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Clerk reports 2024 general election turnout, details automatic recount in House District 16 that changed final margin by three votes
Summary
County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleicher reported that the 2024 general election drew 387,751 ballots (77.04% turnout) and that a mandatory recount in House District 16 narrowed the initial six-vote margin to a three-vote margin after adjudication of voter intent.
El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleicher briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 14 about the 2024 general election results, county turnout and an automatic recount in Colorado House District 16.
Schleicher reported 503,314 registered active voters in the county and said a record 387,751 ballots were cast in the 2024 general election, yielding a county turnout of 77.04 percent. He said turnout varied by party: roughly 86.8 percent of registered Republicans voted, about 82.3 percent of registered Democrats, and about 69.8 percent of unaffiliated voters.
House District 16 was a very close race. Schleicher said approximately 41,279 votes were cast in that district and the initial county tabulation showed the Republican candidate with 20,641 votes (50.01%) and the Democratic candidate with 20,635 votes (49.99%), a six-vote margin. Because the margin fell within the 0.5% statutory threshold, Colorado law required an automatic recount.
Rather than recount only ballots from the district, Schleicher said the county conducted a full recount of all 387,751 ballots to avoid leaving unresolved items. During the recount the county—s bipartisan canvas board reviewed specific ballots for voter intent. Schleicher described three ballots that the bipartisan panel determined should be excluded where voters had marked a bubble and then crossed out the name; those ballots were removed under voter-intent rules. Three ballots were added to the Democratic candidate's total after adjudication of voter intent. After the recount and adjudication the final certified results showed the Republican candidate with a three-vote margin of victory. The recount was certified by the secretary of state.
Schleicher also summarized mail-ballot reconciliation data: the county mailed ballots to voters and accepted 352,974 mail ballots; 4,468 ballots were rejected for signature discrepancies and other reject codes, and 9,798 ballots were undeliverable and later the voters were made inactive on the rolls. The county reported a substantial decrease in undeliverable ballots compared with 2022 after using name/address validation (Experian) in the mailing process.
Schleicher described security measures used in the election and recount: 24/7 surveillance of ballot drop boxes, bipartisan teams for ballot handling, secure chain of custody, use of state-certified equipment and routine logic-and-accuracy testing. He noted broad interagency support and thanked election judges and county staff and partners for their work. He said county staff had been invited to present on these practices to a national group of municipal election officials.
Commissioners asked questions about automatic voter registration, how signature verification and voter registration at the DMV work, and the clerk discussed the county—s audit process for signature verification and recommended placing newly registered DMV entrants in inactive status until they affirm party affiliation. Schleicher said cases of potential double voting or signature fraud were referred to the district attorney for investigation.
The board thanked Schleicher and his staff for the presentation; he noted the recount process and certification were completed within statutory timelines.
