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Colorado Primary Turnout Edges Up as Older, Democratic Voters Dominate Early Returns

The partisan and age skew in returned ballots could decide several tight nominations and change November matchups.

Overview

  • More than 783,000 ballots had been returned as of Tuesday morning, with Democrats supplying roughly 52% of returns and Republicans about 35%.
  • State officials reported turnout at 19.5%, which is about 160,000 more ballots than at the same point in the last primary cycle.
  • Voters age 65 and older account for 27% of returned ballots while people 18–34 make up about 10% combined, giving older voters outsized influence on early results.
  • The deadline to mail ballots has passed so any remaining voters must hand-deliver ballots to one of Colorado's 137 voting centers or 437 drop boxes by 7 p.m. MDT for their votes to count.
  • The primary will decide contested races for governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general and eight U.S. House seats, and nominees could reshape November contests or trigger moves such as a Senate appointment if a sitting senator wins another office.