COLORADO, USA — In the state’s first primary election since 2000, Colorado joins 13 others on Super Tuesday in one of the most pivotal days leading up to the 2020 presidential election.
More than one-third of delegates are up for grabs throughout the country Tuesday.
Where can I find results?
Who is running?
Competing for those delegates are the five remaining Democratic presidential candidates:
- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Massachusets Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
And two Republican candidates:
- President Donald Trump
- Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld
The primary comes just days after former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minn. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer dropped out of the race.
How many people have voted?
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Coloradans have returned 1,478,083 ballots — 588,201 of them Republican, 783,141 Democrat, with the remainder in process.
Voters in the Centennial State could have delivered ballots or voted in-person up until polls closed at 7 p.m. Mountain time.
Why weren't Senators on my ballot?
The Super Tuesday primary event does not apply to Colorado's U.S. Senate race. The Senate primary is June 30.
How many delegates does Colorado have?
Colorado has Super Tuesday’s seventh-largest amount of delegates with 67 at stake — 44 will be distributed based on congressional-level results, the other 23 based on statewide results.
To win any delegates on Super Tuesday, the presidential hopefuls must cross a threshold by winning at least 15% of the vote
In 2016’s presidential election, Sanders won 60% of Colorado’s caucus vote and got 41 delegates, besting Hillary Clinton’s 40% and 25 delegates.
Sanders is favored to win the state once again — according to a survey released by Louisville-based Republican polling firm Magellan Strategies, Sanders holds a 12-point lead over Warren.
The majority of Democratic candidates, including Bloomberg, Warren, Gabbard and Sanders, have dedicated two days campaigning in the swing state. Tuesday will mark Bloomberg’s first appearance on the ballot and, in terms of money spent on advertising in Colorado, Bloomberg has far exceeded any other candidate, having spent more than $10 million so far.
When did Colorado start having primaries?
After years of caucusing, Colorado voted in 2018 to return to a primary system, allowing unaffiliated voters to vote for the first time since 2000. The state is one of the few Super Tuesday states with more voters registered as ‘unaffiliated’ than either ‘Democrat’ or ‘Republican.’
Why are some 17-year-olds getting primary ballots?
Sara Healds wrote into Next with Kyle Clark wondering why her 17-year-old daughter was mailed a primary ballot.
The answer? There's a new Colorado law that allows this.
Since Heald's daughter pre-registered and will turn 18 before the November election, she can participate in the March 3 primaries.
Why are candidates who've dropped out of the race still on the ballot?
Lee Sammons asked:
"The Democratic ballot includes many names that have dropped out of the race. Will votes for them be counted and if so might that keep real candidates from reaching the percentage threshold for receiving delegates?"
Ballots had to be certified by Jan. 3, so there's a long list of candidates whose names are still on the ballot, even after some of them dropped out.
However, those candidates have to file paperwork to officially withdraw so votes for them are not counted. Friday the Secretary of State said so far only two former candidates have done that: Rep. John Delaney (D-Maryland) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado).
As for the remaining candidates on the ballot, including those who have announced they are dropping out without filing the paperwork?
If I already voted for someone who has since dropped out, can I vote again?
Sorry. You can't.
Colorado voters get three weeks to cast their ballots. That's one benefit of mail-in voting. Having candidates drop out before the actual Election Day, but after having turned in your ballot, is not a benefit.
RELATED: Buttigieg, Klobuchar out of the presidential race. Here's what that means if you've already voted
If you planned to vote for Buttigieg or Klobuchar and already filled out your ballot but have not yet turned it in then you can draw a line through the initial candidate -- then fill in the circle next to the person you want to vote for.
You also have the option to vote in person with a new ballot, but again those are only for voters who filled out a ballot and had not yet turned it in.
Who was winning before today?
Super Tuesday comes off the heels of elections in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which allocated just 4% of delegates.
Sanders led the pack with 60 delegates, slightly ahead of Biden’s 53.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Politics