Colorado voter turnout for this year’s election surpassed the historical level set in 2008. Counties are continuing to update final results from Tuesday’s election.
But so far, the Secretary of State’s office reports 46,000 more Coloradans voted in 20012 than did four years ago.
Colorado’s Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler credits much of the boost in turnout to a mailing sent out earlier this year to 700,000 Coloradans who may have been eligible to vote but were not yet registered.
That mailing was part of a voter registration initiative organized by Gessler’s office this year. The $850,000 initiative was funded with federal money expressly designated for voter education efforts. It was the largest voter registration drive in the state’s history.
The outreach campaign included television, radio, print and online ads. It led to 400,000 more registered Colorado voters in 2012 compared to 2008.
Many Colorado voters registered using the state’s upgraded online voter registration system through their computers, phones or tablets. In 2008, 2,422,236 Coloradans voted.
By the numbers: Colorado Voter Turnout 2012
- All registered voters: 3,647,082
- Ballots Counted: 2,468,312
- Voter Turnout: 67.68%
Voter turnout wasn't just up domestically. There was an 11 percent surge in participation from Colorado’s military and overseas voters. In 2008, Colorado received 13,029 overseas ballots compared to 14,500 for this year’s election.
