Voting in Colorado
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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.
This article includes the following information about voting policies in Colorado:
- Voter registration details, including deadlines and eligibility requirements.
- In-person voting details, including identification requirements, poll times, and early voting provisions.
- Absentee/mail-in voting deadlines and rules.
- Details about Voting rules for people convicted of a felony.
- Contact information election agencies.
- Summaries of noteworthy policy-related events.
See Election administration in Colorado for more additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.
Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.
Voter registration
The table below displays voter registration information specific to Colorado's 2024 election cycle.
Eligibility and registration details
- Check your voter registration status here.
In Colorado, an individual can register to vote if he or she is at least 16 years old and will be 18 by Election Day. A voter must be a citizen of the United States who has lived in Colorado at least 22 days prior to Election Day.[1]
Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a mail-in ballot, a voter must register at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.[1][2]
In-person voting
The table below displays in-person voting information specific to Colorado's 2024 election cycle.
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time for those who choose to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3][4]
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification when voting in person. If voting by mail for the first, a voter may also need to return a photocopy of his or her identification with his or her mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.
The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of April 2023. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.
| “ | The following documents are acceptable forms of identification:
Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. The following documents are also considered acceptable forms of identification for voting:
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” |
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Colorado uses a vote-by-mail system exclusively, so there is no need for explicit absentee or early voting procedures, except for those who cannot or do not wish to vote by mail. County clerks and recorders automatically send mail ballots to every elector in active status, starting 18 to 22 days before the election. The last day on which a county clerk can mail a ballot to a voter is eight days before the election. However, since electors can register to vote until the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, there are always some voters that cannot vote by mail ballot. Therefore, Colorado law requires county clerks to open and operate polling locations called Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) starting 15 days before the election through Election Day, excluding Sundays. For primary and November coordinated elections, VSPCs must be open starting 8 days before the election. Eligible voters can visit any VSPC in their county of residence to do any of the following:[7][8]
- Void their mail ballot to vote in person,
- Register to vote,
- Update an existing voter registration record,
- Obtain a mail ballot "over-the-counter," or
- Vote in person on paper ballots or accessible voting devices.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.[9]
Mail-in voting
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting and All-mail voting
The table below displays absentee voting information specific to Colorado's 2024 election cycle.
Colorado conducts what are commonly referred to as all-mail elections. In Colorado, voting is conducted primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, by mail. Election officials automatically distribute mail-in ballots to active electors starting 18 to 22 days before an election. Colorado law requires county clerks to operate polling locations (Voter Service and Polling Centers, or VSPCs) starting 15 days before an election and continuing through Election Day, excluding Sundays. At these locations, eligible voters can do any of the following:[10]
- void their mail-in ballots to vote in person,
- register to vote,
- update existing voter registration records,
- obtain mail-in ballots, or
- vote in person via paper ballots or accessible voting devices.
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In Colorado, people convicted of a felony are disenfranchised only as long as they are incarcerated; those on parole, probation, or with unpaid restitution and fines regain their right to vote.[11]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[12]
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Colorado can contact the following state and federal agencies.
Secretary of State Office
- Colorado Department of State
- 1700 Broadway
- Denver, CO 80290
- Telephone: 303-894-2200
- Fax: 303-869-4861
- Email: elections@sos.state.co.us
- http://www.sos.state.co.us/
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Telephone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
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- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
The Ballot Bulletin
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Recent issues
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- The Ballot Bulletin: May 31, 2024
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Ballotpedia's election coverage
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
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- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2024
See also
- 2024 election dates and deadlines
- Voter ID in Colorado
- Election administration in Colorado
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Colorado
Elections in Colorado
- Colorado elections, 2024
- Colorado elections, 2023
- Colorado elections, 2022
- Colorado elections, 2021
- Colorado elections, 2020
- Colorado elections, 2019
- Colorado elections, 2018
- Colorado elections, 2017
- Colorado elections, 2016
- Colorado elections, 2015
- Colorado elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Go Vote Colorado," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Mail-in Ballots FAQs," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "1-7-101," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ This information came directly from the Colorado Secretary of State's office via email on September 13, 2016.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Election Rules (8 CCR 1505-1)," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ On February 23, 2024, Delaware Superior Court judge Mark Conner ruled that early voting was unconstitutional in the state, saying that the laws were "inconsistent with our constitution and therefore cannot stand." On February 29, lawmakers introduced legislation, SB3, to restore in-person early voting. On February 27, Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D) announced that she would appeal the decision to the Delaware Supreme Court and said, "We will file our appeal quickly and intend to request a decision from the Delaware Supreme Court so that voters have final clarity in time for the September primaries."
- ↑ This information came directly from the Colorado Secretary of State's office via email on September 13, 2016.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State Gena Griswold, "Voters with Convictions FAQs," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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