Colorado is well known for being one of the easiest states in which to vote, and we live in just one of seventeen states where you can still register to vote on Election Day itself (Tuesday, November 6, this year). If you’re not registered but you want to vote (you should!), we’ve got you covered.
Bottom line: Colorado’s election system is pretty damn lazy-proof. It takes a few seconds of your time to navigate, and in a swing state with a couple of very closely watched elections and ballot measures, you’ve got no excuse not to participate.
Monday, October 15, marked the first day that ballots were sent out to voters across the state, which means you should be getting yours soon. Here are a few things to know.
1. Are you registered to vote?
Check your voter registration at GoVoteColorado.com. If you’re registered to vote and your address matches your current residence, you’re good to go! You’ll get your mail ballot in the next few days (if you haven’t gotten it already), and you can just drop it off when you’ve made your picks. If you live outside of Denver, JustVoteColorado.org has a good list of drop-off locations.
One extra tip: If you plan to vote by mail, try to turn your ballot in early. Mail ballots take a while to process, so get ahead of the game if you want yours counted on November 6.
2. Not registered to vote?
If you’re not registered to vote, you can do so easily at GoVoteColorado.com. If you register by Monday, October 29, you’ll still get mailed a ballot, but if you register on October 30 or later, you’ll have to vote in person. You can register up until, and on, Election Day.
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3. Vote in person.
Yup, you can still do it the old-fashioned way. If you’d like to vote in person, make sure you bring an ID. There are sixteen acceptable forms of photo and non-photo ID, which you’ll find listed at JustVoteColorado.org.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day; find polling locations at GoVoteColorado.com.
4. Absentee voting?
Not in the state but still want your voice heard? If you’re traveling in the United States, you can get your mail ballot delivered to a domestic out-of-state address by filling out your U.S. address at GoVoteColorado.com. If you’re in the military or overseas, however, you’ll need to get an overseas ballot at sos.state.co.us.
5. So, what’s on the ballot?
Because of Amendment 71 in 2016, any constitutional amendment will now need 55 percent of the vote in order to pass. There are thirteen measures on the ballot this election, and you can find out more about them by visiting sos.state.co.us or westword.com/news.
Have questions that weren’t answered here? The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has a good list of FAQs on its website. GoVoteColorado.com and JustVoteColorado.org are other great resources.
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