Published 12 p.m. | Updated 12:53 p.m.
Just under 16 percent of Denver voters have returned their ballots for next week's municipal election. That’s nearly 67,000 ballots.
That number is typical for this point in the early voting timeframe, according to Alton Dillard with the Denver Elections Division.
“Our data shows that Denver voters tend to essentially wait to the last second,” Dillard said. “We have a tendency to be kind of flat-lined through the early voting period. Then we start seeing a spike on Monday and a larger spike on Tuesday, Election Day.”
About 350,000 ballots are still out.
Denver voters will decide on a new mayor, city council and two hot-button initiatives. The first, Initiated Ordinance 300, would overturn an urban camping ban. The second, Initiated Ordinance 301, would decriminalize psilocybin, or magic, mushrooms by making it lawful for a person 21 or older to possess, use and cultivate magic mushrooms at home.
- Initiative 300 Would Outflank Denver’s Camping Ban With A Right To Rest And Shelter
- 'Magic' Mushroom Decriminalization Supporters Ground Their Movement In Health Benefits
Voters will also choose a clerk and recorder and auditor, though the current auditor, Timothy O’Brien, is currently running unopposed.
The elections division established seven places to drop off ballots before 7 p.m. Tuesday, including election headquarters downtown at 14th Ave. and Bannock St. Some streets around the headquarters are closed through Monday morning for the Cinco De Mayo parade this weekend so drive-through ballot drop-off will not be available there until roads open. Dillard recommended walking to the 24-hour drop-off bin at the headquarters or checking the Denver Election Division website for other voting and ballot drop-off locations.
It is too late to receive a ballot by mail. Voters without a ballot must vote in-person at a vote center.
Editor's Note: This story was updated to correct turned-in ballot numbers.
