About 3.19 million Coloradans cast ballots in this year’s election, about 69% of the state’s registered voters, according to data provided by the Secretary of State’s Office.

While early indications show the turnout this year didn’t reach the record-breaking levels of 2020, it’s not too far behind. Some 87% of active voters cast a ballot in the 2020 election, the second-highest turnout in the nation.

Early voting numbers in 2024 were consistently lower than than two years ago, but it’s still likely Colorado will maintain its status as one of the highest-ranking states for voter turnout once official lists come out. 

Here are a few noteworthy takeaways from this year’s election data in Colorado:

Voting by mail reigns supreme

Colorado residents have been receiving mail-in ballots for over a decade now, and voting by mail remains the most popular method of participating in elections in the Centennial State. This election, over 92% of all Colorado voters voted by mail. According to a 2020 study by Vote at Home, mail-in voting increased Colorado’s voter turnout by nearly 10 percentage points in the last election, particularly among younger people and voters of color. 

Democrats are generally more likely to vote by mail, while many Republicans prefer to vote in person. Elections officials nationwide have assured voters that voting by mail is both safe and secure. 

Spike in unaffiliated voters 

The number of unaffiliated voters in Colorado now surpasses both Democrats and Republicans, with nearly 45% of voters in this election identifying as unaffiliated, up from 38% in 2020.

Unaffiliated voters now make up about 48% of all registered voters in the state, compared to Democrats’ 26% and Republicans’ 23%. This election, about 27% of of ballots were cast by registered Democrats, while just over 25% were by Republicans, suggesting a possibility that unaffiliated voters were slightly less likely to participate in this year’s election. 

Much has been said about the growing number of unaffiliated voters in Colorado. Their numbers increased by over 200,000 since the 2020 election, but that may be at least in part due to the state’s automatic voter registration system, which registers all new voters as unaffiliated unless they request to be affiliated with a party. 

Women, ages 34-44, make up largest voter bloc

Women in their mid-30s to early 40s led the voter turnout across the state, casting 283,689 ballots — the highest number among any demographic group. Women overall were more likely to vote Democratic than men, though both genders saw more unaffiliated voters than either party.

The 35-44 age group was also the most likely to vote in general, with the youngest voters representing just over 8% of the electorate. As expected, older voters maintained strong participation rates, particularly women aged 55-74. Younger voters were more likely to vote for third-party candidates than older voters, with 25-44 year-old voters casting the majority of Libertarian votes.