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After months of debate and community conversation, the city’s balloting on the Steamboat 700 annexation has ended.

The mail-only vote went more smoothly than the often-heated discussions about the issue. The Steamboat 700 balloting represented effective cooperation between the city and the county. That type of teamwork between local municipalities isn’t unusual, but it is impressive. We’re encouraged by the simplicity and orderliness of this vote.

The city didn’t have much time to put the vote on Referendum A together. The Let’s Vote group filed its successful petition in November, and the Steamboat Springs City Council voted unanimously Dec. 15 to put the issue to a public vote.

Two months later, ballots were in the mail to registered voters.

The time frame was efficient — as prescribed by law — and provided ample time for voters to get plenty of information about the proposed annexation.

Turnout was good for the area’s second mail-only election, at 64 percent of voters. That’s not surprising, given that this election had the potential to change the face of the city. And voters seemed to be more comfortable with how things worked after the first run in the fall, which shows that the cost-saving postal method is the way to go.

One slightly worrisome element about the Steamboat 700 vote was the younger voter turnout. Although final demographic figures weren’t available Tuesday night, information last week showed that voters younger than 35 had cast only 14 percent of the ballots. That age group accounts for about 32 percent of the total voter pool in Steamboat.

Younger people in the community have been absent in past major conversations, as well. For example, only 29 percent of those who participated in Routt County’s Vision 2030 project, aimed at guiding the valley’s future, were younger than 40. Of that, 18 percent were age 30 to 39, 7 percent were age 20 to 29 and 4 percent were younger than 20.

The lack of engagement for that younger group is difficult to explain. It is ironic in the Steamboat 700 annexation vote, given that the development was meant partly to meet housing needs for young people who want to raise their families here. The question of the low young voter turnout deserves examination from the community, particularly as we explore how to move forward with growth and attainable housing in Steamboat Springs. We encourage those young people to jump in and participate in the discussion.

Regardless, we applaud everyone who did get informed and weigh in on this crucial issue for our community.

We extend particular thanks to city and county staff members. City Clerk Julie Franklin and city legal assistant Lynn Donaldson, acting as chief election deputy, led the city’s election efforts. Members of Franklin’s staff and front desk staff at City Hall became certified election judges to receive ballots. Routt County Clerk and Recorder Kay Weinland and her staff, including Elections Supervisor Vicki Weber, were instrumental on the county end.

They all worked to make the vote a seamless one.