Press Release - Rocky Mountain Voter Showdown
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, OCT. 30, 2008
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER CHALLENGES CU & CSU TO 'ROCKY MOUNTAIN VOTER SHOWDOWN'
Gov. Bill Ritter today challenged students at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University at Fort Collins to a "Rocky Mountain Voter Showdown" -- a contest to see which school can post the higher voter-return percentages by the time polls close on Nov. 4.
"Every vote counts," Gov. Ritter said. "That couldn't be more true this election season. Early voting closes tomorrow, and we know that early and mail-in voting in precincts around CU and CSU could be doing better.
"Therefore, today I am challenging Buff and Ram students at these two schools to see who can do a better job with voter turnout," Gov. Ritter said. "Vote early, vote by absentee ballot or vote at the polls on Election Day. Just make sure you vote."
Gov. Ritter urged those voting by absentee ballot to hand-deliver their ballots and not mail them.
Gov. Ritter noted that in some districts near CU, only 13 percent of registered voters had cast a ballot. That compares with the Boulder average of about 50 percent, and in one district, nearly 65 percent of voters had cast ballots. About one-third of all eligible statewide voters have already voted.
Gov. Ritter is an alum of both schools; he graduated from CSU in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in political science and from the CU law school in 1981.