Colorado county clerks dispel misinformation on National Voter Registration Day

With less than two months until Election Day, Colorado officials are preparing to mail out ballots. Ballots will start going out on Oct. 11.

On National Voter Registration Day, Denver metro area clerks worked to spread factual information about the voting system.

According to the Denver Clerk and Recorder's office, there are already 546,155 people registered to vote in the City and County of Denver. That's compared to 520,447 at this time in 2020 and 477,611 in 2016.

"Young people are the future of this country and making sure that young people know how to register to vote and can participate in this election," said Paul López, Denver Clerk and Recorder.

Clerks from Denver, Jefferson, and Douglas counties encouraged people to register to vote at Denver's Auraria Campus on Tuesday and educated them about the process.

"In Colorado, your vote is secure," López said. "We test our equipment before the election, and we do an audit after. Every step of the way, your ballot is handled by a bipartisan team. We count every single vote, and we can prove it."

The clerks aim to dispel misinformation.

"It's my concern that there have been so many people putting fear into our voters that I don't want that to suppress the voting," said Sheri Davis, Douglas County Clerk and Recorder.

"The whole misconception out there that noncitizens are voting is absolutely false. Every single time someone registers to vote, they are required to provide a Social Security number and a driver's license number," López said.

"You will see there's a section that's for voters; we also have another box that says, 'I cannot vote, but I'd like to get involved,'" said Miriam Mata, gesturing to a voter pledge card for her organization.

As Denver organizer for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Mata also works to engage and educate. The coalition had a booth at Tuesday's event.

"We're engaging folks that are eligible to vote but maybe don't always vote," Mata said. "Maybe they're scared. Maybe they have never been engaged."

Metropolitan State University of Denver student Jennifer Aguiler says her parents fall into that group.

"That's why I came here to see more info for them. They barely have time to have information for themselves, so I'm mostly the one to bring in the information," Aguiler said.

While her parents are not registered to vote, Aguiler is. At 19 years old, Aguiler will vote for the first time in November.

"It will be my first one," Aguiler said.

She wants to break down historic barriers that have kept the Hispanic population from voting.

"It's still like not equal. Probably, this voting will change a little bit more," Aguiler said.

Davis invites anyone who is skeptical to volunteer as an election judge and see the checks and balances firsthand.

"People should have the confidence that the system is accurate," Davis said. "You must experience it in order to understand the level of security that goes into the process."

County clerks say anyone who still has questions should reach out.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there. Make sure you get the correct information. Visit your clerk and recorder's website," López said.

Coloradans can register to vote, and review or update their registration at govotecolorado.gov.