As of Sept. 14, Denver County, with 350,449 registered voters, has the highest number of registered voters in Colorado, but, with 346,929 registered voters, El Paso County is catching up.The following table summarizes data obtained from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Web site, www.sos.state.co.us. It shows an increase of registered Republicans in El Paso County and a decline of registered Republicans in Denver County over the past 20 months. Democrats are growing at nearly the same rate in both counties, and unaffiliated voters have the highest growth rate in both counties.
| | | 1/15/2004 | 9/14/2006 | Difference | Growth rate |
| Denver County |
| | Total registered* | 337,119 | 350,449 | 13,330 | 3.50% |
| | Republican | 75,941 | 69,658 | -6,283 | -8.20% |
| | Democrat | 152,341 | 156,364 | 4,023 | 2.67% |
| | Unaffiliated | 106,869 | 122,256 | 15,657 | 14.50% |
|
| El Paso County |
| | Total registered* | 324,094 | 346,929 | 22,835 | 7.05% |
| | Republican | 151,507 | 160,778 | 9,271 | 6.12% |
| | Democrat | 70,515 | 72,581 | 2,066 | 2.90% |
| | Unaffiliated | 101,039 | 112,493 | 11,454 | 11.30% |
*Includes voters registered with other parties, such as the Libertarian and Green parties.Representatives of both major parties commented on their approach to voters in El Paso County.”El Paso County is one of the most important counties in Colorado,” said Bryant Adams, communications director for the Republican Party in Denver. “We hold a large voter registration advantage there. We rely on the large number of military voters in El Paso County, who tend to be conservative voters. We also rely on early and absentee voters. Republicans tend to spend lots of money in El Paso County in the media markets.”Barbara O’Brien, Democratic Party candidate for Lt. Governor said, “We approach El Paso County as we approach all counties in Colorado, with the same practical message about uniting this state so we can tackle problems in a bi-partisan way. We need to work on our transportation infrastructure and work with businesses to cover the uninsured. We need to get past this era of divisiveness. People are tired of the hammer of ideology being used to hit every problem.”
