Election 2020: Your (Non-Issue) Voting Questions Answered!

Almost a million Coloradans have already voted...

October 21, 2020

At your service, 24 hours a day. Denver Elections Facebook

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You have exactly fourteen more days to vote in the 2020 election, until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. Colorado has had all-mail elections since 2014 — though you can also vote in person from now through election day at a vote center — and this year's ballots were mailed out starting October 9.

Close to a million Coloradans have already voted, but others are stymied by questions not just on who and what to vote for, but how to vote.
As the deadline draws closer, we're collecting those questions and looking for answers, starting with these three that came up at the Westword office. The answers were provided by Betsy Hart, communications director for the Colorado Secretary of State's Office.

Q: Can you drop your ballot in any election drop box in Colorado, or does it have to be in your county?

A: You can drop your ballot in any drop box, but voters are strongly encouraged to use the drop box in their own county.

Q: What happens if you forget to put postage on your ballot and drop it in a mailbox?

A: If you forget postage, it is possible your ballot will not be delivered.

Q: What should you do if you get a ballot at your home that is not addressed to you?

A. Ideally, the voter would return the ballot to the county clerk so that the clerk’s office can update the voter’s record to indicate that the address is incorrect. Voters should keep in mind, though, that signature verification is conducted on all returned ballots. So if a person returns a voted ballot they received in error, not only would that ballot not be counted because the signature wouldn’t match, but the person knowingly casting a ballot that is not their own could be prosecuted for voter fraud.

Have a question about voting this year? Send it to [email protected], and we'll try to find the answer. In the meantime, you can check the Colorado Secretary of State's election page; for Denver-specific queries, try the Denver Elections Division page.

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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