Colorado

Election Day: 

On Election Day, Voter Service and Polling Centers (“VSPCs”) will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time.  If a voter is in line at or before 7:00 p.m., the polling center must remain open until the voter has cast their vote.

In Colorado, voters are also permitted to vote prior to Election Day.  All active registered voters will receive a mail ballot, which they can mail in or drop off at a designated ballot drop box or VSPC.  Alternatively, if a voter wants to vote in person, they can visit a VSPC in their county.  Prior to Election Day, VSPC and ballot drop box hours may vary.  Visit one of the links to find a VSPC or drop-off location in the correct county and to verify its hours: County Election Offices or Just Vote Colorado.

How to Find Your Polling Place: 

To find a VSPC in your county, visit County Election Offices or Just Vote Colorado.

Registration Deadlines: 

Voters can register up to and on Election Day, so long as they have been in the state for 22 days immediately before the election.

However, for a voter to receive a mail ballot, the voter must submit their paper registration/update form or online registration/update eight days before Election Day.  For the 2020 elections, the deadline to register and receive a ballot by mail is October 26th for the November 3rd general election.

Beginning October 12th, some VSPCs may be open, but most will open on October 19th.  They will remain open through Election Day and voters can go to any VSPC in the county where they live and update their registration to receive a regular ballot.  To verify a location’s dates and hours, visit: County Election Offices or Just Vote Colorado. 

How to Check Your Registration:  To view and update voter registration information, visit: https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/findVoterReg.xhtml.  Search for voter registration by entering the requested information, then click “Search”.  To edit voter registration, a voter must provide their social security number, driver’s license number, or ID card number.  Alternatively, a voter can contact their county clerk and recorder’s office. 

Registration Eligibility:  In order to be eligible to vote in Colorado, a voter must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Have resided in Colorado 22 days immediately before Election Day;
• Be at least 18 years of age or older on Election Day; and 
• Not be serving a sentence of confinement or detention for a felony conviction. 

How to Register: 

A voter can register to vote in Colorado in one of the following ways:

1. Online (requires a valid Colorado driver’s license or Colorado Department of Revenue ID)
Register to vote online using the Colorado Secretary of State’s website:  https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/verifyNewVoter.xhtml.

2. Mail, Fax, or Email
   Fill out and sign the Colorado voter registration application located at: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/vote/VoterRegFormEnglish.pdf.  Print, sign, and return the form to the county clerk and recorder’s office. 
3. In Person

Voter registration is also offered at:

• The County Clerk and Recorder’s office in your county.
• A Colorado Department of Motor Vehicle office when you apply for a driver’s license, renew, or update your driver’s license information.
• All offices that provide public assistance, including offices of state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities.
• Recruitment offices of the U.S. armed forces.
• All federal post offices.
• Any federal, state, or local government office or nongovernment office that chooses to provide voter registration service or applications.  
• A Voter Service and Polling Center.

Identification Required for Registration:  If a voter has a Colorado driver’s license or ID card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue, they must provide that when they register.  If they do not have one of those documents, they may register using the last four digits of their social security number.  If a voter has none of the above, they may register by mail, fax, email or in person without identification, but must provide a form of identification if they vote in person at a VSPC, or a photocopy of their identification when they return their mail ballot.

If You Want to Vote Early 

Mail ballots are sent out to every registered active voter, beginning 22 days before Election Day; there is no need to request one.  Simply fill out the ballot once it arrives and put it back in the mail or drop it off at a designated location or VSPC in the county. For a voter to receive a mail ballot, the voter must submit their paper registration/update form or online registration/update eight days before Election Day (October 26th, 2020 for the November 3rd, 2020 election).  

The signature on every mail ballot envelope is verified, and once verified, all mail ballots are counted.  Be sure to sign the envelope when the mail ballot is returned.

Voter Services and Polling Centers are open in every county 15 days before the election (starting October 19th).  Voters can register and vote during this period at any VSPC in their county. To find the nearest VSPC, visit County Election Offices or Just Vote Colorado.

Your mail ballot must be received by the county elections office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.  If you are not sure if your ballot will arrive in time, drop it off in person.  To find the nearest ballot drop-off location, visit County Election Offices or Just Vote Colorado.

Identification Requirements to Cast a Ballot 

One of the following forms of ID is required to vote in person.  In addition, voters voting by mail for the first time who did not register online or show an ID when they registered must provide a photocopy of their identification with their mail ballot.  If they receive a mail ballot and are required to provide a photocopy of their ID, the ballot will be marked to indicate this requirement.

• • A valid Colorado driver’s license; 
  • A valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue (except for cards issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals);
  • A valid U.S. passport; 
  • A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the voter issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado; 
  • A valid pilot’s license issued by the FAA or other authorized agency of the U.S.; 
  • A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the voter;
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter.  “Current” means that the date of the document is within 60 days of the date it is submitted for unless the document states a longer billing cycle. 
  • A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood. 
  • A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration); 
  • A certified copy of a birth certificate for the voter issued in the U.S.; 
  • Certified documentation of naturalization; 
  • A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in Colorado;
  • A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ Health Administration with a photograph of the voter;
  • A valid ID card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership;
  • Verification that a voter is a person committed to the Colorado Department of Human Services and is eligible to register and vote; 
  • A letter from the director or administrator of a group residential facility indicating that the elector resides at the facility and at the street address listed in the voter registration database; or
  • Written correspondence from the county sheriff or their designee to the county clerk indicating that the elector is confined in a county jail or detention facility.

If the identification shows an address, it must show a Colorado address.   

A voter that is unable to provide a valid form of identification is still entitled to cast a provisional ballot.  However, provisional ballots are only counted upon identity verification, usually done by a state election official.

A voter can update their registration address by appearing at any VSPC in the voter’s current county of residence up to and on Election Day.  The voter may then vote at the same VSPC where the voter updated their registration.  To find a VSPC or verify its hours, visit County Election Offices or Just Vote Colorado. 

A voter can still receive a mail ballot if they update their registration online at www.govotecolorado.com (if you have a Colorado driver’s license, ID card, or social security number, click on “Find My Voter Registration,” fill out the form, and then click “Edit” to change the address), or by mail eight days before Election Day (October 26th is the deadline for the November 3rd general election).

Military and other overseas citizens may use the standard procedure for early voting by mail, but there are also special provisions for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Merchant Marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with family members of all these groups, and other citizens who reside outside the United States.  These individuals are known as UOCAVA voters.

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

UOCAVA voters can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to register to vote and to request an early ballot at the same time.  Visit here to access the FPCA. A voter can submit the FPCA by mail, email or fax.  To submit by mail, download and complete the FPCA and mail it to an election official.  To submit by email, scan the signed FPCA into a computer.  Be sure to include the Electronic Transmission Sheet.  Email this package directly to an election official. If a voter chooses to fax their FPCA to their election official, they also must include the Electronic Transmission Sheet.  To register for upcoming elections in Colorado, the FPCA must be mailed by November 3rd for the November 3rd general election. The FPCA must be received by the eighth day after Election Day.  

For more information, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) Colorado page.  The FVAP form is available here.

Receiving and casting an Absentee Ballot

UOCAVA voters may receive their absentee ballot by mail, email or fax.  They may submit their completed ballots the same way: by mail, email, or fax.  Ballots must be sent by Election Day: for the 2020 general election it must be sent by November 3rd at 7:00 p.m.  Ballots must be received by the eighth day after Election Day.

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot

The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a back-up ballot that can be used by all UOCAVA voters.  UOCAVA voters use the FWAB to write in their votes when they have not received their early voting ballot in time.  If a UOCAVA voter is not registered, the local election office will treat the information submitted in the FWAB transmission envelope as the voter’s registration application.  The FWAB form is available here.  FWAB ballots must be sent by Election Day; for the 2020 general election, it must be sent by November 3rd at 7:00 p.m.  They must be received by the eighth day after Election Day.

In Colorado, it is illegal to register to vote or cast a vote while serving a sentence of detention or confinement in a correctional facility, jail, or other location (which may include DOC inmate status, living in a community corrections halfway house or on non-residential status) for a felony conviction. Voters with misdemeanor convictions or those on probation or parole for a felony or misdemeanor conviction are eligible to vote. A voter has the right to vote after having served a sentence of detention or confinement.  In 2019, Colorado amended its election laws so that an individual serving a sentence of parole is eligible to register to vote and to vote in any election.  If a voter was previously registered, that registration will have been canceled and they must re-register to vote.  An individual currently serving a sentence in jail for a misdemeanor or being held in jail prior to trial on misdemeanor or felony charges CAN register and vote.  

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