i voted stickerRepublicans in Colorado are continuing to outpace Democrats in early ballot returns, growing their lead with ballots returned as of this morning, but it’s still early and returns are uneven.  So far, 79,355 ballots have been reported as cast.  Here’s the breakdown:

Statewide:

D: 24,648

R: 36,830

U: 17,191

For those of you keeping score at home, right now, turnout stands at 31% D, 46% R, and 21% U.  This is a far cry from the 33D/33R/33U model that some polls have used, but it’s still incredibly early and this shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a predictor of the final. That said, the enthusiasm seems to be with Republicans for now.

Then, there are the suburbs that everyone across the country is eyeing – Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties.  Here’s the ballot returns for these two counties:

Jefferson County (Total: 13,829)

D: 4,352 (31.5%)

R: 5,961 (43.1%)

U: 3,394 (24.5%)

Arapahoe County (Total: 10,884)

D: 3,521 (32.3%)

R: 4,877 (44.8%)

U: 2,378 (21.8%)

See the ballot returns from October 17th here.  The next report will come out on Wednesday.