Erie results

Ballot Question 2A, fluoridation

Yes 1,570 51.5%

No 1,481 48.5%

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Voters in Erie decided Tuesday they want fluoride in their water and a new face in town government...

In the final weeks leading up to Tuesday's election, a vocal group of fluoridation opponents emerged and sent mailers to voters urging them to defeat the measure.

Erie, with its 16,000 residents, has been one of the last municipalities in the Denver metro area not to add fluoride to its water.

While disappointed with the outcome on Ballot Question 2A, Erie resident Susan Augustoni said she is glad that the effort she and the Committee for Clean Water in Erie made to warn people about the dangers of fluoridation brought the final margin to within 100 votes.

"I'm really proud of the group, and we had a lot of support," Augustoni said. "There's enough research out there about fluoridation that it caused people concern."

Fluoridation opponents argue that ingesting fluoride yields little dental benefit and may result in a litany of health problems.

Major public health agencies in the United States have declared the practice to be an effective tool against tooth decay.

Nearly three-quarters of Coloradans on municipal water have fluoridated water, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.