REGISTRATION

Automatic Voter Registration- Colorado provides automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles. In the 2018 election cycle, there was a failed attempt to put forth a statewide ballot initiative: The Colorado Automatic Voter Registration via Public Entities Initiative. This amendment would have provided for automatic voter registration for individuals interacting with public entities that collect a resident’s legal name, age, residence, citizenship, identification information, and signature. The information would then be forwarded to the Colorado Secretary of State, who would ask if the individual wants to opt-out of voter registration or add an affiliation with a political party. If the person does not respond to the inquiry, the individual is automatically registered to vote. Unfortunately, this initiative did not reach the ballot in 2018.
RECOMMENDATION: Expand Automatic Voter Registration as proposed in the Public Entities Initiative.

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Online Voter Registration- Online voter registration is provided for all voters, with voters as young as 16 able to pre-register.

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Same-Day Registration- Same-day registration is permitted for all voters, though the voter must register eight days before the election to receive a ballot by mail.

VOTING PROCESS

Voter ID Requirement- As a state that conducts voting by mail, Colorado requires residents to provide a valid form of identification to vote in-person. This identification is not required to include a photo and a range of forms of identification are accepted.
RECOMMENDATION: While a range of identifications are permitted, reduce Voter ID requirements due to their suppressive impact.

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Early Voting- As a state that conducts voting by mail, Colorado still allows early voting the 15 days prior to an election at Voter Service and Polling Centers. Voters may vote in-person on Election Day during polling hours.

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No Excuse Absentee- As a state that conducts voting by mail, Colorado allows all voters to vote “absentee” without an excuse.

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Mail-In Voting- Elections are conducted by mail in Colorado.

VOTING RIGHTS

Felon Re-Enfranchisement- The right to vote is immediately restored upon completion of sentence and parole, but the returning citizen is required to re-register online or by mail to vote.
RECOMMENDATION: Allow returning citizens to re-register immediately following their prison sentence. Or, better yet, follow the lead of Maine and Vermont and forego disenfranchisement altogether.

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Voter Bill of Rights- No general voter bill of rights is published. A document is available for residents who have disabilities so that they know their rights when it comes to voting in the state.
RECOMMENDATION: Develop a voter bill of rights, post it prominently on the Secretary of State website, and make it available as part of mail-in ballots.

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Polling Hours- Polls are open on Election Day from 7 am to 7 pm, for a total of 12 hours of voting time.
RECOMMENDATION: Expand to 14 hours, consistent with other leading states.

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Wait Time Service Standard- Like other states, Colorado does not have a wait time standard for polling places. However, the mail-in approach to elections substantially reduces waits associated with voting.