- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Colorado has seen a half-dozen Democratic presidential candidates, as well as incumbent Donald Trump, campaign in the state over the past week, in advance of the presidential primary coming up on March 3, the first Super Tuesday in which Colorado has participated.
Inspired to cast a ballot? The primary is still eight days away, but there's not a moment to lose if you have not yet registered to vote...much less received a ballot in the mail. According to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, February 24 is the "last day for an individual to submit a voter registration application and still receive a ballot in the mail for the March 3rd Presidential Primary Election."
If you're already registered as an unaffiliated voter, want to vote in one of the major party's primaries, and didn't receive ballots (they were mailed out two weeks ago), this is your last day to request them by mail. For the first time this year, unaffiliated voters can turn in a primary ballot — but only one (fill out both the Republican and Democrat ballots, and they'll cancel each other out). If you miss today's deadline, you'll still be able to go to a Voter Services and Polling Center (those open today), declare which party's ballot you'd like, and vote in the primary; your registration will remain unaffiliated.
If you're registered with a major party and didn't get a ballot, today is the last day to request a replacement by mail, or you, too, can go to a voting center through March 3.
You can also still register to vote up through March 3. For the first time, seventeen-year-olds may be eligible to participate; voters who will be eighteen by the November 3 general election are eligible for the primary.
Remember: Under changes approved in November 2018, voters registered as Democrat, Republican or Unaffiliated can participate in the presidential primary. The deadline to change party affiliations in order to vote in the primary was February 3, which means it's too late for a voter affiliated with a minor party to switch affiliations this round. (None of the minor parties have a contest on March 3.)
If you need more information, try the Denver Presidential Primary Election Page, or the Colorado Secretary of State's GoVote page.
(And think this is confusing? Changes in Colorado's presidential primary don't affect the rules for local and state candidates going through the Colorado Caucus, set for March 7.)
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
