Number of ballots returned so far in primary election just above 19% of active voters in Colorado
The total number of ballots returned for the primary election in Colorado was just above 19% of eligible active voters as of Tuesday afternoon. According to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, the number of ballots that had been returned as of 11:59 p.m. Monday was 714,931.
There are 3,870,904 total eligible voters in Colorado that are able to cast ballots in Tuesday's primary election.
"Voting is the bedrock of democracy. No matter who you are voting for it is important to make your voice heard, and I encourage all Coloradans, no matter their party affiliation, to return their ballot at an official Dropbox or vote at their polling place. Colorado has the best election system in the country and Coloradans can be confident knowing our vote counts," said Gov. Jared Polis in a statement on Tuesday.
In Colorado, every voter receives a mail ballot at the mailing address provided on your voter registration file.
For the primary election in Colorado, voters who are affiliated with a major party, Republican or Democrat, should have received a ballot only from the party with which they are affiliated. Those ballots are mailed out 22 days before the election, and voters should have received their ballot 20 to 15 days before the election. All Unaffiliated voters will receive a ballot for each party but they can only vote on one ballot for it to be counted. If an Unaffiliated voter returns a ballot with more than one political party, the ballot will be rejected and that person's votes won't be counted.
There's a lot for voters to decide. All eight of Colorado's U.S. House members' seats are up for grabs and all state representatives and half of state senators' seats must be filled. There are also several elections for district attorneys' offices.
Voters will also choose a candidate to replace former U.S. Representative Ken Buck in Colorado's 4th Congressional District.
When are ballots due for the 2024 Colorado primary election?
The deadline to submit ballots is 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 25. From now through then, ballots need to be dropped off at an official ballot drop box location or a voting center. The Colorado Secretary of State's Office provides a search option for voters that will show the closest drop box locations to the voter's address.
When do you need to mail your Colorado primary for it to arrive on time?
The Colorado Secretary of State's Office recommended that voters get their ballots in the mail by Monday, Feb. 26. Since that date has passed for voters to get their ballots in the mail, the only way to get your vote counted is to drop off your ballot or vote in person. Mail ballots must be received by the county clerk and recorder no later than 7 p.m. on June 25. Postmarks do not count, according to the Secretary of State's Office; ballots must be received by the county clerk by 7 p.m. on June 25 in order to be counted.
All general, primary, odd-year, coordinated, recall and congressional vacancy elections are now conducted by mail ballot. If you want to vote at a polling location, you can find your polling location by visiting www.GoVoteColorado.gov.
How to track your Colorado ballot once you've mailed it
To check on your ballot's status, sign up for BallotTrax, a system that will allow you to track your ballot from sent to accepted. Go to https://colorado.ballottrax.net to sign up.
The Colorado Secretary of State's Office says the envelope needs to be signed when the mail ballot is returned. Every time there is an election in the state, officials recommend that if you are not sure if it's too late to mail your ballot, drop it off in person at a drop box or voting center just to be sure. Drop box locations are open and under video surveillance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What if you decide to vote at a polling place?
If you prefer to vote at a polling center, there are a couple of options in Colorado. The first is to fill out your mail ballot at a polling place and drop it off there. The second is to cast your ballot in person at a voter service and polling center on a newly printed ballot. If you choose that option, the county clerk will not accept any ballot that was mailed to you and you might have submitted. The deadline to vote in person is 7 p.m. on June 25. Those who are lined up to cast their ballot by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote in person. All voters who vote in person must provide identification, such as a Colorado driver's license or Colorado ID.
What if I get a notice that I need to cure my ballot?
The State of Colorado uses a program called TXT2Cure to help voters who get notices that there's a signature or ID issue with their 2024 ballots. Such notices about a ballot needing to be "cured" -- a.k.a additional information is needed before it can be counted -- are more common with less experienced and usually younger voters. The Colorado Secretary of State's Office says the program -- which has been in place since 2020 -- is designed to "reduce the number of ballots rejected due to missing or discrepant signatures."
If you are notified about a signature discrepancy or ID deficiency, you can text the word Colorado to 28683 (2VOTE). You will need to click on the link you receive as a reply and follow a series of steps that are described here. If you don't have a mobile phone with a U.S. phone number, follow the steps here.
