November ballots will be arriving soon: What to know about Election Day 2024

DENVER ( KDVR ) — It’s time to keep an eye on your mailbox ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, as the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office announced that mail ballots will be sent to voters in the next week or two.

Specifically, the ballots will be mailed beginning Oct. 11 through Oct. 18. That means the ballots will arrive about 15 to 20 days before the election. Overseas and military voters’ ballots were sent out by Sept. 21.

So, with just over four weeks left until Election Day on Nov. 5, what are the nuts and bolts of the general election that voters should know? FOX31 dug into the Colorado election rules and processes to create an Election Day primer.

How to vote in Colorado’s 2024 General Election

Colorado leaders have touted the state’s elections as the “ gold standard ” across the U.S. and assured voters that the upcoming election is secure .

Colorado allows voters to register through Election Day on Nov. 5, but you must be registered at least eight days before an election to receive a ballot by mail. While registered Colorado voters receive a mail ballot for the general election, that does not prevent you from voting in person.

You can vote in-person at a polling center, or return your mail ballot. Polls will be open until 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. The county clerk will not accept any ballot mailed in your name if you’ve already voted in person.

If you’re worried about not having time to vote in person, Colorado law provides voters with time off without loss of pay under section 1-7-102 of the Colorado Revised Statutes , so you might be able to get time off if your job finds you don’t have sufficient time outside of work. Voters can find in-person polling locations through the Colorado Secretary of State’s “Find My Voter Registration” page .

Otherwise, you can drop your completed mailed-in ballot in official drop boxes. County clerk offices share the locations of each voting site in their region and monitor drop boxes for election integrity.

If you’re concerned about election safety, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office announced on Sept. 30 that it had awarded nearly $2.5 million in County Security and Accessibility Grants to 42 Colorado counties. Awards included funding for overtime for security personnel, camera and door upgrades, security features to reinforce elections buildings, dropbox lighting and reinforced drop boxes, backup power for voting systems, and adding accessible voting booths and lighting to voting centers.

The state also uses bipartisan election judges in various parts of the election process, including ballot processing, which encompasses the ballot intake, signature review and pre-processing of ballots.

If you’re unsure what issues will be on your ballot, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office also provides a ballot lookup . This year’s ballot includes the presidential election and Colorado voters will be asked to decide several statewide ballot measures .

Colorado voters can also track their ballots online: Voters enrolled in BallotTrax receive notifications by phone, email or text about the status of their mail ballot. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said that as of September 2024, nearly two million Colorado voters have enrolled in the tracking program. That accounts for over 50% of the active electorate.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.