Colorado elections, 2021
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This page is an overview of the 2021 Colorado elections, including the offices on the ballot covered by Ballotpedia, election dates, and frequently asked questions.
Contents
Offices on the ballot
Below is a list of Colorado elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2021. Click the links to learn more about each type:
| U.S. Senate | — |
| U.S. House | — |
| Congress special election | — |
| Governor | — |
| Other state executive | — |
| State Senate | — |
| State House | — |
| Special state legislative | — |
| State Supreme Court | — |
| Intermediate appellate courts | — |
| Local judges | — |
| School boards | ✓ |
| Municipal government | ✓ |
| Recalls | ✓ |
| Ballot measures | ✓ |
| Local ballot measures | ✓ |
Legend: ✓ election(s) / — no elections
Subject to Ballotpedia's scope
Election dates
Statewide election dates in Colorado are listed below. For more dates, please see the elections calendar.
Statewide election dates
There are no statewide elections in Colorado this year. See the Ballotpedia calendar page for more election dates.
Polling hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.[1]
Local election dates
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive ballot coverage of municipal elections in the nation's 100 largest cities by population, including races for trial court judgeships and county offices that overlap them. Ballotpedia also covers the nation's 200 largest public school districts by student enrollment and all school districts overlapping the top 100 cities by population.
Frequently asked questions
When are the polls open?
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.[1]
See State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2021) for more information
Where can I find election results?
Election results are posted on Ballotpedia's election overview pages, as well as the relevant candidate pages. You can find links to the current election overview pages in the "Offices on the ballot" section of this page.
How do primaries work in Colorado?
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Colorado utilizes a semi-closed primary system. According to Section 1-7-201 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, "an eligible unaffiliated elector is entitled to vote in the primary election of a major political party without affiliating with that political party."[2][3][4][5]
How do I register to vote?
In Colorado, an individual can register to vote if he or she is at least 16 years old and will be 18 by Election Day. A voter must be a citizen of the United States and have lived in Colorado at least 22 days prior to Election Day.[6]
Colorado voters can register through Election Day but must register at least eight days prior to Election Day to automatically receive a ballot in the mail. Voters who register after that point must pick up a ballot in person at any Voter Service and Polling Center. Voters can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.[6][7]
Is there an early voting period? Can I vote absentee?
- See also: Absentee voting
Colorado uses a vote-by-mail system exclusively, so there is no need for explicit absentee or early voting procedures, except for those who cannot or do not wish to vote by mail. County clerks and recorders automatically send mail ballots to every elector in active status, starting 18 to 22 days before the election. The last day on which a county clerk can mail a ballot to a voter is eight days before the election. However, since electors can register to vote until the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, there are always some voters that cannot vote by mail ballot. Therefore, Colorado law requires county clerks to open and operate polling locations called Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) starting 15 days before the election through Election Day, excluding Sundays. Eligible voters can visit any VSPC in their county of residence to do any of the following:
- void their mail ballot to vote in person,
- register to vote,
- update an existing voter registration record,
- obtain a mail ballot “over-the-counter,” or
- vote in person on paper ballots or accessible voting devices.[8]
What are the voter ID laws in Colorado?
See Voter identification laws by state.
How do I file to run for office?
See Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Colorado for information on how to run for state or federal office.
What does Ballotpedia cover?
Ballotpedia's coverage extends to all elections on the federal level, all gubernatorial, state legislative, statewide ballot measure, and statewide judicial elections, as well as many other types of state executive offices. Local election coverage includes comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal and judicial elections in the top 100 cities by population and races for the large counties that overlap them. In the state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities, it includes coverage of mayoral, city council, and district attorney elections. It also includes school board elections in the top 200 largest school districts by enrollment, all California local ballot measures, and notable local ballot measures from across the nation. Ballotpedia also covers all elections in the U.S. territories but not elections in other countries.
How do I contact Ballotpedia with a question?
Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Colorado Legal Resources, "Colorado Revised Statutes, Chapter 1, Article 7, Part 1, Section 101", accessed November 18, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, "Primary Elections FAQs," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed October 6, 2019
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Go Vote Colorado," accessed October 6, 2019
- ↑ This information came directly from the Colorado Secretary of State's office via email on September 13, 2016.
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