AURORA | Local voters don’t appear too enthused about Tuesday’s primary.
Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Nancy Doty said she is expecting a record-low turnout once all the votes are counted Tuesday evening.
As of Monday, only 43,000 had been returned out of more than 260,000 that were mailed out early this month.
In an all-mail election, those figures are telling.
“We will see what we get tomorrow, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be a huge number,” Doty said Monday.
Doty said she anticipated a low-voter turnout, but not this low. Officials expected about 30 percent to 35 percent of voters would return their ballots, but fewer than 25 percent have so far.
The primary usually takes place in August, but was moved up to June this year. Doty said she doesn’t think the calendar has mattered as much as a general lack of interest in the races being contested.
“There is not much interest in what’s on the ballot,” she said.
The election doesn’t have many high-profile or statewide races, with just a handful of state House and state Senate primaries being contested.
The race between George Brauchler and Leslie Hansen for the Republican nomination for 18th Judicial district Attorney has arguably been the most-contentious and high-profile.
But even Brauchler, who edged Hansen at the judicial district’s Republican assembly and has the top line on Tuesday’s ballot, said a district attorney race isn’t one that will motivate a large swath of voters on its own.
Brauchler said he firmly believes the DA race is one of the most important elections voters will decide, but without the money poured into the community for statewide races, turnout will likely be sparse.
“This is going to be a low voter turnout primary,” he said.