How We Voted in 2004
In the recent election, Douglas County voters echoed State of Colorado voters in almost all races and issues except the contest for U.S. Senate. (County voters leaned heavily toward Pete Coors over winner Ken Salazar.)
How did Castle Pines North compare to other areas of the County?
Almost 95 percent of Douglas County voters participated in the November 2004 election. It is safe to bet that CPN voters also voted at a high rate, but that’s not clear from the numbers provided by the County. Castle Pines North’s precincts, 43, 44, and 124, reported between 35 and 43 percent participation.
Does that mean only one in three CPN residents voted?
No, because at this time, only election-day votes get attributed to their precincts. The votes of those who voted early were attributed to their polling place, such as the King Soopers at Founders Parkway. Absentee, or vote-by-mail ballots, also were combined in final reports.
In Douglas County, more than 25 percent of votes cast were absentee or early, and the residents of CPN likely were a high percentage of them. But until the County adjusts its reports, there is no way to tell where early or absentee voters reside.
(For the purpose of this article, only Precincts 43, 44, and 124 were analyzed, because those three precincts lie entirely within the boundaries of Castle Pines North. Three other precincts, 125, 88, and 105, contain only portions of CPN.)
Of the attributable votes cast in Castle Pines North, voters mirrored Republican-heavy Douglas County, giving the Bush/Cheney ticket 938 votes to Kerry/Edwards’ 405. The Senate race was slightly closer, with Pete Coors receiving 825 votes to Ken Salazar’s 503.
In our most local race, that for County Commissioner, CPN voted with Douglas County in re-electing Melanie Worley in District III and electing Steve Boand in District II. Both are Republicans. The Commissioner race was closer in Precinct 88, which includes Democrat and CPN resident Doug Gilbert’s neighborhood of HOA#1. In that area, Gilbert received nearly 40 percent of the vote.
Three conclusions can be drawn by “crunching the numbers” after the 2004 election:
Demographically, Castle Pines North is a microcosm of the County in which we live.
As a busy and educated community, we appreciate and take advantage of flexibility when it comes to voting.
With the growing popularity of early and absentee voting, the County might consider revising its reporting methods to be able to attribute all votes to their Precincts.
