Turnout in the 2022 primary election was down in Logan County compared to the last two primary election cycles, according to numbers provided by County Clerk and Recorder Pam Bacon.
Tuesday's primary election saw 4,956 ballots returned – 40.48% -- compared to 5,470 in 2020 and 5,783 in 2018. In 2016, there were 3,866 ballots returned in the primary, which was before Colorado implemented the open primary system that allows unaffiliated voters to participate.
Bacon attributed the lower turnout to a lack of contested local races; there were contested county commissioner races in 2016 and 2018.
Overall, Bacon said that while returns were slow and lower in numbers than she'd like to see, the primary election ran smoothly. She is holding 53 ballots for signature discrepancies or missing signatures; letters are sent to those voters to let them know they have until July 6 to cure their signatures to have their ballots counted.
While election integrity has been a contentious issue for many across the nation in recent election cycles, Bacon said she hasn't seen as much concern locally.
"I have fielded a half dozen calls since last fall, I would say, give or take a few," she said.
She added that a conversation explaining the rules and processes involved in the election tends to allay any concerns.
Logan County has not seen the kinds of threats against election officials reported in some of the larger counties in Colorado, Bacon said.
"However, we will see what November brings," she added.
The unofficial Logan County results on the Republican ticket showed Ron Hanks just edging out Joe O'Dea in the U.S. Senate race by eight votes – 1,919 to 1,911. The race to advance in the governor's race was also relatively close, with Greg Lopez receiving 1,960 votes to Heidi Ganahl's 1,883. Statewide, O'Dea and Ganahl won their races to face Democratic incumbents Sen. Michael Bennet and Gov. Jared Polis, respectively.
In the three-way Republican race for Secretary of State, Pam Anderson carried Logan County with 1,493 votes, followed by Mike O'Donnell with 1,306. Tina Peters, the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder who has been indicted on election fraud charges, received 841 votes. Anderson advanced to challenge incumbent Jena Griswold.
Contested Republican races with an incumbent involved were not close, with incumbent Ken Buck soundly defeating Robert Lewis, 3,004 to 924 in Colorado's Congressional District 4, and incumbent Richard Holtorf receiving 2,933 votes to Jessie Vance's 923 in State House District 63. Buck will face Democrat Ike McCorkle in November; there was no Democratic candidate for District 63.
Democrats did not put forward any candidates at the county level, leaving the Republican candidates the presumed winners in the general election in most of the races. However, Sheriff Brett Powell faces a challenge from unaffiliated candidate Craig Gilliland, who announced his candidacy on Facebook in May and is currently collecting signatures to petition onto the November ballot.
Other county candidates advancing to the general election are:
- Commissioner – District 3: Jerry Sonnenberg
- Clerk and Recorder: Pam Bacon
- Treasurer: Patricia Bartlett
- Assessor: Peggy Michaels
- Coroner: David Tennant
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