August 09, 2006 06:44 PM UTC

Denver Voting Irregularities Scare Ritter Camp

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• by: Colorado Pols

One of the biggest stories of the primary that got lost once the election results started coming in was the voting problems in Denver. The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post documented problems throughout the day, and then in the evening Denver was the last area in the state to get their results figured out – even though there were only two major contested races in the entire county.

Democrat Bill Ritter’s campaign for governor is very concerned about all of this, because voting irregularities in Denver could very well sink his campaign for governor. It’s no secret that many people believe a huge turnout in Denver was the reason Ken Salazar was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and that turnout will not be as high in November if people are forced to wait in line for a long period of time because of troubles with voting machines.

If voter turnout is severely depressed in Denver, Ritter probably cannot be elected governor. This story is only starting to unravel, but it will be a big one as the next couple of weeks unfold because of how much is at stake.