CO: Snow to Have Little Effect on Caucuses

By Josh White
The metro Denver area received as much as nine inches of snow Monday night and parts of eastern Colorado could see another half-foot by this afternoon as a strong storm moves out of the state. But state party officials said the snow probably won't deter hardy Colorado voters accustomed to winter weather.

"We're old hands at the snow," said Bill Compton, political director for the Colorado Democratic Party. "It doesn't stop us. We're still predicting record turnouts."

Phones have been ringing off the hook this morning in Compton's office, mostly with inquiries about how to find caucus locations. The Colorado Republican Party's phone line rang busy for more than an hour Tuesday morning.

By 11 a.m local time, the snow had moved out of Denver and crews were clearing the roads. While some schools were closed and others were operating on shorter hours, the state's caucuses were scheduled to open on time at 7 p.m.

"We're just hoping all the locations can handle all the people," Compton said. "We've never encountered this before. The interest in this state for this presidential election is nothing short of extraordinary."