Election Day is fast approaching! Here’s your one-stop-shop on how to register, what to do when your ballot arrives, where to find polling places and everything else you need to know ahead of Nov. 5.
How to check your voter registration in Denver
First, double-check that you’re registered to vote. Colorado voters can check their registration status and address here and register to vote here. Voters can register through election day. But if you want to receive your ballot in the mail, you must register by Oct. 28.
After that, you’ll have to register in person at a Voter Service and Polling Center. To find a polling center in Denver, look for the checkmark icons on this map.
If you’re registered to vote in Colorado, you will automatically get a mail-in ballot, which should be mailed the week of Oct. 9. You can get notifications about when your ballot ships, arrives and has been counted via BallotTrax.
How to return your mail ballot in Denver
To vote, fill out your ballot, put it in the provided envelope, seal it and sign on the appropriate line on the envelope.
You can mail your ballot back (you should put postage on the envelope), or simply drop it in one of the 24-hour ballot drop boxes around the city. You can also use drop boxes in other localities, but it makes it a little more complicated for your ballot to reach the Denver Clerk and Recorder for counting.
You can find a map of Denver drop boxes here. Your ballot must be in a dropbox or otherwise received by the city by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. If you are mailing back your ballot, the city suggests posting it by Oct. 28 to make sure it arrives by Election Day — after that, drop it in a drop box. (Ed. note: For many people, using a local dropbox is going to be the most convenient, free and straightforward option.)
If for some reason your ballot does not arrive, you will need a replacement ballot. Alternatively, if you want to vote in person, you can go to a voter service and polling center. You must be in line to vote at those sites by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Military and overseas voters can access electronic ballots online here. You can also request an accessible ballot online here or visit one of the polling places.
Need help filling the ballot out?
Check out the rest of our voter guide to learn about those many, many ballot measures.
The city and state both provide their own guides for the referred questions and ordinances you’ll find on the ballot. The state Blue Book is available online here. The Denver guide to tax-related ballot measures is here, while the guide to other local measures is here.
Those government ballot guides are also printed and, in some cases, mailed to voters. All active registered voters should receive a printed version of the state Blue Book in the mail, as well as the local Ballot Issue Notice that explains the tax measures. (Active voters are those who have voted recently or interacted with their clerk’s office recently.)
But this year, the local Ballot Information Booklet, which explains the rest of the measures, will not be mailed to most voters. Instead, it will be available online (see above), in print at library branches and voting centers or via delivery upon special request. Request a copy by emailing [email protected] or calling 720-913-8683.
You can also take a look at sample ballots in English, Spanish, Amharic, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic and Somali here.
And if you’re really an elections nerd, you can sign up for a tour of the Denver Elections Division here.
Other questions? Let us know at [email protected].
