2020 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed-out ballots
0
%
2016 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed out ballots
0
%
State election policies as of 2022...
Full Vote-at-Home
10/10
Full Vote-at-Home
Voter automatically mailed ballot for every election
No Excuse Required
6/6
No Excuse Required
No excuse to vote from home
Single Sign-Up
6/6
Single Sign-Up
Voter signs up once to receive mail ballot for all future elections
Local Vote-at-Home Option
5/5
Local VAH Option
Local governments have discretion to conduct full vote-at-home elections
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
2/2
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
Voter can apply for mail ballot online
Ballot Tracking
4/4
Ballot Tracking
Voter can receive ballot status notifications.
In-Person Ballot Return
5/5
In-Person Ballot Return
Voter has multiple options to return mail ballot in person
Signature Verification
4/4
Signature Verification
Voter signature verified before ballot is counted
Ballot Cure Process
4/4
Ballot Cure Process
Voter can correct issues so ballot can be counted
Prepaid Postage
0/4
Prepaid Postage
Postage-paid return envelopes provided
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
0/4
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted
In-Person Voting
4/4
In-Person Return
Physical locations for voters to vote and receive assistance
Pre-Processing
3/3
Signature Verification
Ballots are verified and scanned before Election Day
Mail Ballot Applications
2/2
Mail Ballot Applications
Election officials can mail ballot applications to all voters eligible to vote from home
Ballot Return Assistance
2/2
Ballot Return Assistance
Voters may receive assistance to return their mail ballot
Opportunities
Simplifying the return process for a ballot is just as important as simplifying the request process. Prepaying postage on ballot return envelopes ensures that voters do not need to make an extra trip to the post office.
Expanding accepting of ballots with Election Day postmarks received shortly after election day is a best practice to ensure that voters are given all options to vote their ballot in a timely manner, and one that Colorado already follows: Colorado already offers postmark acceptance for military and overseas voters. Accepting Election Day postmarks is estimated in most jurisdictions to decrease ballot rejection rates by half.
Recent Legislation
As of June 29, 2021
Not willing to rest on its laurels, in 2021 the state passed a variety of improvements. Colorado’s primary focus in its 2021 changes was accessibility. HB 1011 increased access to ballots in other languages, while SB 188 increased ballot return options for disabled voters. Some of the other changes were more minor, such as SB 160, which clarified existing laws for municipal elections, and HB 1001, which allowed remote voting for party committees during the pandemic.
Colorado has been conducting its elections by mail for years, so the state already had the infrastructure needed in order to conduct the election safely and securely in the “new normal”, so the changes the legislature made to adjust the system to the pandemic were relatively minor. Below are some of the most important election bills that passed in Colorado in 2020 and 2021.
Last Updated