A correction ran on this article, post-publication, due to reporting errors. When Elections Division spokesman Alton Dillard commented on voting with paper ballots, he was speaking about Denver, not the entire state. The Elections Division hopes to have 2,000 workers at polling places throughout Denver, not at the Elections Division office, and only temporary workers hired for the election will have the option of working hourly shifts on Election Day.
Don’t expect to see lines around the block or SWAT team members lending a hand in Denver on Tuesday for the state primary election.
The Denver Elections Division says its new headquarters are prepared to handle the last-minute surge of ballots and overwhelming crowds that have hindered past elections.
“We have a lot more places to put bodies,” said Alton Dillard, division spokesman.
“And we have contingency plans in place. If crews run out of gas, we are ready,” he added.
The primary gives the division an opportunity to test out the new, larger facility and the voting system, which has faced some problems over the past year, for the upcoming general in November.
All the new equipment, including ballot scanners that tally votes, is working properly and set to go, Dillard said.
Locations across the state will have at least one electronic voting station, per the Help America Vote Act, but most of the voting is still paper ballots, he added.
Despite a lower voter turnout than the general election, the state is still under some pressure because of past voting-day mishaps.
In November 2006, almost 20,000 voters were turned away because of delays, and SWAT team members were called in to relieve volunteers last November because they were too tired to continue counting ballots.
Election-day workers in Denver now have the option to work the 14-hour day or pick up hourly shifts instead to avoid burnout.
The division has lined up about 200 workers for Tuesday. It is aiming for 2,000 for the presidential election in November.
Early primary voting began Saturday (so far, 340 have cast their vote in person), and more than 20,000 people as of Monday had submitted mail-in ballots.
Steve Graff: 303-954-1661 or sgraff@denverpost.com
Last chance to vote early
Early voting for Tuesday’s primary runs through today. For information, call your elections clerk (go to for a list of offices across the state).
Denver residents may cast ballots at any of the following locations:
•Elections Center, 3888 E. Mexico Ave., open for early voting from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.
Other locations, open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
•Barnum Rec Center, 360 Hooker St.
•Christ/United Methodist Church, 690 Colorado Blvd.
•Harvard Gulch Rec Center, 550 E. Iliff Ave.
•Harvey Park Rec Center, 2120 S. Tennyson Way
•Hiawatha Davis Jr. Rec Center, 3334 Holly St.
•Manual High School, 1700 E. 28th Ave.
•Montbello Rec Center, 15555 E. 53rd Ave.
•Montclair Rec Center, 729 Ulster Way
•Rude Park Rec Center, 2855 W. Holden Place
•Scheitler Rec Center, 5031 W. 46th Ave.
•Webb municipal building, 201 W. Colfax Ave.
•Tamarac Square Mall, 7777 E. Hampden Ave.
A correction ran on this article, post-publication, due to reporting errors. When Elections Division spokesman Alton Dillard commented on voting with paper ballots, he was speaking about Denver, not the entire state. The Elections Division hopes to have 2,000 workers at polling places throughout Denver, not at the Elections Division office, and only temporary workers hired for the election will have the option of working hourly shifts on Election Day.
