Voter Registration
Registration Deadline: Colorado law allows you to register to vote through Election Day. Please note that how you register to vote will impact how you receive your ballot.
To receive your ballot by mail:
-Register to vote or update your voter registration online at www.GoVoteColorado.com through the 8th day before Election Day
-Submit an application through the mail, at a voter registration agency, or at a local driver's license examination facility through the 8th day before Election Day
-Submit an application through a voter registration drive no later than 22 days before Election Day.
If you miss the above deadlines, you may register in-person at a voter service and polling center in your county through Election Day.
Automatic Voter Registration
When an individual interacts with certain agencies, such as the DMV, they usually will provide information such as name, address, date of birth, etc. This information is then used to register that individual to vote in Colorado.
The elector’s county clerk will verify if they have a complete record to register the individual to vote. If the elector’s record is complete, the county clerk will send a notice to the elector that they are registered to vote. The elector can return the notice to either decline to be registered or to affiliate with a party. If the elector does not decline to be registered within 20 days after the notice is mailed and the form is not returned as undeliverable, the elector is then registered to vote.
Political Party Affiliation
During either the Presidential or June primary:
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. An unaffiliated voter who votes in a party's primary will remain unaffiliated. However, the primary that you vote in will be public record (but not how you voted).
Voter Registration Qualifications
Age: Are 16 years old, but you must be at least 18 on Election Day to vote
Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen
Residency: Must have resided in Colorado 22 days immediately before the election at which you intend to vote.
Felony Convictions: In Colorado, it is illegal to register to vote or cast a vote while serving a sentence of incarceration or detention for a felony conviction. Persons serving a sentence of parole may vote.
An Individual in jail awaiting trial or serving a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction has the right to register to vote and vote in any election. Individuals in these situations should contact their jail administrator to coordinate voter registration if they are not already registered.
For more information see the Voting and Conviction FAQ.
Obtaining a Voter Registration Form
Online: Colorado Online Voter Registration
In person: You can also register in person at:
-A Colorado Department of Motor Vehicle office when you apply for a driver's license, or update your driver's license information.
-Offices that provide public assistance, including offices that provide state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities.
-Recruitment offices of the armed forces of the United States.
-Any federal, state, local government, or nongovernment office that chooses to provide voter registration service or applications.
-A voter service and polling center.
-Registering through a voter registration drive.
By mail/in writing: You may mail, deliver, or scan and email your complete and signed form to your county clerk and recorder’s office. Mailed forms also accepted at Colorado Department of State Elections Division.
Verifying Your Voter Registration Status
Online: Colorado Online Voter Registration Verification
MAIL-IN BALLOT QUALIFICATIONS
Every voter now receives a mail ballot. If you want to vote at the polls, vote in-person at a voter service and polling center.
Military and Overseas Voters: Colorado citizens living outside the United States and all active military personnel absent from Colorado are eligible to register and vote by mail as UOCAVA voters. UOCAVA provisions also cover the spouses, civil union partners, and voting dependents of active military personnel absent from Colorado. An eligible elector can register to vote up to and on Election Day. But if you wish to receive a mail ballot, the application must be received by the designated election official by the close of business on the 7th day before the election. Please keep in mind that if you would like to receive the ballot by mail, 7 days may not be a sufficient amount of time to receive, vote, and return your ballot. Military and overseas voters can also request to have their ballots be sent by fax, email, or by downloading a ballot online. For more information click here.
SUBMITTING A MAIL-IN BALLOT
Your ballot must be received by your county elections office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Voters are encouraged to drop off ballots at designated drop off locations, drop-box locations, or mail their ballots in time to be received by the county clerk before the polls close. Postmarks do not count; ballots must be in the hands of the county clerk by 7:00 PM on Election Day in order to be counted. Contact your county clerk and recorder for drop-off and drop-box locations.
If you are voting by mail for the first time, you may also need to provide a photocopy of your identification when you return your mail ballot. Click here for more accepted forms of identification.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
Voters who are in line at their polling location by 7:00 PM are allowed to vote no matter how long it takes for each person to cast his or her ballot.
All voters who vote in-person must provide identification. While there are many forms of acceptable identification, most voters find it convenient to bring their Colorado driver's license or Colorado ID. A Colorado ID is available at no cost to those who are eligible. For more information on obtaining a Colorado ID, please contact the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Under Colorado law, voters may get time off without loss of pay if they do not have sufficient time outside of regular working hours to vote. Please refer to Section 1-7-102 of the Colorado Revised Statutes for details.
PROVISIONAL VOTING
A provisional ballot is provided to a voter whose eligibility to vote is not immediately established on Election Day. Provisional ballots ensure that every qualified and registered voter can vote a ballot that will be counted on Election Day. The election official then evaluates the voter's eligibility after Election Day has passed to determine whether the provisional ballot should be counted. Click here for more information.
COLLEGE STUDENT VOTERS
College students that are residents of Colorado may keep their registration in their hometown and vote by mail.
Alternatively, if the student attends a college or university out-of-state and wishes to register to vote there, they should check that state's voter registration rules. Should the student change their voter registration to a different state, they are no longer eligible to vote in Colorado.
Additional Information
Deciding how to vote: https://votesmart.org
Polling Place: Click here to find locations.
Verifying Mail-In ballot status: Mail-In Ballot Status Verification
Election/HAVA Complaint Process: Click here for more information