Las Animas County voters return ballots at above-state pace ahead of primary

Las Animas County voters had returned 1,671 primary ballots by midnight Monday, a 15.84 percent return rate that put the county well ahead of Colorado’s 9.48 percent pace. In a county where a few hundred ballots can still sway a primary, the early turnout suggested a electorate that was already engaged before Election Day.

The county’s ballot mix showed 964 Democratic ballots, 673 Republican ballots, two Libertarian ballots and two Unity Party ballots, with 30 ballots still in process. Nearly every ballot had come back by mail: only three were returned in person, a sign that Las Animas County’s voting habits remain deeply tied to the mail system even as the final week opens.

That pattern matters because the last stretch can still reshape the count. Colorado’s voter portal said June 22 was the suggested last day to mail a ballot for the June 30 primary, and after June 23 voters were directed to use a voter center, a drop box or in-person voting. In Las Animas County, ballots dropped June 8 through June 12, county drop boxes opened June 15, and the Voting Service and Polling Center opened June 22 at the County Courthouse Election Office in Trinidad.

The county calendar also put a Saturday voting window on June 27 from 8 a.m. to noon, giving late voters one more chance before polls close at 7 p.m. on June 30. Multiple drop-box locations in Trinidad remain part of the county’s voting setup, which gives residents several ways to return a ballot without waiting until the final day.

The broader state picture sharpened the local contrast. As of 11:59 p.m. June 24, Colorado had logged 578,570 ballots returned statewide, including 576,606 by mail and 1,964 in person. The state’s ballot-return dashboard also tracks turnout by age, gender and party registration, and compares the 2026 primary with 2022 and 2024, giving election watchers a live read on whether this year’s primary is running ahead of recent cycles.

Las Animas County’s pace also fit a regional pattern. Neighboring Huerfano County was ahead of the state average too, with 845 ballots cast and a 14.9 percent return rate, while the New Mexico primary in Colfax County was also running above its own state average. The state’s historical elections database, which goes back to 1902, gives county clerks and election observers a long record for placing this year’s turnout in context as the final ballots come in.