What does Colorado’s low primary turnout spell for the November election?

DENVER (KDVR) — Last week’s turnout for the Colorado primary election was low.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said a little more than 1 million of the state’s 3.8 million active voters cast ballots. So what does that say about how voters are feeling heading into November?

Both experts FOX31 spoke with on Tuesday believe voters will still turn out in November, and outside of the general election, Colorado voters still have a lot to look forward to.

“That was a little dispiriting. It was relatively low turnout for Colorado, and we’re usually a pretty high turnout state,” said Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver.

“Seeing last week’s voter turnout numbers, we are definitely experiencing a decline in voter engagement in state primary elections from 2020 to now,” said Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause.

Getting voters to the polls in 2024

Insiders who watch politics in Colorado noticed that folks did not show up last week. But Masket said there is no reason to worry — there will likely be more ballots returned in November.

“Even though turnout was pretty low in the primaries, I would expect it to still be a pretty high turnout race in the general election in November. Historically, Colorado has had one of the most high turnout rates in the country, even when the presidential race hasn’t been all that competitive. And this is likely going to be a very close presidential race, at least nationally,” Masket said.

Despite the high-profile rematch expected between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, groups that work to engage voters like Colorado Common Cause know there is still work to do to ensure voters get their ballots in.

Belknap said Colorado Common Cause is working to combat disinformation and get younger voters engaged in the political process.

“When it comes to young people and it comes to everyday Coloradans feeling really shut out of the political system, the message that we have for them is that it is supremely important that they continue turning out and that we continue to break down barriers to turning out for young people, for people that are most impacted by the policy decisions that are made,” Belknap said.

Voters could see lengthy ballot in November

Right now, there are only two questions officially on the statewide ballot, but there are 14 in the process of making the ballot. Voters will also likely have some local questions on the ballot.

Could all these decisions lead to more voter burnout? Experts doubt it.

“We have a direct ability to shape public policy in Colorado that is far and beyond what many other states have,” Belknap said. “We’re going to have something like, I don’t even remember the number, so many ballot measures this year on our statewide ballot. As well as local measures that folks will have, and this is literally putting everyday Coloradans in the driver’s seat of what happens with major policy questions. This impacts folks’ lives.”

“I don’t know that a long ballot will necessarily scare people away from voting altogether,” Masket said. “They might just show up and cast a vote for the presidential race, maybe a congressional race or something like that, then just quit. They might be really interested in one or two of the ballot measures that are coming up. There is going to be a couple that are interesting and very well-funded, and people might want to vote for one of those and then not vote for any of the others.”

Could voter protests affect election turnout?

Following a series of losses at the state level, some progressive voters have threatened to stay home this November. Masket does not think that would greatly impact voter turnout.

“My guess is by November, that won’t have much of an impact. Turnout will still be pretty high, even for progressive voters, simply because they will realize the stake of the presidential vote,” Masket said.

For anyone feeling disengaged, experts said there is plenty of time between now and November to get informed and reconnected. They advise voters to use trustworthy and reliable sources for election information.

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