Boulder County primary turnout hits record 43.6%
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Boulder County's primary turnout topped 43% — the highest for a local midterm primary since Colorado adopted universal mail voting in 2013.
Why it matters: Competitive Democratic statewide contests and several high-profile local races drove unusually strong voter participation across Boulder.
The latest: County Clerk and Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick officially certified the election Monday.
The intrigue: The Republican representative on the county canvass board again refused to sign the certification, continuing a pattern of making unsubstantiated claims about Colorado's election security.
By the numbers: Boulder County approved 100,423 ballots from 230,246 registered voters — a 43.6% turnout.
- That's up sharply from roughly 36% in both the 2022 and 2018 midterm primaries.
- It also exceeded this year's 36% statewide turnout.
Between the lines: The crowded Democratic primaries for governor, U.S. Senate and attorney general likely fueled the increase.
- Republicans also had a razor-thin gubernatorial primary.
- Meanwhile, Boulder County voters weighed in on a three-way Democratic University of Colorado regents race.
Zoom in: Boulder County largely mirrored statewide results, with two notable exceptions involving candidates with strong local ties.
- Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty carried his home county but lost the Democratic attorney general primary statewide to Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
- Former CU law dean Phil Weiser won Boulder County by 24 points on his way to a roughly 14-point statewide victory in the Democratic gubernatorial race.
What we're watching: June showed competitive primaries can energize Boulder County voters. The question now is whether that enthusiasm carries into November, when voters will decide Boulder mayor and City Council races along with several expected local ballot measures.