What to know about the Colorado presidential primary election
(Colorado Newsline) Colorado is 1 of 15 states to vote in the presidential primary election on “Super Tuesday,” which this year is March 5.
During the primary, voters select which candidate for president they prefer in either the Democratic or Republican race, and their votes go to delegates who in turn support preferred candidates during the national party conventions in the summer, when nominees are officially selected to stand in the general election in November.
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In Colorado, where every eligible resident automatically can vote by mail, more than 800,000 ballots have already been returned. But Coloradans can register and vote through Tuesday.
“There is still time to vote in Colorado. Coloradans can return their mail ballot to one of more than 400 drop boxes or 150 voting centers across the state,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told Newsline by email. “Every election is an opportunity for Coloradans to make their voice heard and help shape policies that matter to them.”
Here’s some useful information about the election.
What’s on the ballot?
In Colorado, registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary, registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary, and unaffiliated voters can vote in the Democratic or Republican primary, but not both.
The Democratic presidential primary ballot contains eight candidates, including the clear Democratic frontrunner and incumbent President Joe Biden. It also offers the option to vote for “Noncommitted delegate” — a delegate not bound to support a particular candidate at the national convention.
The Republican presidential primary ballot contains seven candidates, including the clear Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, and the one other major candidate still in the race, Nikki Haley. The ballot also offers a write-in option.
What to do with your ballot
Ballots were mailed to voters starting Feb. 12. It is too late to return them by mail. But ballots can be deposited in a drop box or dropped off at a voter service and polling center. The Colorado secretary of state’s office provides an online tool voters can use to find the nearest polling location and drop boxes. County clerks must receive ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day — postmarks do not count. Coloradans may vote in person at a voter service and polling center even if they do not have their mail ballot.
Election night
County election officials have already started processing ballots, but initial results will be released by the secretary of state only after polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Initial unofficial results will be posted and updated at the secretary’s home page.
Other Super Tuesday states
The states besides Colorado with Super Tuesday presidential primary contests are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. The U.S. territory American Samoa also has a Super Tuesday contest. More than a third of delegates in each party will be awarded on Super Tuesday, the single largest batch in the presidential primary cycle, which started in January.
More on that ‘Noncommitted delegate’ option
The presidential primary election in 2024 is unusual in that each party has a candidate who has established a convincing lead early in the election cycle. But one of the emerging stories of the election is the campaign by some Palestinian-supporting progressive Democrats, incensed by Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza, to persuade voters to support uncommitted delegates. The Colorado Democratic Party’s executive committee voted unanimously to request the noncommitted ballot line in December. After a similar effort in Michigan produced stronger than expected results, Colorado activists last week launched the Vote Noncommitted Colorado campaign.
More useful information
Ballottrax allows voters to track their returned ballot and make sure it’s counted.The county clerks in Colorado’s 64 counties oversee elections in their jurisdictions, and they can provide answers to many questions a voter might have. Contact information for every county clerk can be found here.The secretary of state’s Go Vote Colorado page has lots of general information about voting in Colorado.
Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and Twitter.
