Questions about voting in Colorado
Short answers, with links to the official source for each. For anything about your own registration or ballot, your county clerk and GoVoteColorado.gov have the final word.
Voting
How do I vote in Colorado?
Colorado mails a ballot to every active registered voter. Fill it in, sign the return envelope, and drop it at any drop box or voter service and polling center in your county. You can also vote in person at a voting center. Find a drop box or voting center on the Secretary of State's site.
What's the deadline?
Your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Postmarks don't count, so this close to Election Day use a drop box or voting center instead of the mail. If you're in line at a voting center by 7 p.m., you can still vote.
I'm not registered, or I never got my ballot. Can I still vote?
Yes. In Colorado you can register and vote in person at a voter service and polling center through 7 p.m. on Election Day. Check your registration first, and bring an acceptable ID. Your county election office can replace a lost or damaged ballot.
How do I know my ballot was counted?
Sign up for BallotTrax to get a text or email when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted. If there's a problem with your signature, your county will contact you, and you have until eight days after Election Day to fix it.
What's on the ballot
What's on my ballot?
It depends on your address. Search your town or county to see the statewide races, statewide measures, and any city or town questions. County, school district, and special district questions aren't on this site. Your official sample ballot shows everything you'll vote on.
What is a local ballot question?
It's a decision a city or town sends to its voters instead of settling it at council. The council can refer it to the ballot, or residents can put it there by petition. Common topics are sales and lodging taxes, charter changes, term limits, and whether a community becomes a town. Only registered voters who live inside the town's limits vote on it. See every city and town question.
What's the difference between a ballot issue and a ballot question?
A ballot issue is about taxes, debt, or spending under Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), which requires voter approval before a government raises a tax or takes on most long-term debt. Its title must state the dollar amount, in capitals, starting "SHALL (government) TAXES BE INCREASED" or "SHALL (government) DEBT BE INCREASED". A ballot question is anything else, such as a charter change. Some ballot issues ask to keep revenue above TABOR's limit instead of refunding it; a yes vote lets the government keep and spend that money.
How do I answer a question on my ballot?
Fill in the oval for Yes or No. Yes approves the change, and No rejects it. You can leave any question blank, and the rest of your ballot still counts. Our one-line summaries aren't the ballot language, so read the full wording on your ballot or sample ballot.
How are amendments and propositions different?
Amendments change the Colorado Constitution and need at least 55% yes to pass, unless they only repeal language, which needs a simple majority. Propositions change state law and need a simple majority. Lettered measures were referred by the legislature; numbered ones got on the ballot by citizen petition. The 2026 Blue Book, from the legislature's nonpartisan staff, explains each one with arguments for and against. See the statewide measures.
Where do the tax and cost figures come from?
For local tax and debt questions, from the TABOR notice mailed before the election to every household with a registered voter. It has the government's own cost estimate and comments for and against. We show only figures we've checked against the notice. For statewide measures, figures come from the fiscal impact statements by Legislative Council Staff. How we show numbers.
Results
When will results be final?
County clerks count the ballots. Unofficial results start at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 and change as counting continues over the following days, including ballots from military and overseas voters and ballots whose signature problems were fixed. Counties certify results by Nov. 25, 2026. A very close result can trigger an automatic recount. We add local results here as counties report them.
About this site
Who runs VoteColorado?
VoteColorado is an independent, nonpartisan site built by BDITS. It isn't affiliated with the State of Colorado, and it takes no position on any candidate or measure. Every fact links to its source, mainly the Secretary of State, county clerks, the Blue Book, and the Colorado Municipal League. For official voter services, go to GoVoteColorado.gov. About this site.
I found a mistake. How do I tell you?
Email corrections@votecolorado.org with the page and what it should say. We list every fix on our corrections page. For anything else, write to hello@votecolorado.org.