Election 2022 live blog: The latest from Fort Collins, Larimer County and more
Let's get right to it. Election Day is over and you want results. We're following them as the votes continue to be tabulated. Keep checking back here for updates.
Statewide races: Get 2022 Colorado election results. Find key statewide election results here
Larimer County races: Live updates from Larimer Board of County Commissioners, Fort Collins ranked-choice voting and more
Weld County races: Live updates from Windsor open space, Weld RE-4 school district bond issue
Democrats flip Senate District 15 as Woodward concedes to Marchman
Democrat Janice Marchman declared victory over incumbent Republican Rob Woodward on Friday afternoon in a press release.
Marchman’s announcement came after Larimer County officials posted the final batch of unofficial votes around 11 a.m. Friday morning.
Woodward led Marchman in Larimer County throughout the election, but Marchman consistently carried about 75% of the vote in Boulder County, which put her 448 votes ahead of Woodward, with ballots still left to count in Boulder County.
In a press release, Marchman said she believes voters elected her “in response to the attacks against abortion access and voting rights.”
“The people have spoken clearly and voted to protect workers’ rights, women’s reproductive rights, and fight for working families,” Marchman said.
She also had a message for those who did not vote for her, saying she plans to listen and fight for their needs in the Senate, too.
Marchman’s campaign said Woodward called to concede Friday afternoon.
Canaga concedes to Hanks in coroner race
Republican candidate for coroner Matthew Canaga conceded to Democrat opponent Stephen Hanks after final unofficial results were posted Friday, Canaga told the Coloradoan.
"I can simply say that I am thankful to the countless supporters who have been so active in this campaign," Canaga said in a written statement. "We ran a hard race and did all we could. The coroner's office staff is truly special, and I am so thankful for them all."
Canaga said he called Hanks to congratulate him Friday.
Timnath redistricting measure too close to call but 'yes' votes ahead
Timnath’s redistricting measure is still too close to call, but those in favor of waiting to redistrict have taken an eight-vote lead in final unofficial results posted Friday morning by the Larimer County elections office.
Votes for Ballot Issue 3H held 50.09% of the 4,266 votes cast. Votes against the measure had 49.9% of the vote. The county still has between 1,300 and 1,400 votes that need to be “cured.”
County Clerk Angela Myers said she did not know how many of those ballots were from Timnath.
If all stands as is, however, the close vote would trigger a mandatory recount, which is conducted when the vote is within one-half a percent of the winner's votes.
The number of ballots still to be cured “could change the results,” said Wade Fickler, spokesman for Together 4 Timnath, which led the fight to redistrict as soon as the town reaches 8,000 registered voters.
The county's other close vote is in the Senate District 15 race, which also includes Boulder County voters. As of 11:45 a.m. Friday, Democrat Janice Marchman was ahead of incumbent Republican Rob Woodward by 448 votes. That's 50.25% of the votes and outside the margin for a mandatory recount if that tight margin were to hold up after all ballots are cured.
In ballot curing, voters have eight days after the election to correct problems with signatures, such as a missing signature or discrepancy.
Final unofficial results are in from Larimer County
The final but unofficial update from the Larimer County Clerk & Recorder's office is in as of 11:30 a.m. Friday, but up to 1,400 ballots remain to be cured.
The clerk's final unofficial report showed 179,971 ballots were counted in Larimer County.
167,717 ballots have been counted in Larimer County, and 2 tight races remain
The Larimer County Clerk and Recorder's Office released its penultimate unofficial batch of results about 6 p.m. Thursday, saying the next release will be after all the ballots have been counted.
As of Thursday's nights release, 167,717 ballots had been counted, according to the report.
Ballot processing will resume Thursday.
The latest release showed Timnath ballot question 3H get even tighter. It's tied with 2,051 no votes and 2,051 yes votes. The issue asks whether the town should postpone redistricting of the town board. The Senate District 15 race remains tight, as well, with Janice Marchman 746 votes ahead of Rob Woodward.
For the most up-to-date election results, click on the links at the top of this story, which take you to the tallies for Larimer County and Colorado races and ballot issues.
Colorado Senate District 15: Marchman maintains narrow lead with more votes to count
With new numbers from both Larimer and Boulder counties, Republican incumbent Rob Woodward continues to trail Democratic challenger Janice Marchman by 746 votes as of 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
While Woodward leads Marchman in Larimer County, Marchman has received about 74% of votes in Boulder County, which has continued to put her over the top in the combined total.
Both Larimer County and Boulder County still have votes left to count.
– Bethany Osborn
Votes continue to be counted for Boebert-Frisch race
Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert has now taken the lead from Democratic challenger Adam Frisch as thousands of votes are still being counted in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District.
A new batch of data from Otero County, a rural community east of Pueblo, put Boebert up over Frisch by 386 votes.
Frisch was leading Election Day and maintained a razor-thin margin over Boebert through Thursday morning. Before the Otero County results were uploaded, Frisch was leading by only 62 votes.
Results from approximately 7,000 additional ballots are expected today from Pueblo County, the largest in the district by population. Frisch is up in Pueblo, with 54% of votes.
Approximately 5,200 mail ballots and 1,800 in-person ballots have not yet been counted in Pueblo County.
— Anna Lynn Winfrey, Pueblo Chieftain
Colorado House District 51: GOP leaders outline process to replace late Rep. Hugh McKean
In the shadow of Tuesday's election, Larimer County Republicans outlined the process they will take to replace Rep. Hugh McKean, the Colorado House minority leader who unexpectedly died of a heart attack on Oct. 30.
McKean was 55.
The chairman of the House District 51 committee, Christopher Say, said the decision will be made by an electorate of 58 people at a meeting during which they can nominate candidates to replace McKean.
The electors include the Larimer County Republicans executive board, the House District 51 committee, any elected officials higher than the position in the district and any in-district precinct captains for the Republican Party.
Anyone can be nominated — though nominees must be nominated by one of the electors, the general public cannot nominate — and they have to be present to accept the nomination.
There must be a quorum of the 58 eligible electors present and the winner must receive 50% of the votes. If the party doesn’t achieve a nominee with those standards within 30 days of McKean’s death, Gov. Jared Polis has the power to appoint someone to the vacant seat.
Colorado House District 51 represents Loveland and surrounding areas in the state legislature.
– Molly Bohannon
Colorado House District 49: Judy Amabile declares victory; Lehr and Lutz concede
Judy Amabile, the incumbent for Colorado House District 49, sent an email to supporters Wednesday morning saying she had won re-election "by all indications" and thanking supporters of her campaign. Amabile told the Coloradoan she had received a phone call from Daniel Lutz, the Libertarian in the race, on Wednesday morning, followed shortly by a text from her Republican challenger, Katie Lehr.
As of Wednesday morning, Amabile held more than 64% of the vote.
– Bethany Osborn
Colorado House District 52: Deborah 'Dee Dee' Vicino concedes to incumbent representative Cathy Kipp
Colorado House District 52 hopeful Deborah “Dee Dee” Vicino has conceded to incumbent representative Cathy Kipp. In an email to the Coloradoan, Vicino said: "The votes are in, and the election is over. And while the outcome is not what we had hoped, we can take comfort in the fact that we ran a GREAT campaign and touched the lives of many."
In her email to the Coloradoan, Vicino congratulated Kipp on winning and also "for running a clean campaign."
"As she moves forward, I hope she provides representation for all of the voters in House District 52 who voted for freedom, law and order, the protection of small business and taxpayers, and the protection and preservation of our parental rights and our children. ... Although victory was not ours, I will continue fighting for Colorado, for our citizens, and for our children."
Wednesday morning update: 56,000 ballots still to be counted in Larimer County
Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Angela Myers told the Coloradoan there are still 56,000 ballots left to be counted in Larimer County as of Wednesday morning. The next batch of election results is expected around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.
It's 11:45 p.m. We'll be back Wednesday morning with more
The Coloradoan election crew is signing off for the night after the 11:30 p.m. release of Larimer County results failed to make any significant change to early results. We'll be back Wednesday morning with additional information on races that were too close to call Tuesday evening. Have a great night!
Colorado Senate District 15: GOP incumbent Rob Woodward trailing Democrat Janice Marchman
In one of Colorado's closest state Senate races, GOP Senate District 15 incumbent Sen. Rob Woodward remains 2,588 votes behind Democrat challenger Janice Marchman. Woodward told the Coloradoan he’s “still feeling good.” Woodward said he’s not surprised by the votes and he expects late votes will turn in his favor.
Larimer County 9:30 p.m. results: Timnath redistricting vote too close to call, other races unchanged
An effort to delay town board expansion and redistricting in Timnath could be in jeopardy after the latest release of incomplete, unofficial results from Larimer County show it failing 1,473-1,366 in a tight race.
Otherwise, the 9:30 p.m. release did little to change the trajectory of Larimer County races, other than to adjust percentages on sizeable leads held by a host of mainly Democratic candidates. Democrats are leading every contested county-level and legislative race representing the Fort Collins area other than clerk and recorder and House District 65.
Current Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith conceded in his race to unseat incumbent Democrat County Commissioner John Kefalas following the latest round of results, which showed Kefalas maintaining his lead by about 14,000 votes.
“I congratulate him,” Smith said of Kefalas. “... We have different approaches to things, but at the same time he's always been good to work with and I wish him the best with what looks like another term for him in office.”
Since announcing his campaign for commissioner, Smith said he committed to running a respectful campaign.
“John and I committed when this started no matter who the voters chose, we wanted to set and example for what honest and respectful campaigns look like,” Smith said.
Smith said he’s “looking forward to whatever comes next for me” after decades working in law enforcement. Smith is term limited as Larimer County sheriff.
At the Fort Collins level, ballot questions to raise city council pay, adopt ranked-choice voting and move city elections to November of odd-numbered years are all headed toward passage.
In the race to represent south Fort Collins in Colorado House District 52, GOP hopeful Dee Dee Vicino did not say she was going to concede to Democrat incumbent Cathy Kipp, despite trailing by 8,770 votes. Vicino told the Coloradoan she was feeling an “outpouring of love and encouragement” after the latest round of results showed her well behind her opponent. She said she’s not going to concede until it’s “all said and done.” She said despite everything, she’s having a good night.
– Sady Swanson, Bethany Osborn and Eric Larsen
Windsor-Severance school district bond and mill levy issues have support
Early results show support for Weld RE-4’s two funding issues. After failing to pass in several previous elections, the now $271 million bond has 8,288 votes in favor of the issue and 6,786 against. Issue 4C, which is a $5 million mill levy, has received 8,347 votes in favor and 6,727 against.
– Bethany Osborn
Ballot issue FF to pay for school lunches is passing
Early results show significant support for state ballot proposition FF, which would increase taxes on Coloradans making more than $300,000 a year in taxable income to fund meals at school regardless of a child’s income. So far, about 893,000 votes have been cast in favor of the increase and about 725,000 votes against.
Ashley Wheeland, director of Public Policy for Hunger Free Colorado, said she’s feeling hopeful over the early results. “It’ll make a huge impact if it passes, we think it’s the right thing and we know a lot of voters understand what Colorado families need.”
– Bethany Osborn
Neguse says he's ready to get back to work
Rep. Joe Neguse has been reelected to the 2nd Congressional District, which covers Larimer County and some of the state’s mountain towns. The first round of results from Larimer County showed Neguse receiving a majority of votes from Larimer voters, and he told the Coloradoan he was very grateful for the support of Northern Colorado.
“It's an honor to be able to earn the trust and the support of the people of Larimer County once again,” he said. “It's been the honor of my life to serve our community, to represent Larimer County and Fort Collins in the U.S. Congress.”
Neguse said he was excited to get back to work – which will involve a town hall in Fort Collins soon – and he’ll continue to work to “lower costs for families in Fort Collins and build a safer community and continue … building a more hopeful future for everybody in our state.”
Neguse was challenged by four other candidates, three of whom were representing third parties.
– Molly Bohannon
Overbeck, with the lead in assessor's race, thanks supporters
Bob Overbeck, the incumbent candidate for Larimer County assessor, spoke at the Larimer County Democrats watch party Tuesday night after the first round of results showed him leading challenger David Eisenbraun by about 14,000 votes, or 56.5% of the vote.
He thanked everyone who came out to support all the Democratic candidates and thanked his own campaign team.
Overbeck told the Coloradoan he was grateful to the voters who reelected him for a second term and that his campaign message was received well. He said he’s looking forward to continuing his high standards of fairness, accuracy and transparency and collaboration with county offices.
– Molly Bohannon
Chollet 'honored' to run in House District 65
Lisa Chollet said in a speech at the Larimer County Democrats' watch party that it is “honoring and humbling” to be the Democrat candidate for House District 65.
“House District 65 is a tough district, it’s almost evenly divided between Larimer and Weld counties,” she said.
Early results show Chollet is losing by about 1,400 votes in Larimer County and by about 6,300 overall.
Chollet said in her speech that Lynch “quite literally didn’t feel like he needed to put any effort into this race or care what anybody thought about what was going on, so I was honored to accept the nomination and step up and try to actually give a voice to Northern Colorado.”
– Sady Swanson
3 city ballot issues have more yes votes than no votes
The first round of results showed all three Fort Collins city ballot issues passing with healthy leads.
Along with ranked choice voting, city residents were asked to decide if council member pay should be increased and if city elections should be moved from April to November of odd years.
There was no issue committee formed to advocate for or against the elections moving to November, though there was one committee supporting the pay increase: Fair Council Pay.
Ethnie Treick, second vice chair for the Larimer County Democrats and the registered agent for Fair Council Pay, was excited about the first round of results, which showed it passing with 62% of the vote.
“The initial results look really promising for our effort to remove compensation as a barrier to service and ensure more diverse representation,” Treick said.
– Molly Bohannon
Boesenecker will be re-elected to House District 53
Incumbent Rep. Andrew Boesencker told the Coloradoan at the Larimer County Democrats viewing party that he was hopeful about the first round of results – which showed him about 10,000 votes above his challenger Donna Walter – but wasn’t ready to call a victory.
Boesenecker has 76% of the vote, according to early tallies.
“We're feeling great, I'm hopeful, but obviously we want to make sure every vote gets counted and … it's important to let the process play out before we announce anything out of just respect for everybody who's cast a ballot.”
Regardless of the outcome, he said he wants to thank everyone in Larimer County who voted and worked to make their voice heard today and if he is reelected he will work to represent every constituent.
Donna Walter, the Republican running for House District 53, said she is “always optimistic” and called Fort Collins “a different bird.”
“I don’t know what kind of research people do beforehand, Walter said. "I kept a lot of information out there and made myself accessible.” Walter did not grant the Coloradoan any interviews pre-Election Day despite multiple requests.
– Pat Ferrier
Amabile ahead in House District 49
Judy Amabile, the incumbent candidate in House District 49, told the Coloradoan the results are “better than expected” and that she’s “cautiously optimistic” but said she also understands that not all of the results are in yet.
She's ahead with about 65% of the votes counted so far, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's website.
Her opponent, Republican Katie Lehr, with about 32% of votes, could not be reached for comment.
– Bethany Osborn
Kefalas feeling 'very good, but the night is young'
Incumbent for Larimer County Commissioner for District 1 John Kefalas has an early lead on opponent and current Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith, leading him by 13,500 votes, or 56.3% of the votes counted so far.
Kefalas told the Coloradoan he’s feeling “very good” about the early returns “but the night is young” and “every vote counts.”
“It’s not over until it’s over, but at this point we have a very comfortable margin,” Kefalas said, thanking supporters and the Larimer County Democrats for their support.
“Elections are about choices, and our campaign has always been about making sure that we can bring people together to solve problems, making sure that we can make Larimer County government more transparent, more inclusive … and I think we’ve had great success over the last four years.”
Kefalas said his philosophy is to work together to solve complex problems, and if reelected he looks forward to continuing to work with his fellow Democrats on the board of commissioners — Kristin Stephens and Jody Shadduck-McNally — to continue their work.
Kefalas said he applauds Smith for having great communication with him throughout their campaigns, including all throughout election day wishing each other well.
Smith did not immediately respond to the Coloradoan's request for comment.
– Sady Swanson
District 52 candidates wait for more votes to be counted
Rep. Cathy Kipp, who had a lead of almost 9,000 votes, or 66.5% of the votes, over her challenger Dee Dee Vicino in House District 52, told the Coloradoan she was feeling hopeful after the first round of results but didn’t want to be presumptuous and didn’t know how many ballots remained to be counted.
Regardless, she thanked those who voted for her for their support and said she thinks everyone is glad that election season is coming to a close.
Dee Dee Vicino said with “less than half the votes in, we’re waiting to see the next round” when asked if she was ready to concede the race. In the meantime she said she’s “enjoying the night surrounded by family and friends.”
– Molly Bohannon and Bethany Osborn
Senate District 15 race is close, with Marchman ahead
Rob Woodward, the incumbent candidate for state Senate District 15, said he’s not surprised by the results so far, saying it’s “coming in as expected.”
Across Larimer and Boulder counties, Marchman has 27,774 votes to Woodward's 25,430 votes. But in Larimer County, Woodward had more votes than Marchman in the first wave, 23,478 to Marchman's 21,981.
Woodward said he’s still optimistic and looks forward to the next few rounds of results. Woodward said his experience in having been through this before has helped calm his nerves.
“I feel like our campaign had a finger on the pulse on what voters are looking for.”
– Bethany Osborn
In other Colorado news: Frisch leads Boebert by slim margin early on
As of 7:40 p.m. in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District race, Democrat Adam Frisch held a narrow lead over incumbent Republic Rep. Lauren Boebert, with at least 12 out of 27 counties in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District reporting results.
Over 129,000 votes have been counted so far. Frisch has 53% of votes and Boebert has 47%.
Votes from Pueblo County, one of the largest counties in CD-3, have yet to be reported.
Frisch has a substantial lead in Boebert's home county of Garfield, with 59% of the approximately 18,000 votes reported. He's also up with over 80% of votes in his home of Pitkin County.
– Anna Lynn Winfrey, Pueblo Chieftain
Next batch of Larimer County results expected at 9:30 p.m.
The first wave of results indicated at least 110,330 ballots had been cast. That compares with 255,714 active registered voters in the county as of Oct. 31, or 43%.
– Rebecca Powell
Kipp, Boesenecker, Lynch headed toward re-election in Colorado House of Representatives
Incumbent state Reps. Cathy Kipp, Andrew Boesenecker and Mike Lynch are poised to retain their seats in the Colorado House of Representatives, as each holds a commanding lead over their opponents in early returns. In House District 49, Democrat Judy Amabile also holds a commanding lead over GOP hopeful Kathryn Lehr and Libertarian candidate Daniel Lutz.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wins another term
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has won another term after defeating GOP challenger Heidi Ganahal. Early statewide results show Polis holding 60% of the vote.
– Eric Larsen
Early Larimer County results show Kefalas, Overbeck leading, Fort Collins ranked-choice voting with lead
Early results are in from Larimer County and show incumbent Democratic County Commissioner John Kefalas leading in his race against Sheriff Justin Smith, along with incumbent Assessor Bob Overbeck, also a Democrat, leading his race against GOP challenger David Eisenbraun.
Kefalas said he’s feeling “very good,” about the early returns, “but the night is young” and “every vote counts.”
The Fort Collins ballot issue that would adopt ranked-choice voting for future city elections also appears to be headed toward passage, with an affirmative vote of nearly 5,000 more than no votes, or 57.4%. Issues to increase pay for Fort Collins City Council members and move the city's elections to November also appear to be headed toward passage.
Campaign manager Luke Doescher for ranked-choice voting said he’s happy they’re ahead now, “but there’s still plenty left.” He said the lead is consistent with what their polling had shown and what they expected.
The management lead for RCV for Fort Collins' campaign, Robbie Moreland, said she absolutely feels good about the lead after the first round.
“We did everything we could possibly do to educate people on ranked choice voting, and if this passes, it's because people now understand it and they want candidates to win with a majority,” Moreland said.
Steve Lucas, the registered agent for Community for Fair Elections, the issue committee campaigning against RCV, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Other county-level races show Democrat Stephen Hanks leading Republican Matt Canaga for the coroner post and GOP incumbent Clerk and Recorder Angela Myers holding a 15,000-vote lead over Democratic challenger Tony Baker.
At the state level, Senate District 15 Democratic hopeful Janice Marchman is showing an early lead against GOP incumbent Rep. Robert Woodward.
In a brief speech at the Larimer County Democrats watch party in Fort Collins before heading to another watch party, Marchman thanked her supporters for “a really good campaign,” and for helping knock on 7,000 doors since ballots were delivered in mid-October.
“We’ve realized we have a lot of common values in Larimer County, and so we’ve been working really hard to blue-up all of Larimer County: Fort Collins, Wellington, Estes Park, Loveland, Red Feather, Laporte. … We’re going to keep that work up, win or lose.”
The first round of results also showed Republican Mike Lynch ahead of Democrat Lisa Chollet for the House District 65 race, with 60.5% of the votes, which are in both Larimer and Weld counties. Lynch watched the results on his computer at a table surrounded by family and friends. Lynch said he’s confident his lead will continue and that voters were “satisfied with the job I'm doing.”
– Coloradoan staff
Larimer County GOP packs Old Chicago for watch party
More than 200 people packed Old Chicago Pizza on Timberline Road in south Fort Collins to eat pizza, drink beer and show their support for Larimer County Republicans.
Ron Weinberg, chair of the Larimer County Republican Party, said it was the first official gathering the party hosted and funded.
Weinberg said he noticed throughout his time volunteering with the party, candidates never had an opportunity to gather under one roof. He said he’s happy with the turnout and to see campaign managers, volunteers and grassroots organizers come together.
“It’s the last chance for Larimer to have a purple county,” Weinberg told the Coloradoan. “Fair representation from both sides is better than representation from one party.
David Eisenbraun, the candidate for Larimer County assessor, Mike Lynch for House District 65 and Dee Dee Vicino for House District 52 were among candidates in attendance.
Eisenbraun and Lynch both told the Coloradoan they’re “feeling good” about their races.
Michael Bennet wins re-election to U.S. Senate
DENVER (AP) — Democrat Michael Bennet won reelection to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, besting Republican businessman and first-time challenger Joe O’Dea.
Bennet won his third race on his pledge to protect abortion rights, an indication of how important the issue is to the blue-leaning state of Colorado. O’Dea was the rare Republican to support Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights ruling that conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court overturned this summer. But that didn’t help him.
Bennet’s campaign hammered O’Dea on his opposition to abortions late in a pregnancy and on his support for the very GOP-appointed justices who overturned Roe.
Bennet and his backers dramatically outspent the novice candidate on the airwaves, while O’Dea only got rhetorical support from Senate Republicans in Washington, who never sent significant financial resources his way.
O’Dea tried to position himself as a future “Republican Joe Manchin,” referring to the conservative Democratic West Virginian senator as an example of a nonpartisan deal-maker who could end Washington gridlock. The son of a police officer, O’Dea said crime and the economy were his main concerns, not social issues. He had voted twice for Donald Trump, but O’Dea said he’d campaign against the former president in the 2024 GOP primary, citing better options like South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Colorado voters didn’t buy it, cementing the state’s transformation from a competitive swing state early in the century to a more reliably Democratic one. Only one Republican, Cory Gardner, has won a federal race in Colorado since 2004, and voters ousted him from the Senate in 2020.
– Associated Press
Ranked-choice voting supporters gather at Avogadro's Number
About 40 people were gathered at Avogadro’s Number on Tuesday just after 7 p.m. where RCV for Fort Collins is hosting a watch party. The room applauded when the screen showed both incumbent Gov. Jared Polis and Sen. Michael Bennett leading their races.
Josh Hattis, a Fort Collins voter in attendance at Avo’s, said he supports RCV because it gives a “more nuanced” way to ensure that the voters and their wishes are represented.
Luke Doescher, who works on the RCV for Fort Collins campaign, said they’re optimistic going into the first round of results, but not “super confident”.
“We think a lot of people support ranked choice voting, but it’s not going to be a slam dunk,” he said.
Early Weld County results have Windsor issues headed toward passage
It's too early to call a win, but early results out of Weld County show Windsor's open space sales tax, along with Weld County School District RE-4's bond and mill levy override headed toward passage. For Windsor and Severance schools, the bond and mill levy passage could provide desired elbow room for the growing district. A similar effort to gather bond funding for new schools failed during the district's last election.
– Eric Larsen
Larimer GOP candidates gather for watch party
Old Chicago in south Fort Collins is packed with Larimer County Republicans for their watch party. It's closed to the public.
Dee Dee Vicino, candidate for House District 52; David Eisenbraun, candidate for Larimer County assessor, and Mike Lynch, candidate for House District 65, are in attendance in a house full of red, white and blue.
There was a big round of applause when television news announced that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott won re-election.
– Pat Ferrier
Larimer County's first results expected about 7:30 p.m.
Look for the first wave of election results in Larimer County to come around 7:30 p.m., the clerk's office posted on its website.
Results are typically posted in three different batches on election night, with the last batch coming around 11:30 p.m.
If more than 20,000 ballots come in on Election Day, then counting will be stopped after the 11:30 posting and resume Wednesday.
Clerk Angela Myers shared information on her policy here.
– Rebecca Powell
It's 7 p.m. and polls are closed across Colorado
It's time to transition from Election Day voting to election night counting (And yes, Associated Press style makes capitalization different between the two time periods). We expect to see results from the statewide races first from the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, followed by a round or two of county-level results from Larimer and Weld counties as we follow races of local interest. So stay tuned for updates as they roll in tonight.
–Eric Larsen
Smooth sailing at Larimer County polls one hour before they close
Most polling centers across Larimer County are free of wait times as of 6 p.m., according to the county's elections page. Only two polling centers — Grace Community Church in Loveland and River of Life Fellowship in Wellington — reported wait times. And at a wait of seven minutes there was little concern that voters would be able to cast their ballots in time for the 7 p.m. close of polls.
–Eric Larsen
Have election signs in your yard? Here’s how to get rid of them
If you’ve chosen to campaign for your candidates by putting a sign or two in your yard — and you don’t want to keep them as memorabilia from the 2022 election season — you may be wondering what to do with them after the big day.
Many election signs are not recyclable, according to a news release from the city of Fort Collins, so keep reading before you throw whatever you have in your personal recycling bin.
If your signs are made of corrugated plastic, they should be tossed in the trash.
If they’re plastic sleeve signs — think material like a grocery bag — they are able to be recycled as plastic film and you can take them to the Timberline Recycling Center at 1903. S. Timberline Road.
Cardboard or paperboard signs can be recycled in your recycling bin or dropped at a recycling drop-off location, but only after removing the metal stakes keeping them in the ground. You can drop off the metal parts at any local scrap metal dealer or the Timberline Recycling Center’s hard-to-recycle materials yard, but there is a $5 entry fee.
–Molly Bohannon
Check out the wait time if you're still planning to vote in person
This handy tool will tell you what the lines are like at Larimer County's Voter Service and Polling Centers, which is the place to go if you need to vote in person, request a new ballot or register to vote.
As of 3 p.m., there was no waiting at any location, but check before you go for updates.
– Rebecca Powell
Still deciding? Check out our 2022 voter guides and more
We'll keep this entry to the point. If you're still debating the merits of ranked-choice voting in Fort Collins or the push and pull happening about the state's liquor laws, we have a journalistic ton of material to help with your decision making. Check out these voter guides and other features for what to know before you return your ballot (in person, of course, since it's much too late to mail back).
What to know: 2022 voter guide to Fort Collins, Larimer County, Windsor and Timnath races
How to vote today: A procrastinator's guide to the 2022 general election
Campaign finance: Who's raising the most money this election in Larimer County? Here are the reports
Coloradoan Conversations: Things to consider about Colorado's liquor propositions 124-126
Coloradoan Conversations: Some want majority to rule in all Fort Collins City Council elections
Community endorsements: Here's who voters are supporting, and why
–Eric Larsen
And the award for laziest attempt at voter suppression goes to...
...whoever placed this sticker on the ballot drop box at Fort Collins' Traffic Operation Center at 626 Linden St. Coloradoan reader Steve Malers found it on the drop box about noon Sunday and removed it then.
–Eric Larsen
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Live Election Day updates for Larimer County, Fort Collins, Colorado
