Turnout is low so far for Eagle County sheriff’s race

EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado – Tuesday is the last day to vote in the primary election.

Voters can still drop off their mail-in ballots at one of three locations Tuesday from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m.

Bring ballots to:

• Avon: 100 W. Beaver Creek Blvd., in the Avon Center building, (970) 748-2000.

• Eagle: 500 Broadway, (970) 328-8725.

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• El Jebel: 20 Eagle County Road, (970) 748-2700.

It’s too late for voters to mail their ballots, county Clerk and Recorder Teak Simonton said.

“It’s not going to make it,” she said.

Historically, turnout has been low at Eagle County primary elections and this year is shaping up to be no exception. Simonton said she had hoped a new, exclusively mail-in system would encourage more people to vote but as of Monday afternoon it hadn’t been making much of a difference in the turnout.

As of Monday afternoon, just 1,800 of the 8,300 county Republicans who received ballots had returned them in, county Clerk and Recorder Teak Simonton said.

Overall, just 3,400 of the 16,000 Eagle County voters who received ballots for any party had turned them in, she said.

“I just don’t think people are that attuned to what’s going on at the primary level,” she said. “This is actually a better turnout than we’ve had in the past, but it’s still pretty slight.”

Maybe it’s the lack of contested races.

Locally, the only political sparring match this year appears on the Republican ballot. Eagle County Sheriff Joe Hoy is running for re-election against Sheriff’s Office deputy Charles Wolf.

Things are a bit more exciting on the state and federal level. Republicans will be weighing in on the highly publicized governor’s race between Dan Maes and Scott McInnis. Republicans also face a choice between Ken Buck and Jane Norton for U.S. senator, and Stephen Bailey or Bob Brancato for U.S. representative.

On the Democratic ballot, Andrew Romanoff and Michael Bennet are vying for U.S. Senate.

The Libertarian ballot also features contested races for governor and U.S. senate.

Staff Writer Sarah Mausolf can be reached at 970-748-2928 or smausolf@vaildaily.com.