Municipal elections vs. "American Idol" voting

Voters cast their ballots in the entertainment sector more than in a local election.

Boulder County expected about 35 percent of voters to cast their votes in the 2009 municipal election. However, by 7:00 p.m. when the voting ended, 43,587 people turned in their ballots to make turnout about 24 percent.

Popular reality television shows like "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars" give viewers the opportunity to vote for their favorite performer. In the 2009 season of "American Idol," 112 million people voted in the final—a relatively large number when the United States has a total population of 300 million.

The 2008 presidential election brought out a surprisingly high number of registered voters, but local elections do not have as much funding to widely advertise the ballot issues and candidates.

More ballots will be counted throughout the evening for final election results.
Election results