Did you know that Colorado has a brand spanking new election law that has drastically changed how you can vote? Guess what: it made voting easier! Time to get the deets on how to get that ballot in this year.
While it’s easy to tune it out and dismiss the importance of off-year elections, there’s a lot at stake this year, including control of both the federal and state legislatures. Some of the most watched races in the whole country are happening right here!
Here’s the download:
There is no more voter registration deadline! That’s right, gone are the days you couldn’t vote if you didn’t register weeks ahead of time. You can now register to vote all the way through election day!
First step: check out your voter registration record here. Make sure your address is current. If it’s not, update it right through the website. Easy peasy.
Not registered in Colorado? Then head right on over to your go-to resource: www.justvotecolorado.org. This website is so easy to use and can answer most questions (so bookmark it now).
Here’s what else is new: ALL registered voters will receive a mail ballot – you don’t have to request one! Ballots will be mailed starting on October 14th, and as long as you register by October 27th you’ll get one. After that you can go register and vote in person at any Voter Service and Polling Center.
Service Center? Yep! Also gone are the days you had to figure out what precinct you lived in and then find out your polling location. The new law centralized everything, and now you can register and vote at any Voter Service and Polling Center in Boulder County! Here’s a map of where they are. You want the red markers. Check out the hours for the center you’re headed to, but some open as early as Oct 19th.
Ok, time to get that ballot in. You have three options:
1) Mail it (with TWO stamps). Ballots must be received by 7pm on Tuesday, Nov. 4th (eeek – are you late? No worries – you can vote in person) — postmarks don’t count. So mail it by Friday, October 31st to be safe.
2) Drop your mail ballot off (the preferred option for all of us that wait until the last minute and then realize the postal service is not Fedex overnight). Here’s that map again. Ballots can be quickly dropped off at any of the Voter Service and Polling Centers (red markers) or Ballot Drop locations (blue markers) up until 7pm on Tuesday, Nov. 4th. Just remember that Ballot Drop locations are just that…they are not service centers and you cannot register to vote, update your registration, get a replacement mail ballot, or vote in person at them.
3) Vote in person. If you miss the “good old days” of standing in line and voting in person, you can still do that. Just leave that mail ballot at home and head to a Voter Service and Polling Center (one more time with the map). You don’t have to wait until election day either–most centers are open Monday through Saturday for a few weeks leading up to Election Day.
That’s it – so many options! And no excuse not to participate in democracy this year. So go get that “I Voted” sticker, snap a selfie and Instagram/Tweet it. Who knows, maybe you’ll remind someone else about that ballot in the mail pile at home!
