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Coloradans smash record for ballots returned during presidential primary

Posted at 12:49 PM, Mar 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-05 14:49:55-05

DENVER — More Coloradans participated in the recent presidential primary than any other primary in the state’s history.

According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, as of Wednesday, 1,697,768 ballots had been counted. In total, 1,816,369 total ballots were returned, which adds up to about 46% of registered voters in the state.

Of those, 1,047,830 were cast in the Democratic Primary, 665,943 were for the Republican Primary, and 102,596 have yet to be counted. In addition, unaffiliated voters submitted 602,829 ballots and 102,541 of those are still being processed, according to the state.

These numbers far exceed the last primary in Colorado, which was held in 2018. That year, a total of 1,451,665 ballots were submitted, according to the state.

This past Super Tuesday was the first time Colorado had held a presidential primary in 20 years. It was also the first time unaffiliated voters could participate.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold said it’s encouraging to see the massive turnout, and that it shows the passion Coloradans have for exercising their right to vote.

“We’ve set a record in Colorado primary turnout and lead the nation in primary turnout participation, even before our results are final,” she said. “That should make every Coloradan extremely proud.”

The state primary will take place on June 30 and the general election is on Nov. 3