File Photo by Carl Glenn Payne/Aurora Sentinel
AURORA | Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June. 25, but registered voters in Colorado started receiving mail-in ballots after June 2. Colorado began statewide vote by mail in 2013.
We know voters and potential voters will have questions about how voter registration works, how mail-in ballots work, how ballots are counted and more. The Colorado News Collaborative and its members, including Sentinel Colorado, want to answer those questions.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SENTINEL 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION VOTER GUIDE
Voter Information
• Arapahoe County voter
information visit: www.arapahoevotes.com or call 303-795-4511
• Adams County voter information visit: www.adamsvotes.com or call 720-523-6500
• Denver voter information visit: www.denvergov.org/Government/ or call 720-913-8683
• Douglas County voter information visit: www.douglas.co.us/elections or call 303-660-7444
Who can vote in the 2024 Primary Election?
• Voters affiliated with a major party: may cast a ballot for candidates of the party they are affiliated with.
• Voters affiliated with a minor party: if there is a minor party contest those affiliated with that minor party may cast a ballot for those candidates.
• Unaffiliated voters: An unaffiliated voter may cast a ballot for any one political party. If an unaffiliated voter returns a ballot with more than one political party, the ballot will be rejected and none of the votes will be counted.
Registration
How do I know if I’m registered to vote?
GoVoteColorado.com has a range of information on registration, including the ability to register to vote if you have a Colorado driver’s license or ID card.
What if I’ve moved?
This link also will allow you to change your address: www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/findVoterReg.xhtml
How long do I have to register?
Typical voter registration has ended in order to receive a mail-in ballot. But any qualified voter can register and vote in person at vote centers through 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Ballots
What signature is used to validate the one on my returned ballot envelope? My signature has changed over time.
The most recent signature on a state transaction is used as a reference — typically a recent driver’s license or the signature on the last ballot you returned. All past signatures are available for election judges to
review.
If election judges question your signature, you’ll get a notice from your clerk within three days (two if it occurs on Election Day) and you’ll have eight days to verify the signature is yours.
Do I have to request a ballot from my county clerk or the Secretary of State?
Not if you’re an active registered voter. County clerks automatically will begin mailing ballots to active registered voters on Oct. 8. Again, a voter is considered active if they’ve voted in the most recent general elections or updated their address or other registration information.
How do I know if my ballot was received?
Voters statewide may sign up to track your ballot online. You’ll get notifications via email, text message or phone (you may choose) when your ballot is mailed, and when it has been received and accepted. A dozen Colorado counties already offered ballot tracking, so if you’re already signed up, there’s no need to do it again.
How do I return my ballot?
Ballots must arrive at a vote center or county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. June 25. You may mail your ballot back, if there’s enough time for it to arrive. Remember: postmarks don’t count, according to the Secretary of State. The ballot has to be in the physical possession of elections officials on Primary Election Day — not sitting in a blue box somewhere in the metroplex.
You may also deliver it to drop boxes at your county clerk’s office or other locations in your county. About 75% of Colorado voters return their mail ballots to drop boxes, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
What if I don’t get my ballot?
Check GoVoteColorado.com to see if your ballot has been mailed. If it has been mailed and you haven’t received it, contact your county clerk’s office and ask. Not every county will send ballots out the first day possible. But they need to hear from you if you don’t receive yours.
I won’t be here during the time ballots are mailed out?
Can I get a ballot earlier? Or have one mailed to a different address?
Yes. And, as of now, you may be able to pick up a ballot before you leave. Contact your county clerk to work out details if you want to pick up a ballot or have it mailed to a different address.
Security
Are drop boxes safe from tampering?
Yes, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. They are under 24-hour video surveillance and are emptied every day by a team of bipartisan election judges. The sturdy, metal boxes are bolted to the ground.
If I send my ballot back by mail, will it get there?
The Secretary of State recommends delivering ballots in person in the final eight days before the election. If you mail them before that, they should arrive in time.
I don’t want to vote by mail. I want to vote in person.
Colorado will open hundreds of voting centers and drop boxes the last week of October. You may vote there in person starting then through 7 p.m. Primary Election Day with some limited weekend hours.
How can I be sure my vote is counted on Election Day?
Sign up to track your ballot. If it doesn’t arrive within a few days of being mailed, contact your county clerk. Return your ballot to a drop box or through the mail, and the ballot tracking system will let you know when your ballot is accepted. That means your vote will be counted.
Here’s a tip: The sooner you return your ballot, the sooner the texts, emails and phone calls nagging you to vote will stop. Campaigns and political parties get information daily on who has voted, and they stop contacting those voters.
— Sentinel Staff