Early voting sets records

More than a third of El Paso County's nearly 400,000 registered voters took advantage of the chance to vote early, with record numbers casting ballots ahead of Election Day or sending them in by mail.

Voters on long lines Friday that snaked through the lobby of Centennial Hall and past storefronts in The Citadel mall and Chapel Hills Mall praised election workers for how smoothly it ran despite waits of up to three hours to cast a ballot.

The large numbers who voted early were no guarantee there won't be long lines Tuesday, election officials said.

"We've had a record for mail in, a record for early voting," Election Manager Liz Olson said Friday, the last day to vote early. "It would be crazy to think you won't have a lot of people come out" Tuesday.

Olson complimented voters for being prepared to deal with lines and the longest ballot in the state's history.

During waits of up to three hours, voters stood patiently, striking up acquaintances with others waiting in line. Many came prepared with a book to read or with video games to play while others studied their choices on sample ballots passed out by clerk's officials.

A few voters were discouraged enough by the wait to leave, but vowed to return to vote Tuesday

"I actually like the patriotic atmosphere of going to the precinct," said Loretta Eger, leaving Centennial Hall where lines stretched out the back door. "No matter how long it takes, I'm gonna be there."

The prevailing attitude was the wait was worth it.

After moving forward about 10 steps on a two-hour line at The Citadel, Jim Farley said,

"We're rolling."

Brandi Dove, 29, waited for three hours at Chapel Hills before being told she would not be given a ballot because she didn't have the proper identification.

Instead of giving up, the former Arizona resident raced to nearby cellular phone kiosk where she used a computer to print out her bank statement. She got a ballot and voted.

Colorado has seen some of the highest early voting turnouts in the country, according to CNN.

Friday alone, 4,292 voters had cast ballots by 5 p.m. at one of the three early-voting locations, elections officials said. The busiest site was Chapel Hills where 1,527 ballots were cast. The Citadel had 1,392, and Centennial Hall, 1,373.

The final tally was 37,198 early votes - a county record.

In addition, 100,467 mail ballots had been received by Friday afternoon. Combined, the 137,665 ballots represent more than a third of the county's 374,000 registered voters.

The previous early-voting record was 32,065 ballots in the 2004 presidential election.

The previous record for mail-in ballots when voters also could vote at polls was in 2000 with 69,198 returned out of 73,408 requested.

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Contact the writer: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazette.com