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Vail, Eagle County voter turnout was light this year

Light turnout is typical of odd-year elections, as well as Vail Town Council balloting

Turnout was brisk Tuesday for Vail’s municipal election. Still, turnout this year was only slightly higher than it was in 2017.
Scott Miller | smiller@vaildaily.com
What’s Vail’s peak? The highest town election voter turnout in Vail’s history was a special election regarding the Solaris development. In that election — launched by opponents of the project — the project’s approval was upheld by an 1,110 — 467 vote. That was a voter turnout of 39%.

EAGLE COUNTY — Voter turnout in odd-year elections is generally lighter than in even-year elections. That held true this year in Eagle County.

In addition to two state ballot issues, there was only one countywide ballot question, along with a number of special-district ballot issues.

According to Eagle County clerk and recorder Regina O’Brien, active voter turnout on Nov. 5 was 38.56%. That percentage is based on 32,543 active voters in the county and 12,549 ballots returned.



That’s about in line with the turnout in the 2017 election, when 32% of county voters returned ballots.

In contrast, the 2018 general election, with state and federal offices on the ballot, had a turnout of just less than 62.5%

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While county ballots could be mailed, most ballots — 53% — arrived on Monday and Tuesday of this week, with 40% of ballots coming on Election Day.

While this year’s Vail Town Council election seemed contentious, turnout wasn’t much higher than normal.

According to an email from Vail Town Clerk Tammy Nagel, this year’s council election brought a 25.5% turnout, with 1,102 votes cast from a base of 4,316 registered voters.

Of those who voted, 607 came to the polling place in Town Hall. Another 495 voted by mail, via absentee ballots.

The 2017 and 2015 council elections had a turnout of 22%. The highest turnout rate this century was in 2005, when 36% of the town’s voters went to the polls.

Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at smiller@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2930.


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