It was a low-tech election with most of the votes cast before Election Day. And the hallmarks of the 2008 vote — paper ballots and mail voting — are likely to set the tone for years to come.

"The paper ballot system seems to be the technology that will be relied on for the near future," Denver Elections Director Michael Scarpello said Wednesday.

Next Wednesday, a panel of election administrators, lawyers and public officials will meet at the Colorado Capitol to begin identifying ways to improve voting in Colorado. The Election Reform Commission is led by outgoing Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver.

"To the extent that we want to try to have elections run smoothly in the future, we should try to reduce our dependence on technology," Gordon said.

Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle, a member of the reform commission, said he will suggest simplifying the way elections are run and increasing the use of mail voting.

Denver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley, also a member of the reform commission, has pushed a different agenda — creating as many ways as possible to make voting more convenient.

Paul Hultin, another reform commission member, is a local lawyer who sued former Secretary of State Gigi Dennis in 2006 to block electronic voting.

Hultin called the 2008 election "a giant step forward because of the very significant reduction in electronic voting, both in Colorado and around the country."

kimm@RockyMountain News.com or 303-954-2361