Denver mayor's and District 8 races just 36 hours away -- from the end of election round one

In just over 36 hours, the polls -- or at least the hands collecting mail-in ballots -- will close, and this first, endless round of the municipal election will finally be over. And then it will start all over again, as we move on to round two and the runoff.

At this point, who'll make that runoff is still up in the air: The only thing that's certain is that the two top vote-getters in the mayor's race will be the two people who convince the most voters to drop off their ballots in this all-mail election. Denver has just under 300,000 registered voters, and about 225,000 of those are considered active -- but that doesn't mean they've been active in this election, where the turnout thus far has been very light. That means the outcome could still shift... if those voters -- officially inactive or merely slow -- get moving.

The turnout is particularly key in District 8, where 38 write-in candidates are vying for the late Carla Madison's seat. Although it's impossible to imagine any one of them getting 50 percent of the vote -- the only way to avoid a run-off -- a bunch of loyal neighbors turning in their ballots could be enough to push someone into the runoff in that district.

It's too late to mail in a ballot, but you can still deliver them to one of the thirteen vote centers around the city. And if you didn't get your ballot, or can't find it, you can get a replacement ballot at one of those thirteen centers, which includes the Denver Elections Division office at 200 West 14th Avenue. The Denver Elections Division is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today; the dozen other vote centers are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. Tomorrow, all thirteen will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

When the next round begins.

More from our Calhoun: Wake-Up Call archive: "Denver mayor's race a mystery to those who aren't paying attention -- and those who are."