Midterm Voting Starts, Record Turnout Expected

Midterm elections attract fewer voters than presidential elections, but with polls showing interest and enthusiasm up, and Colorado’s recent increase in registration, more than 2.5 million Coloradans may return their ballots by November 6.

In the 2014 midterm, which saw Democrats win a handful of House seats nationally but lose control of the U.S. Senate, Colorado had slightly more than 2 million voters participate. Statewide voters split their tickets, reelecting Democrat John Hickenlooper as governor by 68,000, but exchanging incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Udall for Republican Cory Gardner by 40,000 votes.

There are 3.2 million voters registered, 348,000 more since the 2014 midterm. If about a similar 71 percent turnout, 2.3 million voters will cast ballots. If the enthusiasm that has been registered in some polls is correct, the vote could reach 2.5 million.