Colorado Voting Rights
June 28, 2016
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- You have the rights to vote if, you
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- will be 18 years of age or older at the time of the election,
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- are a United States citizen,
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- have resided in Colorado 22 days immediately before the election at which you intend to vote,
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- are not serving a sentence of confinement, detention, or parole for a felony conviction.
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- You have the right to cast a regular ballot if you are a valid registered voter and present one of the ID documents required by CO state law. You have the rights to vote by a provisional ballot if you do not have the required identification available. Click here to learn about provisional ballots.
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- If an Elections official or anyone else challenges your right to vote, you still have the right to cast a regular ballot by making an oath attesting to your eligibility to vote. If you prefer not to answer the questions or take the oath, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
IF THERE IS EVER A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE, YOU CAN ALWAYS VOTE BY “PROVISIONAL BALLOT.”
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- You have the right to cast a ballot if you are present and in line at the polling place or your vehicle is in line at the ballot drop off location by 7:00PM when polls close.
5. You have the rights to register to vote on Election Day and vote.
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- If it’s less than 8 days from Election Day, you must visit one of the polling locations and register to vote on the spot and get a ballot.
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- It it’s more than 8 days from Election Day, you can register to vote by mail or online at www.GoVoteColorado.com and the clerk will automatically mail you your ballot.
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- You have the right to cast a secret ballot free from intimidation. – When you are within 100 feet of a building in which a polling place is located, you have the right to vote or wait without anyone trying to influence your vote.
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- If at any time before you finally cast your ballot, you feel you have made a mistake or defaced your ballot, you have the right to request a new ballot. Vote-by-mail voters may also request and receive a new ballot if they return their spoiled ballot to an elections official prior to the closing of the polls on election day.
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- You have the right to receive assistance in casting your ballot, if you are unable to vote without assistance.
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- If you need help voting because of a disability: If you can’t read or write, have a language barrier or have a physical disability, you can ask for assistance and take someone in the booth with you.
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- If your polling place is inaccessible because you have a physical disability: You can always have a precinct worker come outside the polling place and allow you to vote there.
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- You have the right to return a completed vote-by-mail ballot to any precinct in the county.
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- If you need time off from work to vote… you can take up to two hours off work to vote without loss of pay by giving your employer notice before Election Day. (Applies only if there are not 3 or more hours between opening and closing of polls during which you are not required to work)
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- You have the right to ask questions about election procedures and observe the election process.
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- You have the right to ask questions of the precinct board and elections officials regarding election procedures and to receive an answer or be directed to the appropriate official for an answer. However, if persistent questioning disrupts the execution of their duties, the board or election officials may discontinue responding to questions.
Vote-By-Mail Ballots
If you have not mailed your ballot by the deadline, you can turn it in to ANY polling place in the county. You can also have a relative or person in your household take your completed ballot in for you as long as YOU sign the envelope and write the name and address of the person turning it in for you.
If you didn’t receive or lost your vote-by-mail ballot, you can still vote at a polling location on Election Day.
Provisional Ballots
IF THERE IS EVER A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE, YOU CAN ALWAYS VOTE BY “PROVISIONAL BALLOT.” You can vote a provisional ballot at ANY polling place in your county. Be sure to fill out your address and sign your “Provisional Ballot” before turning it in!
DO NOT LEAVE THE POLLING PLACE UNTIL YOU HAVE VOTED.
For additional information contact ANCA-Western Region 818.862.2622.
Below courtesy of www.justvotecolorado.org
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
If you are unable to sign your name due to a physical disability, you have the right to vote without signing your name. You may use a signature stamp which does not require a witness. You may also sign with your “mark”, which does require a witness.
You have the right to assistance at your polling location. If you need assistance (e.g. due to a disability or a language need), you are entitled to assistance from an election judge or a person of your choosing. The person that you choose can not be your employer, or an agent of your employer or labor union. If you get assistance, that person must cast your vote the way you want and cannot try to tell you how to vote.
Each polling place is required to be accessible to persons with disabilities. Designated election officials shall only select as polling places sites that meet specific ADA accessibility standards, including temporary solutions during an election.
Each polling place is required to have an accessible voting system or device equipped for individuals with disabilities. If you cannot read, see, or operate the voting machine because of a disability, you have the right to receive assistance from any eligible elector you choose or an election official. In the event that a polling place is inaccessible on Election Day, immediately call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Visit Disability Law Colorado’s website for in-depth information and resources on this topic.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECENTLY MOVED
In order to vote in Colorado, you must have resided in Colorado 22 days immediately before the election at which you intend to vote.
If you moved within the state of Colorado you can easily update your address with the Secretary of State online via this website: www.govotecolorado.com.
If you moved to Colorado from another state, you must register to vote in order to vote in an election.You can do this online at www.govotecolorado.com or by contacting your County Clerk & Recorder. A list of County Clerk and Recorders can be found here.
STUDENT VOTING RIGHTS
Students have a choice about where they wish to register to vote and cast their ballot. Students attending college in Colorado may choose to declare residency at their school address, or choose to register at their home address. However, students may only be registered to vote, and vote, in one location.
See the Campus Vote Project’s Colorado Student Voting Guide for more information.
RIGHTS OF INCARCERATED OR PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS
The following people are eligible to register and vote in Colorado:
• People with a past criminal conviction (felony or misdemeanor) who have completed their sentence, including parole (if required)
• People currently in jail pretrial (pending the outcome of the criminal case)
• People currently on probation for either a misdemeanor or a felony
• People currently in jail serving a misdemeanor sentence only
Individuals who are presently incarcerated for a felony, or are serving parole for a felony, are currently not eligible to vote. However, they will be eligible to vote after serving their sentence. For more information about the voting rights of incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals, visit the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition’s website.
RIGHTS OF ELECTORS WITHOUT FIXED PERMANENT HOMES
An individual who is homeless, permanently resides in a recreational vehicle (RVs), or for some reason has no fixed permanent residence, may use any address that he or she regularly returns to and has the intent to remain in order to register to vote. That location may be used as the elector’s “home base” (residential address) for voter registration purposes.
