With fewer than two weeks to go before the Nov. 5 general election, voter turnout in El Paso County has only reached 21% — though officials anticipate it could hit as high as 90% on Election Day, thanks to a tense presidential race and a slew of congressional, state and local races and ballot issues to decide this year.

Data from the county Clerk and Recorder’s Office’s new voter information portal, last updated 10 a.m. Friday, show 104,126 of 489,030 active, registered voters have returned ballots.

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The data does not include ballots from absentee voters or confidential voters who have paid a fee to protect their voting information because the voter information portal allows people to collect data down to the precinct level, clerk’s officials said.

The total number of ballots not included was unclear, but Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker said the figure is not large enough to substantially change the data.

Another 4,407 ballots are being scanned, Schleiker reported just after 11 a.m. Friday.

Clerk’s data show at this same point during the last presidential election in 2020, 176,610 voters had returned ballots, and in 2016, 94,707 voters had returned ballots. These historical numbers include ballots from absentee and confidential voters.

There were fewer registered voters in El Paso County during the past two presidential elections. The number increased from 394,400 registered voters on Election Day in 2016 to 454,341 registered voters on Election Day in 2020, clerk’s data show.

Across Colorado, 882,395 ballots have been returned for the Nov. 5 election as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, according to data from the secretary of state. This marks a 22% turnout among the state’s more than 3.9 million active registered voters.

Jefferson County has returned 109,079 ballots, the most of any Colorado county. El Paso County, the most populous, has returned the second-most ballots statewide, county and state data show.

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Schleiker believes such an intense election, unlike any before, is part of the reason many people have not yet voted.

In mid-July, President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race against former President Donald Trump and two weeks later Vice President Kamala Harris secured the Democratic presidential nomination. Trump was also the target of two failed assassination attempts this summer — one on July 13 as he gave a speech in Butler, Pa., and another on Sept. 15 while he golfed at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“The emotion and the anxiety around this election is more intense than it was in 2020. … We will never see this type of election again …,” Schleiker predicted. “It is very different than anything we’ve ever seen.” 

Additionally, El Paso County’s hefty November ballot may be intimidating for some people, he said. It includes 27 federal, state, county and municipal races; 21 judgeship races; and 26 state, municipal, school district and special district ballot measures.

“It’s taking people a little bit of time to do their research,” he said.

Some residents also prefer to vote in person or want to vote on Election Day because that is how they have voted in years past, Schleiker added.

Such a unique election is also why he anticipates residents will ultimately come out in droves as Nov. 5 draws near, reaching 85% to 90% voter turnout by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

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This week, Schleiker’s office urged El Paso County voters to turn in their ballots early.

“Your vote is your voice, and returning your ballot early ensures it’s heard loud and clear,” he said in a recent news release. “By voting early, you help safeguard the process, reduce delays and allow us to address any discrepancies swiftly.”

Early voting ensures residents can cast their ballot in case of accidents or emergencies, provides voters more time to cure their ballot if there is a signature discrepancy or another reason their ballot is not accepted, and leads to quicker and more complete results on Election Day, Schleiker said.

The clerk’s office cannot release results until the last person at a polling center has voted. Voting closes at 7 p.m. Nov. 5.

For the first time in county history, Schleiker’s office this year enlisted the help of the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management to coordinate the general election. The decision was based on past incidents of poll worker intimidation and ballot vandalism, Schleiker previously said.

The Office of Emergency Management can also help clear polling centers and ballot drop boxes of snow in case of inclement weather. Local law enforcement will help manage long lines and traffic on Election Day, Schleiker said this week.

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Forty-one secure ballot drop boxes are open across El Paso County through 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. Six voter service and polling centers are currently open, and another 18 will open Nov. 1. Thirty-eight VSPCs will be open Nov. 4 and 5.

Residents can visit any VSPC in El Paso County to register to vote, update voter registration, request a replacement ballot, mark ballots using an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible ballot marking device, or drop off ballots.

Monday is the last day voters should return ballots by mail to ensure the county clerk and recorder receives them by the voting deadline. After Monday, voters must cast their ballots at a secure drop box or in person at a VSPC.