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  Colorado  

Voting Guide

Registration Deadlines and Election Dates

Voter Registration Deadline:

By mail or online: 8 days before Election Day

By registration drive: 22 days before Election Day


You may also register in-person after the 8th day before Election Day, including on Election Day at a Voter Service and Polling Center in your county.


You must be a Colorado resident for at least 22 days as of Election Day to be eligible to vote in the state.


2023

  • Coordinated      Election Voter Registration Deadline: October 30

  • Coordinated      Election: November 7

Some jurisdictions will also hold local elections throughout 2023. To see if your city, town, or county has elections scheduled and for registration deadlines, please contact your county election office.

Register at School or Home

Students have a decision about where to register to vote.


You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.


You may only be registered and vote in one location.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?

Colorado’s voter registration form asks for either your Colorado driver’s license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. You must have a Colorado driver's license or ID number to register online. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?

All voters who vote in-person need to present ID. The following are acceptable forms of ID:

  • A valid Colorado driver’s license or state identification card

  • A valid U.S. passport

  • A valid U.S. government or Colorado government employee identification card with a photograph

  • A valid student ID card with a photograph issued by a Colorado institute of higher education

  • A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph

  • A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address

  • A certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood

  • A valid Medicare or Medicaid card

  • A certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate

  • Certified documentation of naturalization

  • A valid veteran ID card with a photograph issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  • A valid ID card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership

  • Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility

  • Verification that a person is confined to human and health services and eligible to vote

  • Written correspondence from a county sheriff indicating that a voter is confined to a county jail or detention facility

  • A valid pilot's license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration or other authorized U.S. agency


If you show ID that has an address on it, the address must be in Colorado, but it does not have to match that address associated with your voter registration.


For more information, visit:

https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/vote/acceptableFormsOfID.html

Where Do I Vote?

Make a plan. Check your mail ballot status or look up your voting site and hours at:

www.govotecolorado.com

How Can I Vote?

By Mail

If you are an active voter or registered to vote at least 8 days prior to Election Day, you will receive a mail ballot.


Local election officials will mail ballots to active voters no later than 18 days before the election.


Voters with disabilities as well as overseas and military voters may cast their ballots electronically, beginning 22 days before Election Day. For more information, visit:

https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/accessibleVoting.html.


Completed ballots must be received by the county clerk’s office or dropped off at a Voter Service and Polling Center or designated drop-off location by 7 p.m. on Election Day.


For a list of designated drop-off locations, contact your county election office.


Early In Person

Colorado voters retain the right to vote in person. Early in-person voting is available at a Voter Service and Polling Center before Election Day.

For a list of Voter Service and Polling Centers and their times of operation, contact your county election office.


Election Day

Colorado voters retain the right to vote in person.


Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time then you have the right to vote.

Common Questions/Concerns

Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:


Federal Financial Aid

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA


Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes


Tuition Status

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community

 

Will registering to vote in Colorado affect my driver’s license or car registration?

Registering to vote in Colorado may not necessarily affect your driver's license or car registration. However, as a new resident of Colorado, you may be required to make changes to your driver's license or car registration regardless of whether you register to vote there. You may wish to contact the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles.

Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Colorado legal professional.

 

Last updated Jan 2023

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