Democrats top GOP in Colorado's early vote

Colorado tallied more than 1.3 million early votes through Sunday — but millions more are holding on to their ballots, raising the stakes as campaigns try to turn out their supporters.

Why it matters: Who votes in the final days of this election cycle likely will determine which candidates and ballot measures win in the 2022 midterm.

• Also, a late surge of ballots on Election Day could lead to delayed results in the closest contests. At least 16 counties will stop counting ballots by 11:59pm Tuesday and resume the next morning.

By the numbers: Total turnout from early in-person voting and mail ballots is now 31% of registered voters, according to the secretary of state's office.

• That remains below pace from the 2018 election.

Zoom in: 43,000 more Democrats have cast ballots than Republicans — a 3-percentage-point advantage, but the parties are roughly even in terms of turnout.

• The largest voting bloc is unaffiliated voters — those not aligned with a political party — that decide elections in Colorado.

What they're saying: "The emerging turnout dynamic is poised to be the most challenging for Republicans," GOP strategist Ben Engen tells us.