Denver election officials say the vote counting process is likely to extend several days after election day due to the high interest and length of the municipal vote.

But voters can help Denver Elections Division give a clearer picture of the election results Tuesday night by turning in their ballots early, either over the weekend or Monday.

“As a large number of ballots arrive at the same time on Election Day, this could potentially lead to a backlog” Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office spokeswoman Mikayla Ortega said Friday. “If you vote on Election Day, your ballot will likely not be counted until the next day or days.”

In Denver, tens of thousands of voters typically wait until the last day to return their ballots or vote.

This year, the clerk’s office received 165,969 ballots from Denver voters through Thursday, according to the city ​​online dashboard. This represents a total of 468,570 active registered voters, which corresponds to a 35% turnout rate so far among those who have received ballots.

The clerk’s office is projecting a final turnout of between 80 and 90 percent for this election, Ortega said. In the 2020 presidential election, 87% of Denver’s active voters cast ballots, according to final results reported by the clerk’s office. (This is slightly higher than the actual turnout rate that would take into account inactive voters still on the rolls.)

Denver uses a multi-tiered ballot processing system that includes mechanical sorting, manual verification of signatures by trained personnel, and manipulation to prepare anonymous ballots for scanning and tabulation once voting is completed at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“It’s a lot of work,” Ortega said – involving preparing each three-page, double-sided ballot to be tabulated. “It takes a lot of time, which is why we really encourage people to vote early. »

The deadline to return ballots to the Division of Elections in time for them to be counted has passed, but there are still several ways to turn them in or vote before Tuesday.

Voters can cast their sealed and signed ballots many drop boxes scattered across the city or take them to one of the more than two dozen election offices and voting centers works now. They can also obtain replacements for damaged ballots, register to vote and vote in person at these centers.

Fifteen other centers will open Monday and Tuesday. A map of all drop boxes and in-person voting locations can be found here.