Most Denverites had a thin ballot this year. But not if you were among the 956 registered voters in the Denargo Market Metropolitan Tax District. Yours was a tome and most of you didn't bother participating.
That district's voters had 18 items to consider regarding whether and how to tax themselves.
Every vote mattered. After all, just over 30 of those people's votes had been counted as of 10 p.m., three hours after polls closed.
So what is Denargo Market and why is it on so few people's ballots?
Denargo Market is a 17-acre mixed-use community that will include four acres of open space, new apartments and condos, offices and retail galore.
All the infrastructure to support that big project costs money, and the tax district is the funding mechanism that can make all that happen.
Because of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, the 956 registered voters in the district had the chance to decide whether or not to impose taxes on themselves.
The tax hikes were split into separate ballot items: Denargo Market District 2 Ballot Issue 6A through Denargo Market District 2 Ballot Issue 6R.
The text for each was dense and pretty inaccessible.
The vast majority of people who could have voted didn't, and some people who voted on a few items seem to have tuckered out before weighing in on them all.
The margins between winners and losers are tight.
As of 10 p.m., the most popular measure, which was ahead by six votes, was Denargo Market District 2 Ballot Issue 6Q -- a measure that would allow the Metropolitan District to enter into intergovernmental agreements with public entities to finance the project.
The least popular was Denargo Market District 2 Ballot Issue 6C, losing by five votes. That is a $5 million tax hike to pay for the tax district's administration, maintenance and capital expenses.
One tax hikes was tied between 16 yes and 16 no votes, and others were winning or losing by a single vote.
So what happens if there's a tie?
"If there is a tie there will be a recount," explained Ryan Jeffers, a spokesperson for Denver Elections. "If after a recount the result is still tied, the measure fails."
We'll check back in the morning to see if another dozen people's votes got counted on any of these issues.
