Colorado

Land Acknowledgement

Colorado is the home of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. It is also the traditional homeland of many tribes.

Overview

You can register to vote in Colorado via mail, online, or in person. Early voting begins October 18 and ends October 29. Your ballot must be received by the County Clerk by 7PM on Election Day. If you live in La Plata County or Montezuma County, the County Clerk must provide voting assistance in Ute.

Key Dates

October 17 - Start of absentee voting

October 31 - General Registration Deadline

October 31 - Last day to request an absentee ballot

November 8 - Election Day

November 8 - All ballots must be received by 7PM

November 8 - Can register in person & vote same day in person

Contacts

  • County Clerk

  • Secretary of State - call at (303) 894-2200 or fax at (303) 869-4861 or email at State.Election Division@sos.state.co.us

Colorado Voting Guide

Note: The information below is not legal advice on how to vote. Because voting information is changing rapidly during this election, make sure you check the links provided and check with your state about deadlines and voting specifics.

Registering to Vote

  • You can register to vote in person at a polling location on Election Day. If you register online, the last day is October 31. If you register by mail, it must be postmarked by October 31.

  • No, registration material is not generally available in an American Indian/Alaskan Native language. However, if you live in La Plata County or Montezuma County, the County Clerk must provide assistance with voter registration in Ute.

  • To register to vote, you need either a Colorado driver's license, a Colorado ID card, Social Security Number, or other forms of acceptable identification found here. This includes passports, employee ID cards, Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood, valid Medicare or Medicaid card, birth certificate, and valid Tribal ID. Any ID that shows an address must show a Colorado address.

  • Colorado defines residence as the principal or primary home or place in which a person lives. A residence is a permanent building or part of a building and may include a house, apartment, condominium, room in a house, or mobile home. You can register to vote if you are homeless. You may use any address within a specific county that you regularly return to and have the intent to remain. This may include a homeless shelter, a homeless service provider, a park, a campground, a vacant lot, a business address, or any other physical location. You must have a residence to register to vote. Once you establish a residence, it exists until you establish a new residence. You may not have more than one residence. You cannot use a P.O. box as a residential address. You may use it as a mailing address for voter registration purposes.

  • If you do not have an address for your residence, contact your county online. Remember, ballots are sent to your mailing address, which can be a P.O. Box.

  • You will need a Colorado driver's license or Colorado ID card in order to register to vote online. To obtain these IDs, a person will need to proof of their identity, Social Security Number, and a Colorado address. More information is available here. However, if you do not have a Colorado-issued ID or a Social Security Number, you can still register to vote by mail.

  • Yes, if you have a Colorado driver's license or ID card, you can register to vote online here.

  • No. However, you may email your application to your County Clerk. An application is available here. and your County Clerk's contact information is available here.

  • Yes, bring a completed voter registration application to your County Clerk and Recorder. An application is available here and your County Clerk's contact information is available here.

  • Yes, a voter registration application is available online here. Once you complete the application, you can mail it to your County Clerk and Recorder or to:

    Colorado Department of State Elections Division,
    1700 Broadway, Suite 200,
    Denver, CO 80290

    You can also register to vote in person through a voter registration drive.

  • Yes. You may register to vote if you are on probation for either a misdemeanor or felony, are a pretrial detainee awaiting trial, are currently in jail serving a misdemeanor sentence only, or are no longer serving a term of imprisonment due to a felony conviction. If you were previously registered and were incarcerated due to a felony conviction, that registration will have been canceled and you must re-register if you wish to vote.

  • Contact your County Clerk and Recorder. You can find a list with contact information here.

    You may also contact the Secretary of State's office:

    Phone: (303) 894-2200
    Fax: (303) 869-4861
    Email: State.Election Division@sos.state.co.us

  • In order to receive a ballot in the mail, you must register by October 31. Voter registration applications received on or after October 31 will be processed, but you must visit a Voter Service and Polling Place to receive a ballot. You may register and vote up and until Election Day.

  • Yes, under federal law you can assist someone in registering to vote if they do not speak English well, if they have trouble reading or writing, or if they have a disability.

Checking & Updating Voter Registration

  • You can check your voter registration using this website.

  • Contact your County Clerk

  • You can update your voter registration by using the registration form. When complete, you can mail, email, or deliver this form to your County Clerk.

    Find your County Clerk's office.

    You can also update your voter registration online

  • Maybe. If you did not vote in the last election, you do not need to re-register.

    However, if your ballot was mailed and returned as ""undeliverable"" in the last election, you are considered an ""inactive"" voter. If your voter registration record is marked ""inactive"" and you fail to update your registration record, and fail to respond to any mailed confirmation cards, and fail to vote in two consecutive general elections, then the County Clerk and Recorder will cancel your registration record, and you will have to re-register to vote.

    If you aren't sure, please check to see if you are still registered by calling your County Clerk or looking online.

Voting by Mail/Absentee/Ballot Drop-Off

  • If you are already registered to vote, a mail-in ballot will automatically be sent to you between October 17 and October 21. The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot is October 31.

  • Yes. Please check that you have filled out all required fields and signed your ballot. USPS recommends you mail in your ballot a week before the deadline to ensure your ballot is received on time. However, please factor in your personal experience with mail delivery times to and from your place of residence or where you drop off your ballot.

  • Ballots are automatically mailed to you between October 17 and October 21 if you are registered to vote. If you are not registered to vote by then, or if your mailing address needs to be corrected, do so by October 31.

  • No.

  • Yes.

  • You must request a mail-in ballot by October 31 in order to receive your ballot in the mail. Your County Clerk will then mail your ballot within one business day after receiving your request.

  • Ballots will automatically be sent out between October 17 and October 21 if you are already a registered voter. If you registered by October 31, you will receive your ballot in the mail. If you registered after October 31, you can vote in person.

  • Your ballot will be sent to the mailing address provided when you register to vote. You may use a P.O. Box as a mailing address.

  • Yes.

  • Ballots must be received by the County Clerk at 7PM on Election Day. If you are mailing your ballot, you should do so as far in advance as possible to make sure it arrives on time.

  • Yes, you can drop your ballot off at a ballot drop box or a Voter Service and Polling Center.

    Find ballot box locations here.

  • Yes, a voter may choose anyone to return their ballot, by mail or personal delivery. However, anyone delivering ballots for another may not deliver more than 10 mail ballots in any election.

  • No. Ballots may only be sent through USPS or dropped at a specified location.

  • No.

  • Every valid mail ballot is counted. Be sure to sign the envelope when you return your mail ballot. Your County Clerk must receive your ballot no later than 7PM on Election Day. If you are not sure if your ballot will arrive in time, drop it off in person. Contact your County Clerk and recorder for drop-off and drop-box locations.

    If you recently registered for the first time, you may need to provide a copy of your ID along with your mail ballot. Your County Clerk will have provided instructions about the ID requirement along with your ballot.

  • Yes, you can track your ballot online using this website.

    You can also sign up to get text messages, emails, or phone messages regarding your ballot's status.

  • Contact your County Clerk and Recorder

Voting In-Person

  • Locate the polling places for your county by visiting your County Clerk's website.

  • Yes, in two Colorado counties - La Plata and Montezuma - polling places must provide translated voting information in the Ute language.

  • If you'd rather not use a mail ballot, you can vote early in person at any voter service and polling center in your county. These centers will be open Monday, October 24, through Monday, November 7 (and on Election Day). They are closed October 29, October 30, and November 6. Vote center locations can be found on GoVoteColorado.gov through the lookup tool, which will go live a few weeks before the election.

  • You will need to provide identification to vote at the polls. This can be a Colorado Driver's license, State ID, Tribal ID, or any of the following listed here.

  • You can obtain a Colorado driver's license or identification card from the Department of Revenue.

    You can also vote with an identification card issued by a federally-recognized tribal government.

  • Yes, a voter whose registration cannot be confirmed, or who does not show the required identification, may vote on a provisional ballot.

  • Yes. Under federal law (Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act), you are entitled to bring anyone you trust, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, to the polling place AND into the polling booth to assist with voting. However, that person may not be your employer, running in the election, or a representative of your labor union. The person giving assistance also may not tell the voter how to vote.

  • Contact your County Clerk and Recorder's office.