Colorado

All Colorado Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) are open from 7am to 7pm Mountain time on Election Day.  

VSPC’s are also open for early voting (see below).

Every registered voter in Colorado is automatically mailed a ballot. Voters have ALL the options: drop it off, mail it back, or vote in person:

• If you are mailing it back, get it in the mail no later than the 8^th day before Election Day. It must be received by 7pm on Election Day – postmarks don’t count! 
• Drop it off at any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) or 24-hour drop box in the state. Drop boxes begin to open 15 days before Election Day and remain open 24/7 until 7pm on Election Day.
• Vote in person at any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) in your county; locations begin to open 15 days before Election Day. A voter may register and vote in person at any VSPC in their county on Election Day. A voter must be in line at a VSPC by 7pm on Election Day & bring ID with them (acceptable forms of ID listed below).

Find a Voter Service and Polling Center or 24-hour drop box: JustVoteColorado.org

Mail ballot info:

• The mail ballot does not need to be surrendered if a voter decides to vote at a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC).
• If the mail ballot did not arrive, the voter can register online by the 8^th day before Election Day to still receive a ballot in the mail, or the voter can go in person to register & vote at a VSPC in their county through 7pm on Election Day.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Colorado if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Be a resident of Colorado for 22 days before Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in Colorado if:

• You are in prison for a felony conviction.

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

You may preregister to vote in Colorado

• At the age of 15

How to register 

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

To be eligible to vote in the Colorado General Election, you must be…

• a US citizen
• at least 18 years of age by Election Day
• live in Colorado at least 22 days before Election Day.
• not currently serving time for a felony conviction

Students, unaffiliated voters, and people without fixed addresses have the right to vote in Colorado.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

To get registered to vote, or update your address, voters can register online at GoVoteColorado.gov by the 8^th day before Election Day to receive a ballot in the mail. The voter may use the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number to register online, or their Colorado license/ID/permit.

Voters may visit any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) in their county beginning on the 15^th day before Election Day  to register to vote/ update their registration, and vote/obtain their ballot. A voter may register and vote in person at any VSPC in their county on Election Day. The voter must bring an acceptable form of ID with them in order to vote (Colorado license/ID/permit, or any ID from the list of acceptable IDs below). 

Other options

• Voters can visit their County Clerk’s office to register; if they do so by the 8^th day before Election Day, the voter will be mailed a ballot.

Voters can print off a voter registration form at GoVoteColorado.gov and return it to their County Clerk’s office by mail, fax, scan and email, or drop it off in person. If the form is received by the Clerk’s office by the 8^th day before Election Day, the voter will be mailed a ballot.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

All registered Colorado voters are automatically sent a mail ballot. Colorado does not use absentee ballots. Voters can vote by mail, in-person, or drop off their ballot. Ballots begin to be mailed out to voters 22 days before Election Day. 

Early Voting

Voters may vote in person before Election Day at any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) beginning on the 15th day before Election Day through Election Day. Voters can find the location of VSPCs here: JustVoteColorado.org 

VOTERS WHO ARE TEMPORARILY OUT-OF-STATE

Voters who need their ballot sent to a temporary address out-of-state or a temporary Colorado address may update the “address to mail ballot” online at GoVoteColorado.gov by the 8^th day before Election Day; for out-of-state voters who will need to return the ballot by mail, this update should be made with enough time to receive the ballot & return it by mail by the 8^th day before Election Day  to ensure it’s received in time. This address will be used only for the current election; if the voter would like future ballots to be sent to this address, they must make that update at least 8 days before each election. The voter may also update their mailing address to apply to all elections & election-related mail, if it is a mailing address they anticipate remaining the same election-to-election (like a PO Box, for example).

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Colorado you should provide one of the following:

• Your Colorado Driver’s License Number
• Valid ID card issued by the Department of Revenue

If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Or, state that you do not have the requested ID number/s

If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide a copy of a valid ID. Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Valid Colorado Driver’s License except one issued to an individual that is not a United States citizen
• Valid ID card issued by the Department of Revenue
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Employee Photo ID from Federal or State government
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Pilot’s ID
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
• Medicare or Medicaid Card issued by the government
• Certified Copy of US Birth Certificate
• Certified Copy of Naturalization Document
• Valid Student ID
• Any Valid ID Issued by US Department of Veterans Affairs
• Valid Tribal ID
• Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native blood

Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. Utility bills should be current within 60 days of the Election.

Voting In-Person

In Colorado, you need to show a valid ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:

• Written correspondence from the county sheriff indicating the voter is confined in jail or detention facility
• Valid ID with photo issued by a Government Agency
• Valid ID card issued by the Department of Revenue
• Valid Colorado Driver’s License
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Pilot’s ID
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
• Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native blood
• Medicare or Medicaid Card Issued by the Government
• Certified (Copy) of US Birth Certificate
• Certified (Copy) of Naturalization Document
• Veteran Health ID Issued by US Department of Veterans Affairs
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Student ID
• Verification that you are a Resident of a Group Residential Facility
• Verification that you are Committed to the Department of Human Services, and Eligible to Register and Vote

If the ID you use has an address, it must be an address from Colorado. Utility bills should be current within 60 days of the Election. A driver’s license or identification card issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. is not an acceptable form of ID. Any document produced by Colorado’s statewide voter registration system is not an acceptable form of ID for voting.

IN-PERSON VOTING ID REQUIREMENT

Voters must bring ID with them to vote in person. Digital and physical forms are accepted. It does not have to be a photo ID. A full list of acceptable identification can be found at Acceptable Forms of Identification (coloradosos.gov). 

MAIL BALLOT ID REQUIREMENT

A voter’s mail ballot may contain information requiring them to enclose a copy of an acceptable ID. They should check to see if their ballot contains this requirement. If it does, they should enclose a photocopy or printed photo of an acceptable ID (black & white is acceptable). 

If they are unable to do so, they can vote in person with their ID, or they may submit their ballot without the required ID. In that case, they will be contacted by mail with instructions to submit an acceptable ID within 8 days after the Election in order for their ballot to be counted. They may submit the ID via “TXT2CURE” by snapping a picture on their phone and uploading it digitally. They may also submit the ID by fax, mail, or email; it must be received within 8 days after Election Day. 

VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE WITH NO ID

If a voter tries to register to vote in person but does not have verifiable identification, they have the right to vote a provisional ballot. After Election Day, an election official will review the provisional ballot to verify the voter’s eligibility to vote. If the voter is eligible, his or her ballot will be counted. Voters must not be denied the right to vote due to lack of ID.

A voter who moves within the state can still receive a mail ballot if they update their registration online at Go Vote Colorado by the 8^th day before Election Day; they can use the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number or their Colorado license/ID/permit to update their registration. 
A voter may also visit a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) in their county beginning by the 15th day before Election Day; to update their registration and vote/ obtain a ballot. A voter may update their address and vote in person at any VSPC in their county on Election Day. Find a location at JustVoteColorado.org.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Your Colorado Driver’s License Number
• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Or, state that you do not have the requested ID number/s

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Your Colorado Driver’s License Number
• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Or, state that you do not have the requested ID number/s

The voter can register as a Uniformed Overseas Citizens and Absentee Voting Act voter in two ways:

1. Online:

If the voter is updating a current CO voter registration record, the voter can look up their voter record on the Secretary of State’s website and use either the last 4 digits of their SSN or their Colorado license/ID/permit to make the update.

The voter should enter in their name, zip code, and birthdate and click “submit.” This should bring up the voter’s voter record. Under voter information, click “change my address.” Enter the voter’s Colorado driver’s license or ID number and click “submit.” At the bottom of the form, the voter will see “UOCAVA Status.” The voter should indicate that they are a military or overseas voter, and how they would like their ballot to be delivered (mail, fax, or email). The voter should include their fax number, email address, and/or mailing address that corresponds with the delivery option chosen.

See Military and Overseas Electors 

If the voter is registering for the first time, they can complete a voter registration application on GoVoteColorado.gov using their Colorado license/ID/permit if they have been issued one, or if not, the last 4 digits of their SSN. The voter should indicate that they are a military or overseas voter and how they would like their ballot to be delivered.

2. Via Mail, Fax, or Email:

The voter can complete and submit the Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request Federal Post Card Application.  Print, sign, and return the form to the voter’s county clerk and recorder’s office. A list of all county clerk and recorder’s offices in the state of Colorado can be found here.

In Colorado, individuals only lose their voting eligibility while they are actively serving a sentence of confinement for a felony conviction. Eligibility to vote is automatically restored once an individual has completed their full term of imprisonment, at which time the individual may register or re-register to vote. Individuals serving misdemeanor sentences, in pre-trial detention, on probation/parole, or with prior criminal records are all eligible to vote. Voters with Convictions FAQs