Research Corner: Turning out the vote

For years, Colorado’s voter turnout has surpassed the national average, even in midterm elections, where overall voter turnout tends to be lower. June’s primary election saw the second-highest voter turnout for a primary since 2010, with 36 percent of Colorado’s active registered voters casting their ballot (the highest was 45 percent in 2020). With a hefty slate of statewide ballot questions, and at least 90 Colorado municipalities holding elections, we can anticipate a healthy voter turnout in November.

Some national trends in elections since 2020 include:

• Overrepresentation of voters with high family incomes and bachelor’s degrees
• Increase in “nontraditional” voting, or voting early or by mail instead on in-person on election day
• Voters aged 45-64 made up one-third of the voting population in 2024, following a shrinking trend since the 2012 election, when this group made up nearly 40 percent of voters
• Of registered voters who did not vote in 2024, 19.7 percent listed their reason for not voting as lack of interest, or feeling their voice would not make a difference

Here is how Colorado voter turnout shaped up in the 2024 general election:

Sources: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2024, U.S. Census Bureau
2023-2024 State of Colorado Abstract of Votes Cast, Colorado Secretary of State
Turnout surged in Colorado’s primary election, CPR News