percent of all registered voters.

Comments

  • November 6, 2008

    2:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    bluffan writes:

    I sat on my porch listening to a roar rise up over downtown Boulder as it was announced that Colorado had gone for Obama. Pity that half our votes hadn't even been counted yet.

    What a sad statement on Boulder's ability to handle a vote for change.

  • November 6, 2008

    2:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    DenverNATIVE1 writes:

    Boulder is only efficient when it comes to streakers with pumpkins on their heads.

  • November 6, 2008

    2:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BigSky182 writes:

    I am not at all surprised that Boulder supported Obama and I am not challenging the results but how can they say "Obama won" when the number of uncounted votes exceeds the margin between the candidates?

    Sure, the uncounted votes would have to be ALL for McCain and undoubtedly they will not be.... but still, how can they officially call the election based on half of the votes?

  • November 6, 2008

    2:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Hope writes:

    At least they are trying to be accurate. Better than just tossing them aside! (PS~ you can stay in Denver...no need to come to Boulder if you don't like it here)

  • November 6, 2008

    2:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    JSeifert writes:

    Takes a while to rig a election, Give them a brake.

  • November 6, 2008

    3:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BigSky182 writes:

    Hope:

    You can count on the fact that you will not ever see me in Boulder without a court order. I am fully smart enough to stay the heck out of places where I think the residents are a bit loony.

    Not like those "other kinds" who feel an incessant need to go to other places and then re-write all the rules for that place so that they feel comfortable.

  • November 6, 2008

    3:45 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    dustinp writes:

    RickyLee Awesome comment I nearly fell out of my chair laughing

  • November 6, 2008

    4:03 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    COLibertarian writes:

    Did not know there were 60K Republicans in Boulder

  • November 6, 2008

    4:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jbowen43 writes:

    Get a new county clerk

  • November 6, 2008

    6:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BenchBoss writes:

    Ballots? In Boulder? Oh - I thought someone said bonghits.

  • November 6, 2008

    8:11 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    HopiMedicineMan writes:

    Boulder is Scar fromThe Lion King.

  • November 6, 2008

    10:12 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ruraldeb writes:

    let the meth heads get it together just a little bit so they can do their 1, 2, 3's.................

  • November 6, 2008

    10:24 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Campbell writes:

    If Boulderites stop having sex ( and incest ) with 14 year olds, they just might finish this election like good little perverts.

  • November 7, 2008

    12:32 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    PhoenixStorm writes:

    Finally although here in Adams we already got our votes counted and yes I am pleased to say Barak Obama was the better choice.

  • November 7, 2008

    7:47 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    pwern writes:

    Why even bother having elections if Boulder? I doubt there is a conservative left in that entire county. It's a waste of time and money to hold an election there every two years simply to reaffirm that virtually every resident is a leftist radical who would swallow drain cleaner before they voted for a Republican.

  • November 8, 2008

    8:27 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    gardog writes:

    Wow - someone other than O'Bama and Nader were on the ballot in Boulder?

  • November 8, 2008

    3:43 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BoulderLiberal writes:

    Amazing how much anger you folks have toward Boulder. I personally don't understand. That would be like me blasting every Colorado Springs resident for being a right-wing nut job evangelical so-called Christian. I'm just grateful that Colorado went for Obama (with or with-out Boulder). McCain/Palin were not fit to lead this nation.

  • November 11, 2008

    8:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    boulder1259 writes:

    BoulderLiberal,

    Boulder's elitist attitude gets many riled. What's not to understand?