Election Frequently Asked Questions

The Colorado Secretary of State (SOS) provides complete information for your frequently asked questions. Refer to the SOS site for a wide range of topics related to elections.

The FAQs below are more election specific and will provide information useful for voting in El Paso County.

In addition, the Colorado County Clerks Association (CCCA) representing all 64 counties in the state has compiled information on election integrity.

REGISTRATION

Am I registered to vote?

Visit www.govotecolorado.gov to register to vote. While you’re there you can also update and check your voter registration. Please make sure that we have your correct residential address and mailing address on file.

You can also return your completed Colorado Voter Registration form to our office.

VOTING

How do I vote in the Election?

For the 2024 General Election, we will mail ballots to eligible voters starting on October 11, 2024. If you have not received your ballot by October 18, 2024, please contact the El Paso County Elections Department at 719-575-VOTE (8683). We must receive your voted ballot by 7:00 pm on Election Day, November 5, 2024 (postmarks do not count).

Voting in person is convenient with strategically located Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) throughout the County.

If you are a first-time voter at a VSPC, you will be asked to provide identification. Find out about the Acceptable Forms of Identification

ADA Accessible ballot marking devices are available at all VSPC locations.

How does an unaffiliated voter participate in a primary election?

If you are unaffiliated, you will receive a mail ballot packet with a Democratic Party ballot and a Republican Party ballot. You may vote only one ballot. Discard the ballot you don’t use.

Return your one voted ballot in the return envelope. (Sending in two voted ballots will disqualify all of your votes.) Voting a party primary ballot in this election will not affiliate you with that party.

How does an eligible teenage voter participate in a primary election?

A registered active voter who is 18 years old on the date of any election is eligible to vote.

What is on the Election Ballot?

A Sample Ballot for the 2024 General Election will be provided here once it’s solidified.

What is a Noncommitted Delegate?

Colorado Revised Statutes 1-4-1204(3) allows a political party to request “Noncommitted Delegate” to be included on their Presidential Primary ballot candidate list. An elector who has no presidential candidate preference may vote for a Noncommitted Delegate to be sent to the political party’s national convention if qualified.

ELECTION NIGHT REPORTING

How does Election Night Reporting work?

As a voter, you might not be aware of the difference between election night results you see on the news or on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website, and certified election results, which take weeks to finalize after each election.

On election night you can see results on our website. You might also see them on the website of the Colorado Secretary of State. None of these results are certified, final results and sometimes the numbers can vary widely throughout the night as new precincts are counted and votes submitted on Election Day are prepared and counted.

The Secretary of State’s Office maintains a website — not official results — to help aggregate votes from across counties and the state so everyone can see results across county and other jurisdictional boundaries. We upload election results throughout the night to this website. It is not an official record of results nor is it connected to the secure county voting systems. It is maintained only so that voters don’t need to check 64 county websites, for example, if they are interested in who is winning a statewide race at any given point on Election Night.

We spend weeks after the election ensuring that every vote cast was counted and counted accurately. State law ensures voters can correct issues with their ballots for eight days following each election. We also wait eight days to ensure that every member of the military who voted through mail, whether they are stationed in the U.S. or abroad, have their votes counted as well as voters who are overseas. All of these processes continue to change vote totals for days after each Election Night. Secure totals are always, and only, held at the county level.

SIGNING BALLOT ENVELOPE

When voting your mail ballot, be sure to sign the back of the envelope. Your signature is key in preventing voter fraud. We match the signature on your ballot against images of your signature from other elections/registration forms to be sure it’s you.

What if the signatures do not match?

If the signature on the back of your envelope does not match our records, a letter will be sent to the address on file along with a form to complete and return which will confirm that you voted the ballot and signed the ballot envelope. The letter also will provide another option to confirm your signature via a text program called Text2Cure, using your smart phone.

The process of confirming the signature is in fact that of the voter is referred to as “cure”. A voter should take action to “cure” their ballot immediately but you are given until eight days after the election to confirm the signature is yours.

Discrepancies in signatures that cannot be confirmed will be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office for investigation. This means if you do not act to “cure” your ballot it will be submitted to the DA’s Office. Also, your vote will not be counted and your voter record will not show you voted in the election.

If I forgot to sign my ballot envelope, will it still be counted?

No. You must sign your ballot envelope in order for your ballot to be counted. If you forget to sign, you will be contacted by the Elections Department by mail or email with the steps necessary to fix the problem, or you may call us at (719) 575-VOTE (8683).

If a household member and I sign each other’s ballot envelope, will our ballots be counted?

Yes. However, if you still have all the ballot envelopes that were signed incorrectly, draw a line through the incorrect signature on the ballot envelope and sign your own envelope.

Can someone with Power of Attorney (POA) sign the ballot envelope for a voter?

No. Power of Attorney is not applicable with Colorado Election Law. An individual who has power of attorney does not have the authority to sign the self affirmation on behalf of the voter. It is important that you sign your own mail ballot envelope.

If you are unable to sign, make a mark or an “x” on the signature line with or without assistance. This mark must be witnessed by another person. A voter may use a signature stamp because of age, disability, or other need. The stamp is treated as a signature and does not require a witness. Call our office at 719-575-VOTE (8683) with questions.

VERIFYING BALLOT

If you do not receive your ballot, please verify your address at www.govotecolorado.gov. If your address is correct, please contact our office at (719) 575-VOTE (8683) during regular business hours to request a replacement ballot.

If the address isn’t correct, update your address at www.govotecolorado.gov with your Colorado Driver’s License. You may also visit any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) to pick up a ballot or vote in person. After October 28, 2024, you must visit a VSPC to change your address and receive your ballot.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office offers BallotTrax where voters can track the status of their individual ballot. For the 2024 General Election, voters receive a notice they are enrolled if their registration record contains their email address. Voters who don’t receive a notice can sign up here https://colorado.ballottrax.net.

How do I verify that my mail ballot has been sent?

You may verify that your ballot was sent by the Elections Department by visiting www.govotecolorado.gov.

Also, be sure you are signed up with BallotTrax to track the status of your ballot https://colorado.ballottrax.net.

Can I verify that my vote was received if I voted in person?

When you vote in person, your verification is when you deposit your voted ballot in the ballot box at the VSPC. If you voted with a mail ballot, visit www.govotecolorado.gov to check if your ballot was received.

What if I make a mistake on, damage or lose my mail ballot?

You may request a replacement ballot by calling (719) 575-VOTE (8683) during office hours or by email. You may also visit any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) to pick up a replacement ballot in person.

If I receive a ballot for a person that no longer lives at this address, what do I do with the ballot?

If a ballot is received for an individual who is no longer at the address, check the box on the back of the ballot packet and place in the U.S. Postal Service mail, which will return the ballot back to our office as undeliverable. This cannot be deposited into a ballot drop box. These steps allow the Elections Department to stop sending ballots to the undeliverable address.

How do I know if my ballot was counted?

Please visit www.govotecolorado.gov to check the status of your returned mail ballot. We can be reached by phone at 719-575-VOTE (8683) with any additional questions.

If www.govotecolorado.gov states that your returned mail ballot was rejected, call our office at 719-575-VOTE (8683).

TURNING IN YOUR BALLOT

When does my ballot have to be received to count?

Ballots must be received at the El Paso County Elections Department, Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC), or Ballot Drop-off Location by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

POSTMARKS DO NOT COUNT. We recommend mailing no later than Monday, October 28, 2024. Ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, to be counted.

If I drop off my ballot in one of the secure 24-hour drop boxes, do I have to put a stamp on my envelope?

No. This is the most secure method of returning your ballot. Please refer to Voting and Returning My Ballot for the most convenient location for you to drop off your ballot.

If I am outside the state of Colorado AND in the military or a U.S. citizen residing overseas, when must my ballot be received in order for it to be counted?

Military members outside the state of Colorado and U.S. citizens residing overseas must send or transmit their voted ballot by 7:00 p.m. on the day of the Election. A voted ballot must be in the hands of the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder’s Office no later than the close of business on the 8th day following Election Day. Refer to Military and Overseas Voters.

Why did I get a letter saying that my returned mail ballot was rejected?

You could have received a letter from our office stating that your mail ballot was rejected for the following reasons:

1. The signature on your returned mail ballot envelope did not match what we have on file for you.
2. You failed to sign your mail ballot envelope.
3. You need to provide necessary identification.

If you received a letter from our office stating that your mail ballot was rejected, it is imperative that you follow the instructions on the letter and return it to our office as soon as possible. The last day for voters to cure signature discrepancies, missing signatures, or to provide missing identification for the 2024 General Election is November 13, 2024.

RECALL ELECTIONS

Who approves a recall petition?

In order to recall a state officeholder (Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, members of the General Assembly, members of the State Board of Education, members of the CU Board of Regents, members of the RTD Board of Directors, and District Attorney), a recall petition must be created and approved by the Secretary of State’s office prior to obtaining signatures.

Recall petitions for county offices must be approved by the county clerk & recorder prior to circulation.

Members of Congress and US Senators may not be recalled.

How many signatures are needed to recall an elected official?

The signature threshold to place a recall question on the ballot for a state or county elected official is 25% of the total votes cast at the last preceding general election for that office.

How long does an elected official have to be in office before a recall can be attempted?

An elected official must hold office for 6 months before a recall can be attempted (this rule does not apply to members of the General Assembly, who can be recalled 5 days after the start of the legislative session). No recall can be attempted against an elected official whose term of office will expire within 6 months.

How much does a recall election cost?

On average $4.00 per voter. However, it could be less if the recall election coordinates with the County and is held in conjunction with another election.

When will the recall election date be set?

Under section 1-12-108 (8)(c) of the Colorado Revised Statutes, the date of the recall election is set by the designated election official or governor. Upon determining that the petition is sufficient and after the time for protest has passed and any protests duly raised have been fully adjudicated, the governor will submit the certificate of sufficiency and set the date of the recall election. This will not take place earlier than thirty days or more than sixty days from this date.