Voting basics: How to vote in Colorado

A driver drops off a ballot at a drop box in Parker on June 28, 2022. (Carl Payne for Colorado Newsline)

Colorado voters have several options for voting in an election, given the state’s automatic mail ballot system and early in-person voting.

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

1. Felony convictions and voting
2. Register to vote
3. How to vote

All active registered voters in Colorado will receive a ballot in the mail ahead of the Nov. 5 election. County clerks will begin mailing ballots to voters on Oct. 11, though voters can request a mail ballot from the clerk’s office in person starting on Oct. 4.

Mail ballots can either be stamped and mailed back through the post office or returned to a ballot drop box, so long as the ballot gets to the local county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. County elections offices can provide ballot drop box and voting center locations .

A person must register to vote by Oct. 28 to receive a ballot in the mail. After that date, voters can register and vote in person at voter service and polling centers through Election Day. Coloradans can track their ballot to see when it is mailed and when it is counted through BallotTrax .

Voters can vote in person if they don’t want to use or didn’t receive a mail ballot. Voter service and polling centers open 15 days before Election Day, on Oct. 21. County ballot drop boxes open starting Oct. 21.

Voters don’t need to vote in every race or on every ballot measure included on their ballot. Whichever items they vote on will be counted.

A voter who is in line at a voting center after 7 p.m. on Election Day will still be able to vote so long as they were in line by that time.

If voting in person, a voter needs to present a valid form of identification. Acceptable forms of identification include:

• A valid Colorado driver’s license or ID card
• A valid U.S. passport
• A valid government issued employee identification card with a photograph
• A valid pilot’s license issued by an authorized U.S. agency
• A valid military identification card with a photograph
• A copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows name and address dated within the prior 60 days
• A certificate of degree of Indian or Alaskan Native blood
• A valid Medicare or Medicaid card
• A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate
• Certified documentation of naturalization
• A valid student identification card with a photograph from a Colorado institution of higher education
• A valid veteran identification card with a photograph
• A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government

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

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