Jeffco vote canvass gives Dist. 29 seat and House control to GOP
JEFFERSON COUNTY – The last race for Colorado’s was decided 16 days after the election when the Jeffco Clerk’s Office announced a final canvass of the Nov. 2 vote gave Republicans the House District 29 seat to Robert Ramirez, who beat incumbent Debbie Benefield by a 197-vote margin.
The results of the canvass, which was completed Thursday, gives the GOP a scant single-vote majority in the House. Democrats hold a 3-vote majority in the 356-member state Senate.
The results of the canvass, which is required by state law to verify election results, was completed one day before the 17-day deadline set by the legislature and includes determining the validity of provisional ballots, which are cast when there are questions about a voter’s eligibility, and verifying documentation filed with ballots from each of Jeffco’s 324 precincts as well as the ballot counting equipment used by the county.
“We’ve completed the required post-election procedures and we are pleased that this election has been completed and the final results have been certified,” said Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson.
The canvassed results for all races in Jeffco are posted on the Clerk and Recorder’s Election Division website, www.votejeffco.com.
The final House District 29 count gave Ramirez 12,738 votes to Benefield’s 12,541 votes. Ramirez’s margin is three times the number – one half of 1 percent – required to force a mandatory recount under state law, according to the County Clerk’s Office.
The outcome gives Republicans a 33-32 majority in the state House.
“The hard work begins and I will again be leaning on the many people I have met over the course of the election,” Ramirez said in a Webpage posting Friday. “Your needs, expertise and community knowledge will be very helpful in this upcoming legislative cycle. We have tough decisions to make and I know we can make the right decisions for Colorado.”
Benefield’s concession, also posted on the Web, focused on her family, volunteers, friends and supporters, thanking them for the “true honor and blessing” to be elected to the District 29 seat. She first was elected in 2004.
“I’m very proud of my contributions over the past six years to better our state and our district,” Benefield said in her concession posting. “I know that listening closely to you and collaborating with fellow legislators gave us the momentum to accomplish positive and productive change for the people of Colorado.”
