Voting basics: Register to vote in Colorado

Madison Hamala casts her vote on Super Tuesday in Denver, March 5, 2024. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline)

Eligible voters can register to vote in Colorado at various in-person locations or online ahead of Election Day.

This story is part of a series on voting basics in Colorado.

1. Felony convictions and voting
2. Register to vote

To register, Coloradans can apply on the secretary of state’s website if they have a social security number, a Colorado driver’s license, or a Colorado ID. If they lack these items, they must fill out a paper registration form and return it to the Department of State’s Elections Division. If the applicant has a Colorado license or ID, they must register using that ID.

“In Colorado, we’ve made it easy and accessible for all eligible Coloradans to register to vote,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in an email.

U.S. citizens who are 16 years old are eligible to register, but they must be 18 to vote in an election. A person must be a Colorado resident for at least 22 days before the election they intend to vote in. While someone who is incarcerated serving a felony sentence isn’t able to vote, they can vote once they are released.

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Colorado also has automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles. This means that if someone gets their driver’s license in Colorado and has demonstrated their citizenship, their information is automatically sent to the secretary of state’s office for voter registration. Once registered, they will receive a notification in the mail. A 2019 Colorado law implemented automatic voter registration.

“The League of Women Voters of Colorado believes that Colorado’s election system is our nation’s gold standard, and that includes our voter registration laws and processes,” Beth Hendrix, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Colorado, said in an email. “Colorado is a leader in offering same-day voter registration, online registration, acceptance of numerous forms of identification for registration, and automatic registration through DMVs.”

Hendrix said Colorado, six other states and Washington, D.C., are awaiting federal guidance on automatic registration through Medicaid enrollment.

To receive a ballot in the mail, voters must register by the eighth day before the election. After that, they can register and vote in person at a voter service and polling center in their county, even on Election Day. A voter who receives mail through a post office box can have their ballot mailed to the box, but they must also include a physical address in their registration.

If a voter changed their address within the state, they must renew their registration.

College students from other states can register to vote in their home state or in Colorado if they have an established residence. People experiencing homelessness can register by designating a location that they regularly return to, such as a shelter, park or campground.

Colorado allows pre-registration starting at 16 years old. If a 16-year-old gets their license through the DMV, they will be automatically pre-registered.

First-time voter registrations in Colorado surged in July, when Vice President Kamala Harris took President Joe Biden’s place at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket.

Voters can verify their registration status on the secretary of state’s website using their name, birthday and ZIP code.

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