|
Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its election administration. |
Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Colorado:
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.[2][3]
In Colorado, an individual can pre-register to vote if they are at least 15 years old. Voters must be at least 18 years old to vote in any election. A voter must be a citizen of the United States and have established residence in Colorado to vote.[4]
Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a absentee/mail-in ballot, a voter must register online, through the mail, at a voter registration agency, or driver's license examination facility at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter that registers through a voter registration drive must submit their application no later than 22 days before the election to automatically receive an absentee/mail-in ballot. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.[4][5]
Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and certain other state agencies.
Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person.
Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.
Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.
The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
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:[6][7]
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/mail-in 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.
As Colorado uses a vote-by-mail system, there is no need for absentee ballots.[8]
Ballots in Colorado can be returned to the voter’s county clerk by mail or in person at designated drop-off locations. Ballots must be received by a county clerk by 7:00 p.m. on election day to be counted. Voters who are unable to return their ballot may designate another person to return it for them.[2][9]
Voters in Colorado are required to sign an affirmation statement on the envelope containing their ballot in order for their vote to be counted. If an election judge determines that the signature on the affirmation statement does not match the voter’s signature on file in the statewide voter registration system, the ballot will be set aside without being counted.[10]
Colorado law has a cure provision that allows voters to correct an issue with the signature on their ballot. After a signature is found to be deficient, the county clerk must send a notice to the voter explaining the issue within three days and no later than the second day after the election. If the voter returns the form by the eighth day after the election, confirming that they submitted a ballot and providing a copy of his or her identification, the ballot will be counted.[10]
Voters can use the Go Vote Colorado website provided by the Colorado Secretary of State to check the status of their ballot and update their voter registration information.
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 July 2024. 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:
|
” |
As of April 2024, 35 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 24 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
Voters in Colorado are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.[13]
1) If the voter’s "eligibility to vote is not immediately established on Election Day," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
2) If the "statewide voter registration system shows that the voter already voted in the election," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
3) If the "voter did not present an approved form of identification when required," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
In each of the above circumstances, the voter must "complete a provisional ballot affidavit that includes a voter registration form."
A provisional ballot is counted if the voter completes the provisional ballot affidavit and the voter’s eligibility is confirmed by an election official.
A provisional ballot is rejected in the following circumstances:[13]
According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s website, "Provisional ballots are verified and counted after regular ballots. Counting is completed no later than 9 days after a primary, general, odd-year, or coordinated election. The Secretary of State may also designate an alternate period of time if it is deemed necessary."[13]
After casting a provisional ballot, the voter is given a receipt that explains how the voter can determine the status of his or her provisional ballot.[13]
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. |
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.
Colorado utilizes a semi-closed primary system. According to Section 1-7-201 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, " An eligible unaffiliated elector, including a preregistrant who is eligible under section 1-2-101 (2)(c), is entitled to vote in the primary election of a major political party without affiliating with that political party."[14][15][16]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
In Colorado, employers must allow employees up to two hours to vote in an election, remunerated despite absence, and at the beginning or end of employees’ shifts if so requested. Employees must give notice at least one day before the election in which they are requesting time off to vote.[17]
As of September 2024, 28 states required employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies varied as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.
In Colorado, people convicted of a felony are disenfranchised so long as they are incarcerated; those on parole, probation, or with unpaid restitution and fines regain their right to vote.[18]
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.[19]
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[20] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[21]
Colorado law authorizes county election officials to remove individuals from the voter registration list if the individual:[22]
If mail sent to a voter by a Colorado election official is returned undeliverable, state law requires the county election official to place the voter on the inactive registration list and send them a confirmation card requesting that the voter verify or update their address information. Inactive voters are authorized to vote under Colorado law. If a voter remains on the inactive list through the next two general elections, their registration is to be canceled.[23]
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."[24]
By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of May 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.[25]
As of July 2024, Colorado was participating in the ERIC program.
Colorado state law requires post-election audits. County election officials conduct a risk-limiting audit (RLA). The secretary of state selects the risk limit for the election being audited, which includes a target contest with at least one statewide contest and one other contest. "The RLA will continue until the risk limit for the target contests is met or until a full hand count results. The audit report submitted to the Secretary of State must include any discrepancies found and the corresponding ballot images," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The audit is conducted before the canvass. The audit report must be submitted to the secretary of state’s office by 5 p.m. one day before the canvass deadline.[26]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[27][28]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
As of October 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia had some form of post-election audit by law. Of these, 35 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, while six states required risk-limiting post-election audits by law. Eight states used some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.[29][30]
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Colorado.
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Colorado. The following information is included for each bill:
Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
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.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
In order to get on the ballot in Colorado, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Colorado. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Colorado's eight United States Representatives and 100 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[31][32][33][34]
Colorado was apportioned eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, one more than it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Colorado after the 2020 census.
On November 6, 2018, Colorado voters approved two constitutional amendments, Amendment Y and Amendment Z, establishing separate non-politician commissions for congressional and state legislative redistricting. Each commission consists of four members belonging to the state's largest political party, four members belonging to the state's second-largest party, and four members belonging to no party. Commission members are appointed by a panel of three judges selected by the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. The amendment requires at least eight of the commission's 12 members, including at least two members not belonging to any political party, to approve a map.[35]
The Colorado Constitution requires that state legislative district boundaries "be contiguous, and that they be as compact as possible based on their total perimeter." In addition, "to the extent possible, districts must also preserve the integrity of counties, cities, towns and–where doing so does not conflict with other goals–communities of interest." There are no similar requirements for congressional districts.[36][37]
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Colorado can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Colorado County Election Offices
Secretary of State
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
<ref>
tag; name "FAQ" defined multiple times with different content
<ref>
tag; name "pb" defined multiple times with different content
State of Colorado Denver (capital) | |
---|---|
Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2024 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |