DENVER (AP) -- Colorado Republicans have so far cast more than 2,000 more ballots than Democrats since voting by mail began in the state.

Voting by mail began Monday and the Secretary of State's office said Friday that so far 25,377 people have cast ballots. Of those, 10,884 are Republicans, and 8,516 are Democrats. Another 5,727 are unaffiliated voters.

Most of the mailed ballots so far come from conservative Douglas County, where 4,495 people have already voted. In competitive Larimer County, 3,899 voters have mailed their ballots.

Early voting begins Monday.

Republicans have a slight edge in registration over Democrats, with 1,157,083 voters compared to 1,150,527. More are registered as unaffiliated, with 1,293,492.