Welcome to our 2024 Primary Vote Guide! Regular readers will be familiar with our comprehensive fall voting guides; I’m new here, but I’ve been told Boulder Weekly’s endorsements are the most accurate in predicting winners.
Our primary coverage is a bit different. First of all, we’ve never done one before. But in majority-blue Boulder County — where the Dems almost alway win — the primary is where the action happens. So we thought it would be helpful to sort through the Democrats vying for office. (The Republicans aren’t being left out: See our interview with three local GOP candidates.)
Perhaps most notably, we aren’t doing endorsements. Truth be told, my staff and I hate doing them. We’d prefer to let you make up your own minds. Our job is to provide you with the information you need to do that.
We covered all the local contested races: House Districts 10 and 49, CU Regent, Senate District 18 and Colorado State Board of Education. We’ve also sent questionnaires to all candidates without primary challengers; find those linked below. Finally, we scoured state databases to gather information on campaign fundraising, including which candidates are being supported by corporations and “dark” money.
Hopefully, you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.
When you look at your ballot, remember: Voting is not like driving a car or calling an Uber, where the candidates/vehicles get you exactly where you want to go. It’s like taking the bus: Pick the one that gets your closest to your desired destination.
— Shay Castle, editor-in-chief
2024 Primary
Candidates and races listed in order they appear on the ballot
Democrats
State Board of Education, District 2 (BW profile)
– Kathy Gebhardt (candidate questionnaire)
– Marisol Lynda Rodriguez (candidate questionnaire)
University of Colorado Board of Regents, At Large (BW profile)
– Elliott Hood (candidate questionnaire)
– Charles “CJ” Johnson (candidate questionnaire)
Colorado Senate, District 18 (BW profile)
– Judy Amabile (candidate questionnaire)
– Jovita Schiffer (candidate questionnaire)
Colorado House of Representatives, District 10 (BW profile)
– Junie Joseph (candidate questionnaire)
– Tina Mueh (candidate questionnaire)
Colorado House of Representatives, District 49 (BW profile)
– Lesley Smith (candidate questionnaire)
– Max Woodfin (candidate questionnaire)
Uncontested primaries
Karen McCormick, HD11 (incumbent)
Kyle Brown, HD12 (incumbent)
Michael Dougherty, 20th Judicial District Attorney (incumbent)
Claire Levy, Boulder County Commissioner – D1 (incumbent)
Marta Loachamin, Boulder County Commissioner – D2 (incumbent)
Jeff Martin, Boulder County Coroner (incumbent)
Republicans
Did not respond
Sonya Jaquez Lewis, SD17 (incumbent)
Jennifer Lea Parenti, HD19 (incumbent)
Dan Woog, HD19
Eric Rinard, CU Regent – At Large
Kathy Reeves, HD11
Robert Mahler, HD12
Mark Milliman, HD12
Steve Ferrante, HD49
Donald “Don” Lewis, Boulder County Commissioner – D2
How, when and where to cast your ballot
- Receiving your ballot. Ballots were mailed Monday, June 3.
- Casting your ballot. If you are returning your ballot by mail, the county recommends sending it in by Monday, June 17. After June 17, return to a 24-hour drop box by 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 25 instead, which opened June 3: bit.ly/boco_drop_boxes. In-person vote centers also open June 17 at 8 a.m. and close Tuesday, June 25 (election day) at 7 p.m. Find a voting location: bit.ly/voting_centers
- Updating your registration. Residents can register to vote or update their registration through election day at a voting center or online: bit.ly/BWregistrationFAQ
