How do you reach 245,000 unaffiliated voters in El Paso County? For local campaigns, it’s any way they can.

Independent voters represent a little more than 50% of the electorate in the county, more than Democrats and Republicans combined. So the race to woo them is intense, with text messages, ads, postcards and perhaps a knock on the door.

“The most important thing a candidate can do is walk and knock,” said Jody Richie, an organizer with Peak Republicans, a campaign group set up two years ago in the wake of local GOP infighting.

Local Republican candidates have been out walking together, led by Jeff Crank, the Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District, in the race to replace Rep. Doug Lamborn. Any given Saturday can draw 80 to 90 people walking in different areas, Richie said.

“The candidates have been coming together, since we haven’t been getting as much support from the county and the state (parties) as we would like,” said Jim Boelens, a Republican running against Democrat Amy Paschal for state House District 18. The Republican candidates are guided in their work with an app that identifies independent voters that lean conservative, he said.

Former President Donald Trump has not set up any formal campaign offices in the state, but messaging among local Republican candidates has echoed his platform with a focus on stopping illegal immigration and curbing inflation.

Unaffiliated voters living in the 5th Congressional District who tend to vote conservatively care about many of the same issues as registered Republicans, Crank’s senior adviser Nick Trainer said.

“They want a secure border, definitely, and they want … to get the economy moving again,” Trainer said. “I’d say well over half of people’s top issues fall into those two buckets, and that’s what’s getting them out to vote.”

The Colorado Democratic coordinated campaign has seven offices and 28 full-time staff focused on promoting Vice President Kamala Harris and democrats down the ballot, according to the Harris-Tim Walz campaign.

Fifth Congressional District Democratic candidate River Gassen said she has received some fundraising help from the party and also spent time canvassing with other local candidates.

Voters have told her they are concerned about water conservation, over development, greater oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the preservation of abortion rights.

She’s also noticed greater organization in the local party in recent years and energy among the El Paso County Young Democrats.

The club is the largest in the state with three to four dozen members who help with all kinds of campaigning, particularly on the digital side, with text banking, phone banking and digital ads, said Christian Seale, the chairman of the El Paso County Young Democrats.

“You can rally young people, even if you are not able to get in front of them in person,” he said.

In addition to Harris jumping into the race, some younger Democrats have been motivated by statewide ballot questions, such as removing the ban on gay marriage from the state constitution, he said.

A path for Democrats?

As El Paso County sees a shift toward more independent voters, Democrats could have a path to local office.

County Commission District 3, on the west side of Colorado Springs, could provide that path as the most competitive commission district and allow a Democrat to take a seat on the board for the first time in about 50 years.

In the race, Noami Lopez, a Democrat and speech pathologist is facing Bill Wysong, a Republican and founder of Westside Watch, a group that organized around fire and evacuation safety.

“We have seen a ton of excitement and hope around Naomi’s candidacy,” said Christian Rice, her campaign organizer

Lopez was inspired to run after El Paso County commissioners decided in 2023 not to give money to The Place, a nonprofit that serves homeless youth. Lopez hopes to bring more conversation to the board about marginalized communities, Rice said.

She would also help represent the growing number of Latinos in the community, a group he hopes to reach with Spanish language mailers.

The race has received some financial and organizing support from a statewide Democratic effort called Colorado County Comeback, focused on electing Democrats to county commissions. It gave $3,000 to help Democrats get elected to the El Paso Board of County Commissioners.

Wysong, a neighborhood advocate and a political outsider, has some recognition among voters from his work on to block a large apartment complex along Garden of the Gods Road.

He has also been among the Republican candidates campaigning together and has tried to work across the splintered local Republican groups.

“It’s more personalities than it is fundamental differences (between the groups). … We all need to band together and promote the Republican cause,” he said.

Campaign records show Lopez is outspending Wysong, with about $50,000 spent on the race and $15,000 on hand. Wysong has spent about $35,000 and had about $17,000 available, the most recent Secretary of State’s Office records show.

Divided Republican campaigning

In an emailed statement, the El Paso County Republican Party said its office is busy distributing literature and door-knocking.

“Our office is filled with people looking for Trump hats, flags, and signs from the time we open the doors to the time we close each day,” the statement said.

Peak Republicans is focused on local races rather than the presidential race, Richie said.

“I just want to get our people elected here,” she said.

A few of the state House races, such as Districts 16 and 18, are key if Republicans want to end the supermajority that the Democrats hold.

Richie noted the local Republicans campaign efforts would be stronger if they could overcome their differences.

“We would be a powerhouse working together,” he said.

Vote the ballot bottom up 

While a race to the White House drives turnout, some voters won’t make it through the extensive list of questions and races.

So The Citizens Project, a nonpartisan group, is encouraging voters to work their ballot from the bottom up instead of top down, so they see the local questions that can have a direct effect on day-to-day lives, Executive Director Mike Williams said.

The group is also focused on encouraging turnout in southeast Colorado Springs, an area with some of the lowest voter participation, he said.

“Legislators forget about the areas that aren’t turning out to vote,” he said.

Volunteers sent 7,000 postcards to voters in that area under 30 to try and reach them. Residents who receive a combination of outreach efforts are more likely to participate, Williams

The group is also going door todoor to help educate voters with people who speak both Spanish and English. They are also translating their issue guide into Spanish, he said. Some of the key points have been about the questions that would remove the ban on gay marriage and introduce ranked-choice voting.

Those interested in hearing from candidates in local races can find recorded forums on the League of Women Voters in the Pikes Peak Region website. The recordings typically draw 500 to 700 views within the first week. The league has also done 10 ballot question forums reviewing the pros and cons, said Shelly Roehrs, a spokeswoman for the local league.

“The league is dedicated to empowering voters in every race,” she said.

The flurry of campaigning and the anxiety of a presidential election is expected to drive high turnout this year.

El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker said he expects to see 90% turnout locally, above the 83% turnout the county saw in 2020, and the 85% in 2016.