Colorado Democratic Primary: Super Tuesday Jeffco Voter Guide

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — Voters in Colorado have already returned more than one million ballots in the lead up to Super Tuesday, state elections officials said. Colorado is among more than a dozen states that are holding primaries March 3.

A voter must be registered as Democrat, Republican or Unaffiliated to participate in the election. Registered Democrats will receive only the Democratic Party ballot, and registered Republicans will receive only the Republican Party ballot. Unaffiliated voters will be mailed both party ballots but can only vote and return one.

Elections officials are also reminding voters that 17-year-olds who will turn 18 years old by the general election Nov. 3, 2020, can now vote in the primaries.

It's too late to mail in your ballot, but you can drop it off at voting centers and drop boxes. All ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election day, and postmarks will not count. Voting centers open at 7 a.m. on election day.

Here are the Vote Center locations in Jefferson County. The 24-hour drop box locations in Jefferson County can be found here.

If you need to register to vote, need a replacement ballot or prefer to vote in-person, you can do so at a voting center, but make sure you remember your identification — here is a guide to voter ID requirements.

Both Republican and Democrat sample ballots in Jefferson County can be viewed here. The Colorado Democratic Party and the Colorado GOP will use the results to determine how many delegates to send to the national conventions for each candidate. A total of 67 delegates are at stake in the Super Tuesday vote; however, the popular vote will only determine how 23 delegates are allocated. The rest will be determined by the results of the state's congressional districts.

If the Super Tuesday race is close, it may take up to a week to know the winner, the Colorado Democratic Party said.

In a 2016 referendum, voters in Colorado decided to change the caucus system to a primary system. Those who pushed for the change were hoping it would result in a higher voter turnout. Caucuses will still be held in Colorado for precincts, but they won't determine the presidential race.

Biden won South Carolina's Democratic primary by a huge margin — with 81 percent of the vote counted, Biden had nearly 50 percent of the vote to 19 percent for Sanders. Billionaire Tom Steyer looked headed for a third-place finish with 11 percent. Steyer announced Saturday night that his campaign is over.

Bernie Sanders has a double-digit lead in Colorado's Democratic primary, a new poll shows. Behind him were Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden, respectively; however, Buttigieg announced Sunday that he's suspending his campaign.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota dropped out of the race Monday.

The survey, which was conducted by Colorado firm Magellan Strategies, shows Sanders in the lead at 27 percent. Warren came in second at 15 percent, and the following candidates trailed:

• Bloomberg - 11 percent
• Biden - 11 percent
• Tulsi Gabbard - 1 percent

Another poll conducted earlier this week by Data for Progress shows Sanders ahead in Colorado:

• Sanders - 34
• Warren - 20
• Bloomberg - 14
• Biden - 10

Celeste Montoya, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, said the popularity of Sanders and Warren in Colorado has been driven by young people who are feeling "left behind" by the economic and political system.

"There is a growing sense of disillusionment with neoliberal policies. Both parties have been moving in this direction for the past several decades and away from social welfare policies,” Montoya said. “This includes not only the erosion of the safety net provided to those most vulnerable, but also those that work to provide equality in opportunity, such as public funding for education.

“Most of the economic crises experienced are the result of those policies and the younger generations are feeling this viscerally as they face where they are less likely to build a life better than what their parents had. They're are looking for an alternative from the politics as usual that has not worked out so well for them."

Montoya, who has a PhD in Political Science, said it's important to clarify candidates' political views.

“What Sanders and Warren offer is a return to democratic socialism. This is not the same as communism. Whereas a liberal democracy values markets and 'individual freedom' above all else, even if it results in extreme inequality … social democracy works to balance individual freedom with social equality. It works to regulate but not replacing markets and allows for some redistribution of wealth so there is at least some minimum quality of life available to everyone."

More than 10,000 supporters came to the Colorado Convention Center Feb. 16 for a Sanders rally. The event was originally supposed to be held in the Bellco Theater, but had to be moved when more attendees RSVP'd than expected, Sanders' campaign said.

"Don't tell anybody, but I think we're gonna win here in Colorado!" Sanders said at the rally.

In his speech, Sanders said he wants to stop billionaires from buying elections. He said Bloomberg was bored and decided he wanted to be president. But of course, Sanders' main target was President Donald Trump, whom he called "the most dangerous president in modern history."

A Sanders rally was also held in September at Denver's Civic Center Park.

Thousands of people attended a rally for Warren Feb. 23 in Denver at the Fillmore Auditorium — her second stop in Colorado during this campaign season. Warren began the rally outside of the auditorium — speaking to several hundred people who couldn't make it inside. She was introduced by State Senator Julie Gonzales (D - Denver).

Warren avoided criticism of Sanders, but had no reservations about going after Bloomberg.

"We are not trading one arrogant billionaire for another," Warren said. "He is the riskiest nominee for the Democrats."

Warren did however say that Sanders' support of the filibuster would hold him back from "getting things done."

As of Monday morning, 37.3 percent of ballots returned have come from Republican voters, 32.1 percent from Democratic voters and 30.6 percent from Unaffiliated voters, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office.