Did you see the news? Colorado has now surpassed 1 million early voters!

We know many of our members have already taken the time to vote, so thanks for contributing to the record-breaking numbers of early voting we’re seeing. We wanted to take a moment to break down what this means, especially for Western Colorado, because we still have work to do. With just 12 days left until Election Day, we still have a ways to go. Even though we’re seeing record turnout in early voting, many of these votes are reliable voters who never miss an election. The share of votes coming from people casting a vote for the first time in CO is 5%.

Around Western Colorado (including Mesa, Montrose, Delta, Garfield, and Ouray counties) we have 180,700 registered voters. During the last presidential election in 2016, 125,000 voters returned their ballot — meaning 70% of registered voters contributed to the outcomes of the election. As of today, only 29% of voters have returned their ballot.

Honestly, overall we are doing well. We still have 12 days to vote, and some people prefer to vote on Election Day. But here’s where it gets a little scary. In 2016, only 43% of registered voters age 35 and younger turned out to vote by Election Day. And so far, only 13% of voters 18-35 have cast their vote. Young voters make up 25% of the electorate in Western Colorado and we need them to participate in our elections in order to build healthy, just, and self-reliant communities in western Colorado. Is your head spinning yet?

We hope we’ve made a difference over the past few weeks. Western Colorado Alliance staff and members have been out in our communities leaving voting literature on doorsteps and following up with a postcard. So far, we’ve visited 1,669 doors and sent 1,362 postcards. The work is far from done, but come Election Day, we want to watch the election results roll in knowing we gave it everything we could.

If you haven’t written postcards yet or joined us for a canvass, we’d love to have you, but here’s the most important thing you can do: Think of your networks, think of every family and friend who is under 35 and reach out to them. Reach out and offer them support with finding information. Send them my contact info (jeriel@westerncoloradoalliance.org) and let them know I would love to chat with them. Pass along our Ballot Issues Guide. Pass along our website where they can find their nearest polling center or ballot dropbox. Let them know there are deadlines before the election, and most importantly, encourage them to vote now.

Thank you for your continuous work, thanks for your kind notes that you send back in response to these emails, and thanks for hanging in there with us as we navigate one of the most stressful years I’m sure many of us have ever seen.