EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — It's common to see a sizable drop-off in voter turnout in an odd-numbered year, according to data from the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder.
But County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker argues what voters decide on this year has just as big an impact as presidential and midterm years.
Colorado Springs voter Tony Pallazarri says he can't remember the last time he didn't vote.
"It's had to be 20 or 30 years," said Pallazarri.
Pallazarri lives in the Academy School District 20 area in Colorado Springs. He voted on the school board race as part of this year's election, a vote he says matters a great deal to him because he graduated from a D20 school.
"Even if there's only two or three things on there, they still matter, or we wouldn't be voting on them," said Pallazarri.
"It's important for the community to have educated children, and one of the things I like too, is more and more kids are able to stay in town and get jobs in town," said Pallazarri.
If past data is any indication, not as many people share Pallazarri's feelings about off-year elections like this one.
Nearly four of every five voters made it to the polls last year in the presidential election. For the 2020 election, 74% of registered voters showed up.
Compare that to the 2023 and 2021 coordinated elections, which featured only 35% and 32% of the county's registered voters.
It has Schleiker hoping for an early November surprise.
"We look at this and say 'only a third of our citizens showed up and let their voices be heard to dictate how this city and this county move forward,'" said Schleiker.
He says early numbers of ballots already in by Monday morning show this election is tracking similar to 2023 and 2021.
"We got over 100,000 ballots thus far, which equates to about a 20% turnout. We're expecting a low 30s turnout, which, I will tell you, this is one of the most important elections locally," said Schleiker.
An election so important, but only a third of voters show up? Schleiker says if you need motivation to head to the polls, think about where your tax dollars go.
Schleiker says his team is focused on outreach to help improve turnout. He says social media has played a big role in getting more voters involved.
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