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Counties expecting record voter turnout

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Contributed by: Kathryn Richert/YourHub.com on 10/6/2008

With a 95 percent expected voter turnout in Adams County and potentially even higher in Broomfield county, county clerks are encouraging residents to vote by mail.

So far, people are catching on in Adams County and across the state, said Adams County clerk and recorder Karen Long.

"Right now, we are receiving 4,000 to 5,000 pieces of mail a day with people returning mail-in ballots," she said.

Westminster residents reside in either Adams County or Jefferson County.
The same is true in Broomfield County, said Russ Ragsdale, Broomfield clerk and recorder. About 61 percent of active voters have requested mail-in ballots, he said.

Active voters are people who either voted in the 2006 general election or updated their registration information.

Westminster residents who live in Adams County need to request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 28. They can do so by going to www.co.adams.us, clicking on "Mail-In Ballot Application," filling it out and either faxing, e-mailing or mailing it back to the county clerk. People who don't have a computer can fill out a mail-in ballot form at Adams County Election Department, 1865 W. 121st Ave., Westminster or any one of the motor vehicle offices around the county.

Westminster residents, who live in Jefferson County, go to page 7 for election information.

Broomfield residents can sign-up for a mail-in ballot by going to www.broomfield.org/elections/index.shtml and returning it to the Broomfield election office, 1 DesCombes Drive. The application must arrive at the election office by Oct. 28 if voters want it mailed to them. If voters want to pick up the ballot, the application needs to in by Oct. 31.

Adams County residents who signed up to receive a mail-in ballot before Sept.22 should expect to see their ballot this week, Long said. The office will continue sending out mail-in ballots every couple of days, she said.

The Broomfield election's office sent nearly 18,000 mail-in ballots on Oct. 6, Ragsdale said, and will continue sending them out as more people request mail-in ballots.

For residents who like to participate in the democratic process the traditional way by going to a voting center Nov. 4, Long said to expect long lines, particularly with this year's long ballot.

Both Adams and Broomfield county election staff are working long hours with last minute voter registration forms streaming in before the Oct. 6 registration deadline, Long and Ragsdale said.

If residents are registered to vote but have moved or changed their name, they can still re-register to vote, but should contact their election's office so as soon as possible.

It's not just mail-in ballot requests that are up in Adams and Broomfield counties, voter registration is way up.

On Oct. 6, Long said the number of registered voters in Adams County was easily approaching 211,000. There were 196,063 registered voters in January 2008, she said.

"We are seeing more enthusiasm and just voter interest in general," Long said. "I think both parties have done a pretty spectacular job of getting down to the grass roots level and getting people interested."

Despite the whopping 95 percent expected voter turnout in Adams County, Long said it's not that much higher than other presidential election years. In 2004, the turnout was about 90 percent, she said.

In Broomfield the number of registered voters has increased more than 20 percent from 23,845 active voters in January 2008 to 29,310 as of Oct. 4.

An odd thing might happen in Broomfield come voting time, Ragsdale said. Ragsdale predicts more than 100 percent voter turnout in some precincts, which would be a first.

This might occur because when calculating voter turnout, the state focuses on active voters. Ragsdale expects turnout to be as high as 94 to 96 percent for active voters. But if enough inactive voters go to the polls, and Ragsdale predicts it won't have to take many, some precincts will record a greater number of ballots cast than active voters living in the precinct.

Voting information

Westminster residents who live in Adams County: For more voter information, go to www.co.adams.co.us or call 303-654-6026.
Westminster residents who live in Jefferson County:For voter information, go to page 7.
Broomfield residents: For more voter information, go to www.broomfield.org/elections/index.shtml or call 303-464-5857.

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