Post-Election Day
11:32 a.m. — Amendment 76 decided
The Associated Press has called the race for Amendment 76: Citizenship Qualification Of Voters. The amendment has passed with voter approval, 62-37.
11:07 a.m. — What we know about amendments and propositions
You can find the latest vote tally and calls on Colorado's statewide ballot measures here.
7:26 a.m. — The AP has called the race in the 3rd Congressional District
5:57 a.m. — Good Morning ☕️
Here's what we know this morning. Counting is still underway in El Paso and Weld counties.
Top Races:
- Joe Biden Won Colorado
- John Hickenlooper Defeated Sen. Cory Gardner
- Lauren Boebert Declares Victory, Diane Mitsch Bush Concedes In CD3
Amendments And Propositions We're Awaiting Results On:
- Amendment C: Conduct Of Charitable Gaming
- Amendment 76: Citizenship Qualification Of Voters
- Prop 113: Adopt Agreement To Elect U.S. President By National Popular Vote
- Prop 114: Reintroduction And Management Of Gray Wolves
- Prop 117: Voter Approval For Certain New State Enterprises
Amendments And Propositions Final Results:
- Colorado Voters Repeal Gallagher Restraint On Residential Property Taxes
- Colorado Voters Say Yes To A Paid Family And Medical Leave Program
- Colorado Voters Reject Prohibition On Abortions After 22 Weeks
- Coloradans Give Local Control Of Gaming Stakes To Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek (via Denver Post)
- Prop EE: Higher Tobacco, Nicotine Tax Approved (via Denver Post)
- Voters Approve State Income Tax Cut (via Denver Post)
Colorado Legislature
- The tight race in District 8 between Karl Hanlon (D) and Bob Rankin (R) will not affect Democratic control of the state Senate. Depending on the outcome of that race, it'll either be a 20-15 or 19-16 Dem majority.
- Democrats remain in control of the Colorado House. The latest unofficial AP results as of 5:38 a..m. show Democrats with a 41-24 edge.
12:37 a.m. — Boebert declares victory, Mitsch Bush concedes
Hey there night owls, we're back with some news.
Lauren Boebert has declared victory and Diane Mitsch Bush has conceded in the race to represent Colorado's 3rd Congressional district.
However, the Associated Press has not made an official call in the race. CPR and NPR follow the AP on race calls.
As of 12:25 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Boebert outpaced Mitsch Bush 51 to 45 points.
Read more about the current standing of the CD3 race here.
See the full results from all races here.
11:14 p.m. — Hey! We're taking a break, but we'll be back tomorrow morning
It's just after 11 p.m. in Colorado. Polls closed 4 hours ago, and so far, the race for Colorado's 3rd Congressional district is too close to call, although at this moment Republican Lauren Boebert has a slight edge over Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush.
We're still watching several other important contests in Colorado, like wolf reintroduction, but we're going to take a break for a few hours.
- Colorado’s former two-term governor, Democrat John Hickenlooper, defeated Republican Sen. Cory Gardner — and Colorado gets even bluer.
- Colorado saw record voter turnout today.
- Watch the results come in here.
We'll be back with more news in the morning. Get some sleep.
10:56 p.m. — Colorado votes to reduce income tax
Colorado voters have approved Proposition 116, a measure that will reduce the state's flat income tax rate from 4.63 percent to 4.55 percent, according to the Associated Press.
Several conservative groups supported the proposal, which originated as a response to a different tax idea from the left, that would have raised taxes for the highest earners. Progressive groups failed to gather enough signatures to put their measure on the ballot, while Prop 116 supporters stayed the course
Income taxes are the main source of funding for the state’s general fund. Now that Prop 116 has passed, Colorado expects to see a 1.2 percent cut in the 2021-22 budget year, which works out to around $150 million.
10:14 p.m. — Voters repeal Gallagher Amendment
Voters have repealed Colorado’s Gallagher Amendment, according to the Associated Press. According to ballots counted as of 10 p.m., about 58 percent of voters supported Amendment B, the effort to eliminate the fiscal restraint from the state’s constitution.
Nearly 2.7 million ballots had been counted, representing 70 percent of active voters.
The constitutional amendment, approved by voters in 1982, has reduced homeowners’ property tax bills in Colorado for decades, saving them billions of dollars that would otherwise have gone toward schools and local services.
— Andy Kenney
10:08 p.m. — Colorado welcomes paid family leave with Prop 118 approval
Colorado voters are on track to approve a new paid family and medical leave law. The measure had the support of 57 percent of voters as of 9:30 p.m., with a sizable lead of nearly 400,000 votes.
If a majority approves Proposition 118, Colorado would require that employers provide 12 weeks of paid time off for childbirth and family emergencies. Nine other states and Washington, D.C., have created similar programs in the last two decades.
— Andy Kenney
10:04 p.m. — Proposition 77 passes
Local voters in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek – the only Colorado cities with legal gambling — can now approve higher betting limits and more types of games.
Voters across the state favored Amendment 77 on Election Day by nearly 20 points.
Currently, the state’s limited gaming model caps individual wagers at $100. Additionally, casinos are restricted to offering slots, blackjack, poker, craps and roulette. Any change requires a statewide vote.
9:55 p.m. — Colorado voters reject prohibition on abortions after 22 weeks
Proposition 115, which would ban abortion after 22 weeks of gestation, has failed, according to the Associated Press. According to the ballots counted by 9:45 p.m., 59.4 percent of Colorado voters rejected the measure.
It’s the fourth time since 2008 that voters have been asked to vote on an abortion ballot measure. Proposition 115 would have made exceptions in cases where the life of the mother is endangered, but not in cases of rape, incest or a fatal fetal diagnosis. Doctors attempting to perform an abortion after the cut-off date would face misdemeanor charges and at least a three-year suspension of their license.
— Claire Cleveland
8:43 p.m. — Proposition EE, a tax on nicotine products, passes
Colorado voters appeared ready to accept a proposed tax on nicotine products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, also known as vaping devices), and increase cigarette and tobacco taxes.
Currently, the state has no tax on vaping products. Colorado’s current tax rate on cigarettes is $0.84 per pack, which is relatively low nationally. It ranks 39th among states, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The proposal incrementally raises taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products over the next seven years. The current $0.84 per pack rate would gradually rise to $2.64 by July of 2027. It also would set a minimum price requirement on a pack of cigarettes, and carton, starting in 2021. For vaping products, the measure would create a tax on nicotine products to match tax rates for tobacco products. Other kinds of tobacco products, like cigars, snuff and chewing tobacco would also see incrementally raising taxes as well, up to that same level.
Initially, the money raised would go to K-12 education, rural schools, tobacco programs and a smaller portion to general state spending. In 2023, the breakdown shifts so the vast bulk of the money would go to preschool programs. The next year, health care programs begin to receive a chunk of that money as well.
— John Daley
8:32 p.m. — Buck wins reelection in CD4
Republican Rep. Ken Buck fended off a challenge from Democratic Ike McCorkle to continue representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.
Buck has represented this solidly Republican seat since he was first elected in 2014.
“I have delivered for Colorado and stood for the conservative values that Colorado’s 4th District sent me to Washington to represent.” Buck told CPR News before the election. “If you send me back to Washington, I will work to promote strong economic activity right here in Colorado’s 4th District.”
The Freedom Caucus member has been a strict fiscal conservative and is one of the only Republicans to have voted against all coronavirus relief measures. (The exception being the PPP extension that passed the House on July 1 by unanimous consent.) He’s served on the Judiciary Committee since 2015 and has been a leading voice in Congress on anti-trust issues surrounding some of the country’s largest tech companies. This was his first session as a member of the Foreign Affairs committee.
Buck and McCorkle, a former Marine, held the only congressional debate this election season.
— Caitlyn Kim
8:28 p.m. — Lamborn wins reelection in CD5
Rep. Doug Lamborn will return to Congress for an eighth term.
Lamborn has represented Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, which covers El Paso, Fremont, Teller, Park and Chaffee counties, since 2007. Before that he served in the state legislature for 11 years.
He defeated Democrat Jillian Freeland by 17 points, according to preliminary returns. Libertarian Ed Duffett picked up more than 9,000 votes. Rebecca Keltie of the Unity Party and independent candidate Marcus Allen Murphy also entered the race.
Lamborn serves on the House Armed Services Committee, and is ranking member of the Readiness Subcommittee. With five military installations in the Colorado Springs area, Lamborn has focused much of efforts in Congress on military issues. He also sits on the House Natural Resources Committee
Freeland is a midwife who has served on a number of public boards in El Paso County. Her platform prioritized access to health care, veterans’ concerns, and renewable energy.
— Megan Verlee
8:07 p.m. — Neguse wins reelection in CD2
Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse cruised to reelection, defeating Republican challenger Dr. Charles Winn, Libertarian candidate Thom Atkinson and Unity Party candidate Gary Swing, in the race to represent Colorado’s 2nd congressional district.
The freshman lawmaker entered the race in a strong position. He raised over $1.2 million this campaign cycle compared to Winn’s $62,350. And he had a number of legislative victories he could tout on the campaign trail, from the CARES Act to passing the CORE Act through the House.
Neguse told CPR News that he was proud of the work he’d done, “but there is still more to do to ensure access to affordable healthcare for everyone, to aid our communities as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure our economic recovery includes all Coloradans, and combat the existential threat of climate change.”
It was an action-packed first session for Neguse. He sat on the Judiciary Committee as it voted to impeach President Donald Trump, and he brought two congressional committee hearings to Colorado. Neguse serves as co-freshman Representative to Leadership and is also a member of the Natural Resources Committee and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
— Caitlyn Kim
8:02 p.m. — These were the last few voters in line at one Aurora polling site
As polling drew to close in Colorado, there were a lot of voters still queueing at Mission Viejo Library in Aurora.
By early evening, the line there lasted about 45 minutes, which poll workers attributed to the relatively small number of booths in the voting room.
— Hart Van Denburg
7:48 p.m. — Crow wins reelection in CD6
Democrat Rep. Jason Crow won his bid for a second term, in one of Colorado’s truly purplish congressional districts.
Crow saw his national standing increase in 2020, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected him to be one of the House Impeachment Managers in the Senate trial against President Donald Trump. Crow, a former Army Ranger and lawyer, impressed many with his national security arguments during the proceedings.
He raised more than $3.4 million this election cycle, compared to $1.1 million for his Republican challenger Steve House, a former Colorado Republican Party chair.
House Republicans had hoped to win the seat back, after Crow knocked out former Republican Rep. Mike Coffman in 2018, but House received little support from the national party. Especially as the map for Republicans showed more seats to defend than initially hoped, including Colorado’s 3rd congressional district.
— Caitlyn Kim
7:44 p.m. — Hickenlooper wins Senate race
Colorado’s former two-term governor, Democrat John Hickenlooper, has defeated Republican Sen. Cory Gardner by 11 points, according to projected returns from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.
The Associated Press called the race at 7:42 p.m., just 42 minutes after the state’s polls closed. This victory gives Democrats an early decisive win tonight, in a key race that could help determine which party controls the U.S Senate.
Assuming Democrats lose Alabama’s Senate race, the party needs to flip four Republican seats to take power.
Gardner conceded on his Twitter account minutes before the AP called the race.
7:42 p.m. — Perlmutter wins reelection in CD7
Rep. Ed Perlmutter has won reelection. He will return to Congress to serve an eighth term representing Denver’s northern and western suburbs.
Perlmutter serves on three committees in the House: Rules; Financial Services; and Science, Space and Technology. During his time in office he’s rarely appeared in the national spotlight, instead building a reputation for constituent services.
He defeated Republican Casper Stockham 60 to 36. Stockham, a Gulf War veteran, started the election cycle as a candidate in a different congressional district — challenging Rep. Jason Crow in CO-6 on the other side of the metro area. But in late March Stockham announced he would switch races and would run against Perlmutter instead. The shift cleared the way for former GOP chair Steve House to move forward in the 6th without a primary. Stockham has also run for Congress twice before in the 1st Congressional District.
Perlmutter briefly joined the Democratic governor’s race in 2017, but dropped out shortly after fellow Congressman Jared Polis got in.
CO-7 is Colorado’s newest congressional district; when it was drawn up following the 2020 census, it was fairly balanced. A Republican, Bob Beauprez, originally held the seat. When he left after two terms to run for governor, Perlmutter won the open race and has held it ever since. However, this could be his last time representing much of the district; Colorado will begin redistricting next year. The state is expected to gain an eighth House seat, a change that will likely require the reworking of the metro area’s current political borders.
— Megan Verlee
7:39 p.m. — Joe Biden wins Colorado, scoring 9 electoral votes
7:27 p.m. — Early takeaways for the ballot measures
Colorado voters appeared to be amenable to greater government spending and changes to the state’s fiscal limits in early voting returns.
An effort to repeal the Gallagher Amendment and prevent property tax cuts led by a wide margin, meaning the state could preserve hundreds of millions in potential government revenues next year. Voters also showed strong support for Proposition EE, which would raise and create taxes on nicotine products to pay for preschool education.
Also leading was Proposition 118, which would offer paid leave for workers across Colorado — and institute fees on paychecks to cover the cost.
However, voters also showed early support for Proposition 116, which would cut the income tax rate slightly and cost the government more than $150 million per year. And they were narrowly supporting Proposition 117, which would give voters authority over certain new fees, which the state government has increasingly relied on to fund new programs.
About 1.5 million votes have been counted, but turnout will top 3 million.
— Andy Kenney
7:16 p.m. — Degette wins reelection in Congressional District 1
Preliminary returns show the Denver Democrat defeating Republican Shane Bolling by 75-to-22. Three other candidates — Libertarian Kyle Furey, Paul Noel Fiorino with the Unity Party, and Jan Kok with the Approval Voting Party — also collected a handful of votes.
In Congress, DeGette chairs the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which in recent years has looked into everything from the coronavirus pandemic response to drug pricing to the Trump administration’s family separation policy on the US-Mexico border. She also sits on the House Natural Resources Committee. She’s the longest-serving member of Colorado’s current delegation.
Bolling, the Republican in the race, is an energy procurement consultant for industrial and commercial companies. This was his first run for political office in Colorado.
— Megan Verlee
7:13 p.m. — A quick look at where the Senate and CD3 races stand
Here's what we're looking at right now.
John Hickenlooper has a considerable lead on Cory Gardner, over 60 versus about 35 percentage points.
Lauren Boebert is ahead of Diane Mitsch Bush in the race to represent Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, also at over 60 to about 35 points.
You can see full results here.
7 p.m. — And polls are closed
We rely on the Associated Press for all vote counting and race calls. We'll give you updates as we know them
6:46 p.m. — Some long lines pop up on the Front Range
While voting went smoothly at most places in Colorado today, there were some exceptions.
In Fountain, the line at the polling site at Fountain Library wrapped around the block. One man told CPR’s Dan Boyce waited in line for an hour and a half to cast his ballot.
In Denver, the voting centers at Barnum Recreation Center and Montbello Recreation Center were also seeing lines.
5:59 p.m. — Polls will close in an hour
But as long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you're good to go.
More about voting in Colorado here.
One of those last-minute voters? Check out our guide.
5:43 p.m. — There was news besides the election today
A lot of news, actually. Here are the quick hits:
- Mathew Dolloff, the security guard accused of shooting and killing a man in downtown Denver during dueling rallies last month, was released on bail.
- Former Denver Broncos quarterback and current general manager John Elway has coronavirus.
- The husband of Denver DA Beth McCann faces two dozen arson charges in connection with fires he started on his Grand County property in violation of a local fire ban last month.
- Ski season continues to look different this year — Loveland and Arapahoe Basin are yet to confirm when they will open, and Winter Park pushed their opening date back.
4:50 p.m. — Hey, give your brain a break with these CPR podcasts
Polls close in two hours and 10 minutes. You can listen to these five episodes of CPR podcasts — curated by Brad Turner, the executive producer of CPR’s Audio Innovations Studio — in that time exactly.
There are stories about cooking with cannabis, the work of Leonard Bernstein and more to be heard. Take your eyes off the clock for a bit and enjoy.
4:38 p.m. — So we found a Kanye voter
Meet Jimmy Francis.
Francis told Denverite journalists David Sachs and Kevin Beaty that he voted for Kanye West.
He and his friends like Kanye, and Francis isn't big on either candidate. It doesn't feel like a vote that will hurt Biden or Trump, he said, because of that whole electoral college thing.
"I'd like to see us all come together. There's an old proverb: put red ants and black ants in a jar, and they get along real well until you shake up the jar and then they kill each other," Francis said. "And somebody's shaking up our jar right now."
4:11 p.m. — All quiet at the polling station in Littleton where two men, one armed, filmed voters yesterday
Yesterday, Arapahoe County officials called police on two men, one of them carrying a gun on his hip, who were standing outside of a Littleton drop box location filming voters as they returned ballots.
“We had some concerns from voters who felt unsafe and we had to involve law enforcement,” said Peg Perl, Arapahoe County Elections Director. “They are now gone.”
Today, the main Arapahoe County building on Prince Street in Littleton thrummed peacefully as voters filled out and turned in ballots.
A certain superhero even showed up — but to thank poll workers, not best any troublemakers.
3:27 p.m. — 'My dog ate my ballot — no, really'
Denverite journalist Kevin Beaty met Raphael Brady after he voted at the Harvey Park Recreation Center in Denver.
He had planned to vote by mail ... but then his puppy ate his ballot.
Brady said he knows people are racked with anxiety today, but he says he's feeling good. He has "faith in society" to "do the right thing."
Follow Kevin Beaty on Twitter for more voter stories today.
2:58 p.m. — Meanwhile, in Colorado Springs...
The state's longtime Republican stronghold in Colorado Springs appeared steady and somewhat subdued in the morning hours of Election Day. Cars and people steadily dropped off ballots and supporters of presidential contenders Joe Biden and President Donald Trump were few and far between early in the day.
Bill Carson and Elena Ajuderlo hold signs in support of Donald Trump at the intersection of Colorado and Cascade Avenue. Carson indicated a mix of car honking supporters and detractors during their time there.
An array of political signage is planted in yards across town including these two in front of a home on El Paso St., near the downtown area.
— Elena Rivera
2:38 p.m. — When do polls close?
Here's the schedule for when polls close tonight. All times are Mountain.
- 4:00 p.m. — Parts of Indiana and Kentucky
- 5:00 p.m. — The rest of Indiana and Kentucky. Plus, Vermont, Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina. Parts of New Hampshire and Florida.
- 5:30 p.m. — Parts of New Hampshire and Florida. Plus Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina.
- 6:00 p.m. — The rest of New Hampshire and Florida. Plus Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma. And parts of North and South Dakota, Michigan, Kansas and Texas.
- 6:30 p.m. — Arkansas
- 7:00 p.m. — The rest of North and South Dakota, Michigan, Kansas and Texas. Plus Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York.
- 8:00 p.m. — Parts of Idaho. Plus Montana, Nevada, Utah and Iowa.
- 9:00 p.m. — The rest of Idaho. Plus Washington, Oregon and California.
- 10:00 p.m. — Alaska and Hawaii
1:40 p.m. — Reminder: You can still register to vote in-person today!
After moving to the state six months ago, Tess Wells voted for the first time in Colorado today. She took the day off from work because she anticipated long lines at the polls. But Wells said it was quick and easy to register and to vote.
Wells said she voted for a third-party presidential candidate whom she doesn't expect to get elected, but she added that it was important to make her voice heard.
"I know that my candidate that I can consciously live with voting for isn't going to win," she said. "But I'm really hoping that ... we can finally get rid of some of the hate that is all over the place right now."
Colorado voters have until 7 p.m. to turn in their ballots or vote in person.
1:10 p.m. — We've passed 2016's turnout
Latest numbers from the Secretary of State's office: 2,893,395 ballots have been returned, surpassing 2016 total state turnout of 2,855,257.
12:42 p.m. — Which way will Pueblo go today?
Historically a Democratic stronghold, Pueblo County went for President Donald Trump in 2016 — and became an indicator for how the president would do in an ever-blueing Colorado. Today, there's still a split between voters here, even in some marriages.
This morning, Robert Roman waited to be seated for breakfast outside Pueblo's Pantry Restaurant. He's a corrections officer who plans to retire soon and his t-shirt displayed a red, white and blue Spartan helmet. Roman said he was confident his vote would help give Trump a second term. Though, he's unsure about how the Democratic party would respond if that was the case.
"He's been fighting an uphill battle all four years," Roman said. "Can you imagine if they worked with him? So, the fight will continue, good and evil."
Four years ago, voter turnout in Pueblo County lagged behind the state's total by four percentage points.
— Dan Boyce
11:11 a.m. — ? 6th Congressional District incumbent Jason Crow turning out the vote
Congressman Jason Crow, members of his family and other Democratic candidate supporters greet motorists at Alameda and Abiline in Aurora on Tuesday morning, Election Day.
— Hart Van Denburg
10:54 a.m. — We have solved the brick mystery
Man-about-town and Denverite reporter/photographer Kevin Beaty found the spot this morning where a small stack of bricks had been photographed and shared on social media.
But there were no bricks.
Paul Hansen, director of facilities for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, said the bricks were left over from a road construction project that recently wrapped up at 15th and Market streets. He hauled them away in his truck after they’d sat there for about a week.
“We didn’t want them to become projectiles if you know what I mean,” Hansen said.
Hansen’s account jibes with the city’s earlier statement that there was no evidence the bricks had been planted for later use in protests.
City spokesperson Eric Escudero added that city employees and police are removing any items found on streets and sidewalks that could be used as projectiles.
“So far, there has been no evidence of any objects left to be used for non-peaceful protests,” Escudero said.
— Nathaniel Minor
10:19 a.m. — We're likely to beat the turnout of the 2016 election
On CPR's Colorado Matters, Secretary of State Jena Griswold said that "as of last night, we were 20,000+ votes short [of election 2016 turnout], so I expect us to exceed it and hopefully set some records."
"A lot of people will vote on Election Day, and that's typical of any election and we really encourage Coloradans who still have their ballots at home to return them to one of hundreds of boxes. There's over 380 drop boxes across the state," Griswold noted. "Or, of course, you could go vote in person also."
The buzz among elections officials across Colorado this year has been the comparatively low Republican turnout so far. GOP voters tend to vote early, but President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, attacking the trustworthiness of mail ballot elections, might be pushing his supporters to vote in person and on Election Day. As of the Monday 4 p.m. update from the Secretary of State's office, 2,765,244 votes have been collected so far, with 904,289 coming from Democrats and 790,241 from GOP voters. More than a million votes have been cast by unaffiliated voters.
Secretary Griswold said they'll be "releasing more numbers throughout the day to make sure that everybody's up to date with the latest" ballot counts. After polls close at 7 p.m., she expects that we'll know 70 to 80 percent of the statewide results tonight — partly thanks to the state's mail ballot system.
"In Colorado, as soon as the county clerks receive a ballot, they start verifying signatures and getting things in order. Then 15 days before the election, they start scanning in those ballots for counting. Now, none of those results are shared. No one is aware of them," but it's how the count usually goes so quickly when the polls close and votes can then be officially counted.
9:46 a.m. — An anxiety cleanse: Ask this corgi anything on Instagram
We asked how you were doing on social media yesterday. Many of you said you were feeling pretty anxious, so we asked what might help get you through this week. The overwhelming answer was an AMA — an “ask me anything” with a dog.
So that’s what we’ll be doing, starting at 10 a.m. Follow us on Instagram at NewsCPR and watch our story to find out Pippa the corgi’s answers to your questions.
— Francie Swidler
9:32 a.m. — A little something for the weather nerds among us
9:17 a.m. — 'Woo-hoo!' for a first-time voter
A good amount of people trickled into the dropbox and in-person voting center at the Arapahoe Community College in Littleton this morning. A lot were there to drop off their ballots. Others had come in to fill out their ballots in person.
Eighteen-year-old Gwyn Scalet, who was voting for the first time, came with her family and they were very excited. There were a lot of enthusiastic "woo-hoos" coming from them this morning as they voted.
— Natalia Navarro
8:49 a.m. — ? An early look at a vote center in Denver's Montbello neighborhood
8:19 a.m. — There’s no evidence that would-be rioters are stashing bricks in downtown Denver
Editor's Note: Brick mystery solved. See 10:54 a.m. update above
A photo showing a pile of bricks on a downtown Denver corner has been making the rounds on conservative social media pages over the last 24 hours or so.
The post appears to have originated on former MLB player Aubrey Huff’s Instagram page, before migrating across Twitter and Facebook groups. Many commenters appear fearful that would-be rioters are planting them for future use.
But those concerns are unfounded, says a city spokesman.
“So far, no evidence has been found that these bricks have been pre-planted for future use in protests,” said Eric Escudero, Denver Joint Information Center. “Denver requests people to report any suspicious activity to police as we work to maintain public safety.”
Police are investigating, Escudero said. Law enforcement agencies and downtown businesses have been preparing for violence.
In that light, it's understandable how the brick photo took off on social media even if there's no evidence behind it. Experts say Americans should practice “emotional skepticism,” when looking at social media content — especially images engineered to reinforce what they already believe. ProPublica has an excellent guide on how to spot and fight election misinformation.
— Nathaniel Minor
7:00 a.m. — The polls are open!
Good Morning and welcome to Election Day 2020. Colorado has already seen prodigious turnout, but for the traditionalists among us who want to vote in person — be sure to follow COVID-19 precautions — the polls are open until 7 p.m. tonight.
If you are voting with your mail ballot be sure to drop it off before the polls close. As of Monday at 4 p.m., 2,765,244 mail ballots or in-person votes have been collected. If you’re going to engage in democracy today, here are some helpful links:
- Find a voter service and polling center near you
- Not registered to vote? YES, you can register and vote today in person at a voter center
- If you're voting in person, don't forget an acceptable form of ID
- Need ballot assistance? Be sure to check out our 2020 voter guide
Typically, given that Colorado is an all-mail ballot state, the first initial results usually come 15 minutes after the polls close, with counting continuing through the night and into the following day. The deadline for voters to cure their ballots if there is a discrepancy and for receipt of ballots cast by military and overseas electors is Nov. 12. Counties must finish their tabulations by Nov. 13.
As you may have read, we may not know who won the presidential election on Tuesday night. And if so, it does not necessarily mean anything is broken, fraudulent, corrupted or wrong. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested a slower-than-typical result is a sign of trouble. It’s unclear what the president thinks is a long period. But it’s standard practice to continue tabulating votes after Election Day.
Beyond the presidential race, there’s a lot going on in Colorado. Will the state’s junior senator earn a second term, or will the state’s former governor, Democrat John Hickenlooper, unseat Republican Sen. Cory Gardner? That contest is one of the highly watched races nationally that could determine control of the Senate. Additionally, will the GOP hold on to the 3rd Congressional District, a microcosm right now of presidential politics, or will the once thought safe seat turn blue?
And while many voters wonder if the national popular vote will again be distinct from the winner of the Electoral College, the way Colorado could hand it out its electoral votes is on the ballot in Proposition 113. There is also a raft of hot state issues in bringing back gray wolves, prohibiting abortions after 22 weeks and more than one statewide ballot issue that will have reverberating effects on the state’s taxes and budgets for years to come.
CPR's Jim Hill, Alex Scoville and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
