Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to vote?

In order to vote in Colorado, you must be:

• A US citizen
• A Colorado resident for at least 22 days before the election
• Not serving a sentence of confinement or detention for a felony conviction (those on parole and who have completed their sentences ARE ELIGIBLE to vote)
• At least 18 years old (16+ can pre-register)

How can I register to vote?

• Online: GoVoteColorado.gov
• In-person:
  • Jeffco Elections Division, 3500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401
  • Any vote center leading up to an election
  • Any state motor vehicle office
  • Any state-authorized Voter Registration Drive
• Email/mail/fax: Download a voter registration form, fill it out, and send it to:
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Mail: Colorado Department of State Elections Division, 1700 Broadway, Suite 550 Denver, CO 80290
  • Fax: 303-869-4861

When can I register to vote?

Qualified residents may register to vote up to and including Election Day. However, in order to receive a ballot in the mail, we must receive your voter registration no later than 8 days before the election. If you register after this time, you must visit a Vote Center in order to vote.

What ID is accepted to register to vote?

See the Secretary of State's website for the complete list of accepted identification documents

How do you ensure voter lists are accurate?

We take voter list accuracy very seriously because having robust and accurate voter lists is the first step in ensuring the integrity of our elections. Our priorities are to ensure every eligible voter and no ineligible voters are on our voter list.

We regularly receive updates from other state and federal agencies regarding address changes, deaths, felony incarcerations, and other life events that may impact voter registrations. We are constantly updating the state voter database to reflect these changes so it's as current and accurate as possible.

You can withdraw your voter registration, or notify us of other changes at any time.

How do I make sure I receive my ballot? 

First, make sure your address and voter registration information is up to date! Then, watch your mailbox.

We mail out ballots 22 days before the election to every active, registered voter in Jefferson County. Military and Overseas voters get their ballots 45 days before the election.

How do I fill out my ballot? 

Read all instructions with your ballot. Mark your choices by filling in the ovals with black or blue ink. Please completely fill in the oval next to your choice. Do not use an 'x' or check mark, as these are not easily read by our scanning machines. 

If you make a mistake, please follow the instructions on your ballot to cross out the incorrect selection and mark the correct selection. Our scanning machines will always recognize these markings, and our bipartisan teams of trained election judges will review your ballot to determine your intent and count your vote as you noted.  

Please be sure you return it to your return envelope, seal it, and sign the envelope! If you need a replacement ballot, please contact us.

Why are some ballot questions named with letters, while others are numbered?

Ballot questions that come from the state legislature or other political body are listed by a letter. Ballot questions that come from petitions and voters themselves are listed by a number. For example, Proposition A would be referred to the ballot by your elected officials, where as Proposition 100 would be placed on the ballot by a citizen group. This year, both statewide questions were referred by the state legislature.

What is the difference between a Proposition and an Amendment?

An amendment is a change to the state constitution, whereas a proposition is a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes. Constitutions are a framework of government and its powers that set the basic rules of a legal system, whereas statutes are the laws, enacted by a legislative body, that address specific issues and provide detailed rules and regulations.

What does my “YES” or “NO” vote mean on a ballot issue?

Regardless of the question, a YES/FOR vote means you are in favor of changing the current law or situation from what it is now. A NO/AGAINST vote means you are opposed to a change and want to keep the law or situation the same.

How do I return my ballot? 

Return your ballot by mail with one Forever stamp or deliver it to any ballot drop box or vote center in Jefferson County. 

Ballots must be received by the County Clerk by 7pm on Election Day in order to be counted. The Postal Service recommends mailing your ballot by Monday, October 30th, in order to ensure it arrives by Election Day. Postmarks do not count as received. 

Accessible voting devices for use with adaptive equipment, as well as English/Spanish voting devices, are available at every vote center. All vote centers are ADA-accessible.

How do you accommodate voters who have disabilities or speak another language?

Accessible voting devices for use with adaptive equipment, as well as English/Spanish voting devices, are available at every vote center. All vote centers are ADA-accessible.

How do I know if my ballot was received and my vote counted?

You can see the status of your mail ballot online with BallotTrax.

If you deliver your ballot to a ballot box, please allow two (2) business days for processing before expecting to see the status of your mail ballot. On Election Day, turnaround time is a few hours. If you return your ballot by mail, please allow one full week before expecting a status update. 

Are drop boxes secure? 

Not only are our 37 ballot drop boxes convenient (many are drive-up) but they're very secure! Our ballot drop boxes have 24/7 video surveillance and lighting throughout the election. The drop boxes are serviced by bipartisan teams that have been background checked and trained. Election workers use secure bags with seals and logs that maintain a chain of custody for ballots in transit. They are not opened until they are in our secure election warehouse. 

How are ballot envelopes picked up from drop boxes? 

Every day of the election a bipartisan team of background checked election workers pick up the ballots from drop boxes. They are placed in secure bags, sealed, and logged, establishing a chain of custody as they're transported to our election center. Ballots are never alone with a single individual during the entire election process--a second individual from a different political party is always present.

>> Watch a short video about ballot drop boxes

How are ballot envelopes transported to the election center? 

Bipartisan teams transport the sealed ballot bags back to our election facility in Golden for processing. They'll deliver the bags into the facility where the receiving team will check to confirm they're still sealed and the chain of custody is intact before they open the bags to remove the ballot envelopes.

>> Watch a short video about ballot transport

What do you do with the ballots when they arrive at the election center?

Ballot envelopes are received, weighed, and organized upon their arrival. We remove non-ballots from the transport bags and bipartisan teams prepare them for signature verification and sorting.

>> Watch a short video about ballot receiving

How do ballots get sorted?

Every ballot goes through our state-of-the-art ballot sorter twice. The first time it takes a picture of your signature on the envelope to verify that the signature matches the one we have on file. Every voter signature is reviewed by the software or trained signature verification election judges to determine which ballot envelopes are eligible to be opened and counted. On the second pass through the sorter, any envelopes that have been accepted for counting will be sliced open. Those that need a second look will be sorted out for additional review and not opened until the voter's eligibility has been confirmed.

>> Watch a short video on ballot sorting

How is my signature verified? 

Between the ballot sorting machine and our signature verification judges, every voter signature is reviewed for eligibility. If our bipartisan teams of judges determine your signature does not match what we have on file for you, our ballot curing team will reach out to tell you how you can verify your identity so your vote can be counted. The deadline to cure your ballot is eight days after voting ends.

>> Watch a short video on signature verification

When is my ballot taken out of the envelope? 

Bipartisan teams of judges remove the ballots from the envelopes, separating the vote from the voter and preserving the anonymity of your vote. They check for damaged ballots and use of red ink, highlighter, or other issues that make a ballot unsuitable for scanning. Those ballots will receive additional manual processing so those votes can be counted.

>> Watch a short video about ballot casting

How are the votes counted?

In the final step of the process, ballots are fed in batches into scanning machines to have their votes tabulated. Bipartisan teams will review any votes that the machine is unsure how to count, determining what the voter intended so that vote can be counted. Scanned ballots are set aside for a post-election audit.

>> Watch a short video about ballot counting

When will we get election results?

We process ballots daily throughout the 22 day election period. We begin counting ballots about two weeks ahead of time but never have results available either internally or externally until after voting closes.

On the final day of voting, voting closes at 7pm. We will post results for the first time shortly after 7pm. Please note that the first round of results can take up to 15-20 minutes to post. Typically, we will post results every two hours (9pm, 11pm, 1am) following the initial results. We try to count everything in the building before we leave for the night, which means there may be an additional upload of results around 3am, but that decision is made after the 1am results are posted.

We encourage voters to turn in their ballots early to get results to the public as early as possible!  

Are counting machines ever connected to the internet?

Our tabulation room is the most secure room in our election facility. Only a bipartisan team of four election staff have keycard access to the room and its under constant surveillance. Counting machines have never and will never be connected to the internet, so they cannot be accessed from outside the room they are in.

What is ballot curing? 

Some ballots are returned without signatures, with signatures that don’t match their voter file, or from new voters who haven’t been verified yet. They will be rejected before they are counted, and the elections team will reach out so voters can “cure” their ballots. Curing is the process of verifying your eligibility to vote when your ballot has originally been rejected. As voters return their verification documentation, their ballot envelopes will be opened and their votes counted and added to the final totals. Ballots must be cured by eight days after the election.

How does the post-election audit work? 

Security experts on both ends of the political spectrum have called Colorado one of the safest states to cast a ballot. We maintain the integrity of our elections by conducting a post-election audit (also known as Risk Limiting Audit). A statistically significant number of ballots are randomly selected for examination by bipartisan teams to ensure that the results of the voting machine and manual review are identical. If we find a single discrepancy, we conduct another statewide audit to ensure the results are what the voters intended them to be.  

How are election results certified? 

Once we have successfully completed the post-election audit, we bring in a bipartisan canvass board. This board reviews all the numbers in the election process: how many registered voters voted, how many ballots were received, how many ballots were counted, and what the results were. This bipartisan team will then certify the results of this election.

How many voters are there in Jeffco?

There are about 430,000 active, registered voters, and about 470,000 total registered voters.

What percent of voters in Jeffco actively vote?

In odd-year elections, where local issues and candidate races make up most of the ballot, turnout is between 40-50%. In even-year elections with mostly statewide issues and races on the ballot, and no presidential election, turnout is typically 70-80%. In presidential election years turnout is often 85% or more.

How many people vote by mail vs in-person?

95-98% of Jeffco ballots are returned by mail or drop box. The remaining 2-5% are ballots voted at in-person vote centers. Colorado is primarily a vote by mail state, but you can always vote in-person if you prefer!

What's on this year's ballot?

Visit our On the Ballot page for details, when they're available.

What is a “coordinated” election vs. a "general" election?

A coordinated election, held in odd-numbered years, is one that the County Clerk conducts on behalf of two or more cities, school districts, special districts, or other jurisdictions. These elections are when we choose city council members, school board directors, and other local officials, as well as vote on issues affecting our immediate community. A general election, held in even-numbered years, has largely statewide races and issues, such as state House and Senate seats, races for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and other elected roles.