Colorado Voting Requirements & Information
U.S. Vote Foundation’s Colorado Voting Requirements and Information directory informs you of Colorado voting rules and options. It focuses on Colorado-specific voting guidelines and information for all voters, including domestic, overseas, and military voters. Here you can find out about Colorado voter eligibility, voter ID requirements, registration, absentee and early voting options, ways to transmit voting documents and links to specific-Colorado voting tools. It's an all-in-one Colorado voting resource.
General Information
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- online
- by email
- by mail
- in person at your elections office
- at the polls during Early Voting
- at the polls on Election Day
- at some public assistance offices and motor vehicle offices
You must have resided in Colorado at least 22 days immediately before the election at which you intend to vote.
All voters who register to vote by the Monday one week prior to election day will be automatically sent a Vote-by-Mail ballot with no other application required. Voters may still register after this date and vote in person or pick up a ballot at a voter service and polling center in your county
Election Day Voting
Every voter now receives a mail ballot. If you want to vote at the polls, you can vote in-person at a voter service and polling center. Polling places are open from 7am to 7pm on Election Day.
Find my polling place
Early Voting
Voter service and polling centers are open for in-person early voting for 8 days prior to and on Election Day, except on Sundays.
Please visit the US Vote Disability Voting Guide to see accommodations for the registration and voting process.
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to vote in Colorado if you:
- Are a U.S. citizen
- Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
- Be a resident of Colorado for 22 days before Election Day
You are NOT eligible to vote in Colorado if:
- You are in prison for a felony conviction.
Restorative Requirements
- If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.
You may preregister to vote in Colorado
- At the age of 15
If you are a student, you are eligible to vote in Colorado if:
- You reside in Colorado but are attending college in another state
- You reside in another state but attend college in Colorado
- You provide a valid photo student ID from a college/university in Colorado at the polls
Identification Requirements
Voter Registration
To register to vote in Colorado you should provide one of the following:
- Your Colorado Driver's License Number
- Valid ID card issued by the Department of Revenue
If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:
- Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
- Or, state that you do not have the requested ID number/s
If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide a copy of a valid ID. Acceptable forms of ID include:
- Valid Colorado Driver's License except one issued to an individual that is not a United States citizen
- Valid ID card issued by the Department of Revenue
- Valid US Passport
- Valid Employee Photo ID from Federal or State government
- Valid Military ID
- Valid Pilot's ID
- Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
- Medicare or Medicaid Card issued by the government
- Certified Copy of US Birth Certificate
- Certified Copy of Naturalization Document
- Valid Student ID
- Any Valid ID Issued by US Department of Veterans Affairs
- Valid Tribal ID
- Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native blood
Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. Utility bills should be current within 60 days of the Election.
Voting In-Person
In Colorado, you need to show a valid ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:
- Written correspondence from the county sheriff indicating the voter is confined in jail or detention facility
- Valid ID with photo issued by a Government Agency
- Valid ID card issued by the Department of Revenue
- Valid Colorado Driver's License
- Valid US Passport
- Valid Pilot's ID
- Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
- Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native blood
- Medicare or Medicaid Card Issued by the Government
- Certified (Copy) of US Birth Certificate
- Certified (Copy) of Naturalization Document
- Veteran Health ID Issued by US Department of Veterans Affairs
- Valid Tribal ID
- Valid Military ID
- Valid Student ID
- Verification that you are a Resident of a Group Residential Facility
- Verification that you are Committed to the Department of Human Services, and Eligible to Register and Vote
If the ID you use has an address, it must be an address from Colorado. Utility bills should be current within 60 days of the Election. A driver’s license or identification card issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. is not an acceptable form of ID. Any document produced by Colorado’s statewide voter registration system is not an acceptable form of ID for voting.
If you are voting by mail for the first time, you may need to include a photocopy of your identification when you return your mail ballot.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Domestic Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered?
State Elections Website
Where is my Polling Place?
Can I Register to Vote Online?
Am I Registered?
State Voter Registration FAQ
Overseas / Military Voter Information
For Ballot Dropbox Locations: Contact Local Election Office
Where is my Ballot?
Where is my Ballot Drop Box?
Has my Ballot Been Counted?
Vote In Honor of a Veteran
Where is my Overseas or Military Ballot?
Eligibility Requirements
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
U.S. citizens born overseas who have never resided in the US may register and vote in Colorado if their parent, legal guardian, spouse, or civil union partner is eligible to register and vote in Colorado. The voter should register using the same registration residence as their eligible parent, legal guardian, spouse, or civil union partner.
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
Identification Requirements
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- Your Colorado Driver's License Number
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
- Or, state that you do not have the requested ID number/s
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- Your Colorado Driver's License Number
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
- Or, state that you do not have the requested ID number/s
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Overseas Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
Military Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |