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Low voter turnout for city council election

Low voter turnout for city council election

Yahoo02-04-2025

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Voter turnout for this election is lower than in past elections. So far, only 24% of eligible voters across all six districts have turned in their ballots.
On the map below, there are all six districts and each one's voter turnout. District One had the highest voter turnout at 25.4 percent, while District Four only saw 9.7 percent.
2025 Colorado Springs General Municipal Election | FOX21 News Colorado
'Local elections have more of an impact on our pocketbook and everyday lives than almost any other election,' said Shad Murib, the Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.
Historically, Colorado Springs has had around a 40% voter turnout for municipal elections.
'I think some people don't feel like their votes matter. I also feel like sometimes people don't think their vote will make a difference or change anything,' said Amber Vongsouvnah, a voter FOX21 found at the ballot drop box.
One of the reasons for Tuesday's small turnout could be that it can be hard for local leaders to get the necessary attention they need while campaigning.
'First of all, they don't know the candidates, that's a big problem. Secondly, a lot of people are just a little bit lazy, and a lot of them don't understand what's at stake. So I can understand why a lot of people don't vote,' said Roy Stringfellow, another person FOX1 spoke to at the ballot box.
On Tuesday, FOX21 also asked people at the ballot box if they recognized any of the candidates participating in the election, and most people said they did not. included in the mix of the photos were also a few familiar faces from FOX21 to see if voters would notice.
Stringfellow was one of the people who did not recognize any of the people in the pictures.
Meanwhile, Vpnsouvanah said she did recognize FOX21's Abbie Burke, and only one City Council member for district four, Kimberly Gold.
'Local leadership that they can count on is something that we need to make sure that we're driving more attention to because it can have a deeper impact on the quality of life for many Coloradans,' said Murib.
It's no secret that Colorado Springs is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., and many people in the area do not like the growing pains it is facing, such as highrise buildings, annexations, and other large projects. Local leaders are the people who control many of these projects and decide how the city will go about each one.
'I think that Colorado Springs, being one of the fastest growing cities in the country and one of the best places to live in Colorado, let alone the United States, has an incredible future ahead of itself,' said Murib.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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