The Buzz Predicted Record 1.5 Million Primary Voters. Colorado Secretary of State Reports 1.8 Million.

The Colorado Secretary of State reported a total 1.8 million voted in the presidential primary, with more than 100,000 ballots still to be processed. The vote for Democratic candidates was 1,082,788 and Republican 674,217, or nearly 400,000 more Democrats and unaffiliated voting in the Democratic primary. Based on an Election Day report on turnout, 613,485 unaffiliated voted nearly three-to-one Democratic (401,943 Democrat to 140,598 Republican).

The 2020 primary turnout exceeded our expectations.

History

The highest Republican presidential primary turnout high was in the 1996 contest among five candidates, including Bob Dole, Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes, when 246,339 voted. The Democratic high turnout was in the first event in 1992 when 234,287 voters made Jerry Brown the top candidate with 29 percent against Bill Clinton (27%) and Paul Tsongas (26%).

Significance of the 2020 Vote

• First presidential primary in 20 years
• Early date in competitive year for Democrats
• All mail-back ballots
• More than 1.61 million unaffiliated voters sent ballots and encouraged to vote by campaigns
• 17-year-olds allowed to vote (if reach 18 years old by Nov. 3, 2020)