Drop boxes are locked, ballots are counted (and re-counted),and results are official. It took a lot of preparation and hard work to manage the 2020 General Election, but it is officially over, and Arapahoe County voters have a lot to be proud of.
This election saw historic turnout. Our Elections Division processed over 46,000 more ballots for this election than it has for any other in County history. Of 418,684 active voters in the County, 354,247 voted in the General Election, a total voter turnout of 84.61%.
Part of the reason for this record-setting turnout is that voter access has been a top priority within our Elections Division. We added seven new 24-hour ballot drop boxes in 2020 alone, bringing our total to 33 county-wide. These include a commuter-friendly option at the Iliff Park-n-Ride in Aurora, a new box in the Saddle Rock area, and cobranded boxes along the borders of Adams and Denver Counties.
| To view an interactive Arapahoe County voter turnout map, go to https://gis.arapahoegov.com/ENR. |
We’re grateful most voters returned their ballots with the contact-free options available (93.54% mailed or dropped their ballots, while 6.46% voted in-person), but in-person voters masked up and voted early, allowing social distancing and other safety precautions to be effective. In fact, the biggest win of this election may be that it was conducted safely–we haven’t learned of a single COVID-19 case connected to any one of the County’s 29 Voter Service and Polling Centers.
Delayed results were prevalent across the United States this election, but early voting here also meant an earlier-than-expected end to our Election Night. Voters returned their ballots at a consistent pace between Oct. 9 (when drop boxes were unlocked and military/overseas ballots began arriving) through Nov. 3, giving election judges time to process ballots as they arrived and preventing any backlog.
Each of these successes were a direct result of Arapahoe County voters’ engagement and investment in the election process. Throughout the year we receive informative feedback through our phone lines, inboxes and social media channels, and this communication produced a smooth, safe and successful election for the record books.
For staying informed, being safe and making your voices heard, we thank each and every one of you.