Denver Opens Westwood Voting Center to Boost Turnout
Re:Vision, a Southwest Denver food insecurity nonprofit, turned its facility into a voting center to address low ballot return rates.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Civic Engagement
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Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López and Re:Vision opened a voting center in Westwood. The nonprofit transformed its Southwest Denver facility into a vote center with nearby drop boxes to close turnout gaps across the city.
Why it matters
Voter turnout in Denver varies sharply by neighborhood, with some areas returning ballots at far lower rates than affluent parts of the city. The initiative aims to reduce that inequity by bringing voting access and registration education closer to residents in lower-turnout areas.
In the 2024 general election, ballot return rates reached roughly 85% in Wash Park, Belcaro, and Cherry Creek but only about 54% in Westwood. Precincts south of 17th Street on the West Side and down to about Dartmouth turned out below 50%, and it is not yet known how much the new center will narrow that gap.
The players
Paul López
Paul López is the Denver Clerk and Recorder who helped open the Westwood voting center.
Re:Vision
Re:Vision is a Denver food insecurity nonprofit that converted its Southwest Denver facility into a voting center.
The details
Re:Vision transformed its Southwest Denver facility into a voting center that includes a vote center and nearby drop boxes. The nonprofit also aims to educate the public on voter registration in English and Spanish, targeting low-turnout areas including Globeville, Elyria, Swansea, and parts of the West Side.
Timeline
2024: General election ballot return rates measured across Denver neighborhoods.
2026: Former 2024 participants returned to vote.
Civic Engagement Gap
The 2024 general election showed ballot return rates near 85% in Wash Park, Belcaro, and Cherry Creek against roughly 54% in Westwood. The Westwood voting center is a direct effort to narrow that documented gap.
Residents in Westwood and nearby low-turnout areas can now cast ballots and drop them off closer to home. Voters in these neighborhoods can also receive voter registration help in English and Spanish at the new center.
The takeaway
Voting access depends heavily on where you live, and local partnerships like this one show how community organizations can help close that gap. Residents who are not yet registered or have not voted recently can check their options with the county clerk before the next election.
Further reading
Explore more on Civic Engagement to see how voter access efforts are reaching Denver's underrepresented neighborhoods.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH).
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