by River Hampton, staff writer
Registering to vote can be daunting, but Colorado makes it easy with a variety of options available.
Voting can feel like an overwhelming process, and it can be difficult to know where to start. Registration is the first step towards voting on local and national issues, including government officials. Most individuals 18 and older are legally allowed to vote in Colo. and qualify with a regularly inhabited address and a social security number.
Currently, it is not possible for students to register to vote through PPSC. However, PPSC campuses often host Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPC) on election days and students may register to vote with county officials during this time.
El Paso County residents with a driver’s license or Colo. state issued ID and social security number may register online at Go Vote Colorado or in-person at a VSPC, the county clerk and recorder’s office or at any federal post office.
Out of State
Students who live out of state but are attending college in Colo. can either remain registered in their home state or update their residence information to vote locally.
To update residence information for students who do not have a form of Colo. identification, printable registration forms are available on the Secretary of State’s website, forms are also available in-person to the county clerk and recorder’s office or any federal post office. Forms can then be mailed, faxed or emailed to the local county clerk and recorder’s office.
If a student plans to attend college in another state, they can register to receive mail-in ballots for Colo. elections or follow the state laws regarding out-of-state voters where the college is located.
Military
Members of the U.S. Military and their families have access to registration through resources located on base, online, sending a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to the county clerk, or in-person through the county clerk and recorder or at any federal post office. Military members and qualifying family members can update voting status and mailing address online through Go Vote Colorado or with a FPCA if being sent out of state or country to receive their ballot under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens and Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
For more information regarding UOCAVA and the FPCA go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program FAQ page.
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PPSC campuses often host Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPC) on election days,
and students may register to vote with county officials during this time
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Homeless and State Benefit Program
For students experiencing displacement or homelessness, it is still possible to register to vote.
Colo. law states that a residence “is a permanent building or part of a building and may include a house, apartment, condominium, room in a house, or mobile home.” Homeless voters may register using any address that they return to regularly and intend to remain at, such as a homeless shelter, campground, park, vacant lot or other physical address.
State benefit programs, such as SNAP, TANF, WIC, and Colorado Health First/Medicaid also provide access to voter registration. This can be done at the end of the application/renewal forms online or in-person with a representative at the Department of Human Services (DHS) or WIC office. The DHS also provides physical and language accessibility with interpreters to assist with benefits forms as well as voter registration.
Convicted
Students convicted for misdemeanors and felonies are still legally allowed to vote so long as they have served the “full term of imprisonment” and are on parole or probation. According to Colo. law, the day an individual is released from detention or imprisonment the ability to register to vote is restored.
Convicted individuals lose their voter registration upon conviction and imprisonment and must re-register once released. Those with a current Colo. state issued ID or driver’s license can register online, otherwise registration must be done in person.
ADA Accessibility
Federal and state law requires that all VSPCs are ADA compliant, offering accessible voting machines in every county and at every VSPC.
Voters with disabilities may be eligible to request that their ballot be electronically delivered. If requested, voters will be required to print and sign their voted ballot and the accessible ballot application. Ballots can be mailed, placed in a ballot drop box or dropped off at a VSPC.
For information on how to report a VSPC that is not accessible or other accessibility issues regarding voting, go to the Go Vote Colorado Voters with Disabilities page.
Deadlines
The deadline to register before any election is online or in-person the day of an election, this can be done at any polling center.
Students wanting to register for mail-in ballots for an upcoming election must register online 8 days before the election to receive one.
If registering fewer than eight days before an upcoming election, individuals will be required to vote in person at any local VSPC and will receive the mail-in ballot for the next election.
For further information regarding polling locations, disability accommodations, and other election related information check out the Go Vote Colorado Elections & Voting FAQs or the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder FAQs.
