Election 2021 In Jefferson County: Ballot Return Update

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — More than 185,000 ballots were returned for Election Day in Jefferson County, officials announced.

"For the fifth election in a row, Jeffco finished counting 99% of our ballots on election night, well ahead of most of our peers, said George Stern, Jeffco's clerk and recorder, in an elections update.

"Our total of 185,431 ballots counted represents an estimated 99% of ballots cast in this election. Well done, Jeffco Elections Team!"

Stern also congratulated voters in the county.

"With an estimated turnout of 43% of active, registered voters, the county had an impressive turnout for an odd-year election – and currently leads all metro counties by a lot," Stern said.

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Less than 1 percent of ballots still need to be counted from military and overseas voters, and ballot cures: voters who had an issue with their ballot (such as forgetting to sign the envelope) have until eight days after the election to fix the issue, officials said.

After all ballots are counted, the state begins its post-election audit. When the audit is complete, Jeffco's bipartisan canvassing board will review the results.

"Only at that point will we begin the process of any mandatory recounts, if necessary," Stern said.

"In other words, these results are not final for a few more weeks, so in any close races, we must wait for the process to play out.

>> More information about the post-election audit process can be found in this video.