Colorado voters don鈥檛 have to request a mail-in ballot, because the state has been automatically sending all registered voters a ballot since 2013.
But a bit of misleading information from a mailer sent by the U.S. Postal Service to Colorado homes as part of a national mail-voting promotion incorrectly claims voters must request a ballot at least 15 days ahead of the election. That
This is just one of many examples of what Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Angela Myers calls 鈥渘oise鈥� about the logistics of this election.
In actuality, as long as a person is registered to vote, their county will automatically send a ballot to their last registered address starting on Oct. 9.
Coloradans that don鈥檛 receive their ballot soon after that date can check their ballot鈥檚 status on the website. Anyone still struggling to get their ballot delivered can request a replacement ballot from their county clerk 鈥� a complete listing of clerks is available on .
Despite claims made by that USPS mailer, Coloradans can request a ballot until Oct. 26, just eight days before the election. However, Clerks across Northern Colorado say voters who plan to mail in their ballot should do so by Oct. 26 to ensure it arrives on time, but people in more remote areas like Yuma County may need to send it out at least a few days sooner.
The ballots Coloradans receive in the mail are not only intended to be mailed back. Colorado has at least . The drop boxes are monitored, available 24 hours a day and have their locations listed on . Voters can drop the ballot they receive in the mail off in one of these boxes anytime up to 7 p.m. on election night.
Larger counties, like and , have more than a dozen drop boxes spread out across the county. , and counties only have one or two, so those counties鈥� voters may have to plan ahead to get to a drop box.
And finally, there鈥檚 in-person voting on Election Day. Citizens can still register to vote on that date. Counties are taking precautions like plexiglass guards, disposable pens and social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but several clerks suggested people use the drop boxes or mail their ballot to avoid risking themselves or workers.
鈥淲e need to keep folks out of our voting sites,鈥� Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Angela Myers said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud (that) Larimer voters listened in the last election and they did not come into voter service and polling centers.鈥�
She added that there were no reported cases of infection among polling workers or the few in-person voters during this year鈥檚 primary.
鈥淧lease, if you think you must come into a voter service and polling center and can鈥檛 for some reason vote that mail ballot you received, call us first,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淲e will see if there鈥檚 another alternative that we can provide for you that doesn鈥檛 require that you come in.鈥�
Myers pushes voters to make sure they are getting their election logistics information from the right source.
鈥淧lease don鈥檛 get your information from social media,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wish that every single citizen would understand very clearly that the folks who conduct elections work for them. We are their source, their resource. Don鈥檛 go to some consolidated place to find out about Larimer county, go to for any piece of information you need about our election.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 accountable to you,鈥� she added. 鈥淐ontact me directly. Ask me the hard questions.鈥�
Multiple Northern Colorado county clerks also pushed against claims that mail-in voting poses an election security risk. Myers says voters giving their ballot to a friend to drop it off is a much bigger risk.
