Updated at 12:57 p.m. Nov. 7

Colorado’s unaffiliated voters turned out in record numbers and cast the most ballots in the 2018 midterm election, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Unaffiliateds cast 33.6 percent of ballots, topping Democrats (32.7 percent) and Republicans (32.2 percent).

Number of unaffiliated votes over Democrats: 20,983

Number of unaffiliated votes over Republicans: 32,009

Some 3.2 million ballots were mailed to active voters, according to the Secretary of State’s office, and 2,433,687 ballots have been returned — about 76 percent. In the last midterm election in 2014, 54.7 percent of eligible Coloradans voted.

About 71.3 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2016 presidential election.

Democratic women cast the most ballots:

Democratic women: 19.9 percent

Unaffiliated men: 17.5 percent

Republican men: 16.9 percent

Unaffiliated women: 16.4 percent

Republican women: 16.1 percent

Democratic men: 13.3 percent

Overall, women returned 99,343 more ballots than men, 51.5 percent to 47.4 percent.

Of the ballots returned from registered Democrats, 59 percent are women and 40 percent are men. That’s the biggest disparity among the groups, with Republicans showing a 3 percent difference — 51 percent from men vs 48 percent from women — and unaffiliated voters a 4 percent difference, 51 percent men to 47 percent women.

While Republicans aged 41-60 have returned the most ballots — 298,157 — unaffiliated voters make up two of the next three largest blocs:

– Unaffiliated aged 41-60: 283,472

– Democratic aged 41-60: 260,833

– Unaffiliated aged 26-40: 230,578

Voters aged 41-60 have returned the most ballots.

Denver Post Voter Guide

Read all of The Denver Post’s election coverage — including stories, endorsements and candidate Q&As — in our 2018 Voter Guide.

Denver Post reporter Jon Murray contributed to this story.