Ballots were certified by the Colorado Secretary of State on September 9 and will begin to be mailed to registered voters on October 11. This year, the election will feature races for offices ranging from county court judges to the president of the United States — in addition to deciding the fate of fourteen statewide ballot measures and a host of local initiatives.
Election clerks were out in force on September 17, National Voter Registration Day, to remind people how to register and where to vote. In case you missed that, here's everything you need to know about the election this year...
...except who to vote for.
How to Register
Coloradans can register to vote up until 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 5. To receive a ballot in the mail, register by October 28. If you wait, you can still register on the day of the election, get a ballot and cast your vote in one stop as long as you have a Colorado driver’s license, Colorado ID card, Social Security number, passport or one of the other accepted forms of identification listed on coloradosos.gov.To register to vote in the state, you must have lived in Colorado for at least 22 days before the election, be a United States citizen and at least sixteen years of age (though you have to be eighteen to vote). Voters who recently moved within the state can change their registration address at coloradosos.gov.
Colorado uses automatic voter registration, so eligible residents are automatically registered to vote when they apply for or renew their driver’s license, though they're given the choice to opt out. Those who still need to register can do so online at coloradosos.gov with a valid Social Security number, Colorado driver’s license or Colorado ID card. They can also complete a paper registration form.
Check voter registration status and edit information, including party affiliation, at coloradosos.gov.
How to Vote
Coloradans have until 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, to return their ballots. The last day to return ballots by mail is October 28. After that, voters should use a drop box or an in-person voting center. Military and overseas voters have until 7 p.m. on Election Day to send their ballots, which must be received by November 13.Those who don't get their ballot in the mail or lose their ballot can request a replacement from their county clerk; the contact information for each county clerk's office is available at coloradosos.gov. They can also vote in person at a voting center without receiving a mail ballot.
Drop boxes and voting centers will be open by October 21; you can find your nearest location at coloradosos.gov.
What's on the Ballot
In Colorado, the election will feature 421 candidates running for 183 different offices, with each ballot varying depending on the voter's residential location.Fourteen candidates are running for president of the United States: Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party, Donald Trump for the Republican Party, five third-party candidates, one unaffiliated candidate and six certified write-in candidates whose names will not appear on the ballot.
The ballot also includes races for all eight Colorado U.S. House of Representatives seats; eighteen state Senate districts; 65 state House districts; 23 district attorney seats; four state Board of Education districts; three University of Colorado Board of Regents positions; and the retention of three Colorado Supreme Court justices.
All Colorado voters will see fourteen statewide measures:
- Amendment 79 to enshrine the right to abortion in the Colorado Constitution
- Amendment 80 to add a child's right to school choice to the Colorado Constitution
- Amendment G to expand eligibility for the homestead property tax exemption to certain veterans with disabilities
- Amendment H to create an independent discipline board to oversee judicial misconduct
- Amendment I to let judges deny bail to people charged with first-degree murder
- Amendment J to remove language from the Colorado Constitution that bans same-sex marriage
- Amendment K to adjust certain election filing deadlines
- Proposition 127 to ban the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx
- Proposition 128 to require certain repeat offenders convicted of violent crimes to serve their full sentence
- Proposition 129 to establish a new Veterinary Professional Associate position
- Proposition 130 to create a $350 million fund for law enforcement pay, recruitment, training and death benefits
- Proposition 131 to replace party primary elections with open primaries and implement ranked choice voting in general elections
- Proposition JJ to let the state keep all sports betting tax revenue to fund water and conservation projects
- Proposition KK to tax gun and ammo purchases to fund mental health, gun violence prevention and victim services
What's Next
By law, ballots must be mailed to registered voters between October 11 and 18. For military and overseas voters, they'll go out by September 21. The minimum required drop boxes and voting centers must open for use by October 21. Election Day is November 5, with voting concluding at 7 p.m.Keep an eye on our Election topic page for all of our latest coverage.
