The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder is expanding its efforts to collect ballots two weeks out from the general election. 

The Clerk and Recorder’s Office opened five new voter service and polling centers Monday. The office anticipates opening another round of 18 centers Nov. 1 and 2, and another 14 the day before the election, bringing the total count to 38 across the county. Meanwhile, 41 ballot boxes are open 24/7 to accommodate drop-offs. 

“Each week leading up to the election will get busier,” said Kristi Ridlen, chief deputy clerk and recorder. 

Ridlen said the clerk’s office has already received more than 35,000 mail-in ballots since they went out Oct. 11 to a total of about 475,000 voters in the county. Most of the ballots should arrive by Monday, The Gazette previously reported. 

The office is in the process of conducting processing and signature verification — comparing ballot signatures to those on file — on those returned ballots. According to the clerk’s office election calendar, Monday is also the first day that the county can begin counting mail ballots, though results will not be released until 7 p.m. on Election Day.

According to the clerk’s office, unaffiliated ballots are slightly outpacing either major party, with about 13,500 so far returned. Democratic and Republican ballots returns, respectively, have been about 8,300 and 12,600. Just over 500 ballots have been for minor parties. 

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Ridlen said that in-person voting is picking up, but is expected to be most significant on the day before and on Election Day. Last week the office saw 189 in-person voters at the one voter service and polling center that has been open since Oct. 14 at the Citizens Service Center. More than half of those voters were Republican, with 18 Democrat voters, 58 unaffiliated and 4 for minor parties. 

The number shows a drizzle before an anticipated storm. Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker has previously said his office anticipates near 90% turnout in the election, potentially breaking vote records for El Paso County. 

As ballots go out, El Paso County clerk predicts high turnout

Ridlen urged voters to send their ballots in early if possible to avoid Election Day headaches for the public and for officials, saying that Nov. 4 and 5 are typically the busiest days for both in-person voting and ballots returned. 

“…that is why we encourage people to vote early so they are not waiting in long lines on those days,” said Ridlen.