November Proposal for public comment on VSPCs

November 8, 2022 General Election

Proposed Designation of Voter Service & Polling Centers

 

            Pursuant to C.R.S. 1-7.5-105(1)(b), the Elections Division of the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder’s Office is seeking public comments on this proposed designation of voter service and polling centers (VSPCs) and drop boxes for the November 8, 2022 General Election.

 

Share your comments on this proposal through the online form below by Saturday, June 11, 2020. You may also send suggestions directly by email to elections@arapahoegov.com.

 

Based on updates to Colorado’s election law since the last midterm election of 2018, Arapahoe County has been adding new VSPCs and 24-hour drop boxes across the county to match increased voter registration. Arapahoe County voters vastly prefer to return a mail ballot rather than vote in person. Over 93% of Arapahoe County voters cast that mail ballot in the 2020 Presidential Election, as did 98% of County voters in the 2021 Coordinated Election. VSPCs are still an important part of Colorado’s election system, providing a place for voters to get replacement ballots, register to vote for the first time, vote in person, vote with accessible ballot marking devices, use the curbside ballot pickup service, and drop off a mail ballot.

For the November 8, 2022 General Election, Arapahoe County is planning to operate 32 VSPCs and 35 drop boxes (open 24-hours).  This map of all proposed locations shows the geographic coverage achieved across the county by these combined VSPC and drop box locations compared to where all registered voters reside.

Proposed VSPC locations

The proposed set of VSPC locations for November 2022 serves a wide variety of county neighborhoods, convenient to retail and employment centers, major commuter routes (by car, bus and light rail) and offers choices to voters in dense population centers to avoid undue lines during the busiest voting times (map).VSPC locations will be opening in three different phases to accommodate early voters and maximize locations for the final high turnout days leading into November 8. Colorado law includes a formula that requires a minimum number of VSPCs for each phase, based on the number of active voters in the 2020 Presidential Election. For Arapahoe County, those requirements are:

• 5 VSPCs must be open beginning 15 days before Final Election Day (Phase 1)
• 20 VSPCs must be open from Friday, Nov. 4, through Final Election Day (Phase 2)
• 32 VSPCs must be open on Monday, Nov. 7, and Final Election Day (Phase 3)

Under Colorado law, the County considers several factors when designating VSPCs, including:

1. Proximity to public transportation lines and availability of parking. 

2. Geographic features, such as mountain passes, that tend to affect access and convenience. 

3. Equitable distribution across the county so as to afford maximally convenient options for electors. 

4. The existence and location of population centers. 

5. Access for persons with disabilities. 

6. Use of existing voting locations that typically serve a significant number of electors. 

7. Use of public buildings that are known to electors in the county, especially to the extent that using such buildings results in cost savings compared to other potential locations. 
8. Proximity to historically under-represented communities. 
9. The number of electors that used the location in prior elections and wait times at that location and nearby locations.
10. The need to place locations in population centers that had lower turnout in prior elections.
11. Polling locations shall be in public locations wherever possible. A private location may be used only when no appropriate public location is available.

 

During an earlier public comment period this year, the Election Division received community feedback that was very supportive of many library locations. There were multiple requests for additional sites on the eastern edge of the Aurora metro area where housing developments have expanded. Some commenters also suggested specific intersections or neighborhoods where our team investigated the availability of facility use.

 

Most of the proposed VSPCs have been used previously in a November Election. This map shows prior in-person votes cast at proposed locations which were also used in the 2020 Presidential Election. Other proposed VSPCs would be used for the first time in the 2022 General Election. Some locations – such as those on higher education campuses – are mandated by state law based on the enrollment numbers at those colleges.

 

VSPC location	Street Address	City	Zip	Proposed Phase
Arapahoe Community College	5900 S. Santa Fe Dr.	Littleton	80120	1
Arapahoe County CentrePoint Plaza	14980 E. Alameda Dr.	Aurora	80012	1
Arapahoe County Lima Plaza	6954 S. Lima St.	Centennial	80112	1
Arapahoe County Administration Building	5334 S. Prince St	Littleton	80120	1
Arapahoe Libraries Administration	12855 E. Adam Aircraft Cir.	Centennial	80112	1
Central Recreation Center	18150 E. Vassar Pl.	Aurora	80013	1
Englewood Civic Center	1000 Englewood Pkwy.	Englewood	80110	1
Kelver Library	404 E. Front St	Byers	80103	1
Smoky Hill Library	5430 S. Biscay Cir.	Aurora	80015	1
Southglenn Library	6972 S. Vine St	Centennial	80122	1
Tallyn's Reach Library	23911 E Arapahoe Rd	Aurora	80016	1
APS Educational Services Center 4	1085 Peoria St.	Aurora	80011	2
APS Professional Learning and Conference Center	15771 E. First Ave.	Aurora	80011	2
Arapahoe County Fairgrounds	25690 E. Quincy Ave.	Aurora	80016	2
Aurora Center for Active Adults	30 Del Mar Circle	Aurora	80011	2
Aurora Municipal Center	15151 E Alameda Pkwy	Aurora	80012	2
Beck Recreation Center	800 Telluride St.	Aurora	80011	2
Bemis Public Library	6014 S. Datura St.	Littleton	80120	2
Cherry Creek Schools Instructional Support Facility	5416 S. Riviera Way	Centennial	80015	2
City of Glendale Municipal Building	950 S. Birch St.	Glendale	80246	2
City of Greenwood Village	6060 S. Quebec St	Greenwood Village	80111	2
Community College of Aurora - CentreTech Campus	16000 E Centretech Pkwy	Aurora	80011	2
Community College of Aurora - Lowry Campus	710 Alton Way	Denver	80230	2
Heather Gardens Clubhouse	2888 S. Heather Gardens Way	Aurora	80014	2
Martin Luther King Jr. Library	9898 E. Colfax Ave.	Aurora	80010	2
Mission Viejo Library	15324 E. Hampden Cir.	Aurora	80013	2
Murphy Creek Golf Course	1700 S Old Tom Morris Rd	Aurora	80018	2
Parkside Village Retirement Resort	14501 E. Crestline Dr.	Aurora	80015	2
Pickens Technical College	500 Airport Blvd.	Aurora	80011	2
Vista Peak Preparatory School	24500 E. 6th Ave	Aurora	80018	2
E-470 Administrative Headquarters	22470 E. Stephen D. Hogan Pkwy.	Aurora	80018	3
Mississippi Avenue Baptist Church	13231 E. Mississippi Ave.	Aurora	80012	3

 

Map of all Proposed VSPCs

 

24-hour Drop Boxes

            In the 2020 Presidential Election, Arapahoe County Elections operated 32 ballot drop boxes across the County. Drop boxes are monitored by security cameras 24/7, and video footage must be retained by the county for a legally required period of time after the election. Therefore, any location for a drop box must be close enough to a location where the Elections Division can install the camera, lighting, recording equipment, and storage device. Bipartisan teams of election judges check and retrieve all ballots from these boxes and return them in sealed ballot boxes to the central count facility.

In the 2022 General Election, 35 drop boxes will be available for voters to return mail ballots. Some of these drop boxes are co-branded with a neighboring metro-area county subject to an intergovernmental agreement where both County Clerks have access to use the box for elections held in their jurisdiction. Bipartisan teams from each County exchange any ballots from voters in each county as needed in shared elections. Under Colorado law, Arapahoe County is required to operate 34 drop boxes including three (3) on specific higher education campuses that meet enrollment thresholds. The chart below lists drop boxes that will be used in the 2022 General Election.

 

Drop box location	Street Address	City	Zip
Arapahoe Community College	5900 S. Santa Fe Dr.	Littleton	80120
Arapahoe County Administration Building	5334 S. Prince St.	Littleton	80120
Arapahoe County Aurora MV Office	490 S. Chambers Rd.	Aurora	80017
Arapahoe County CentrePoint Plaza	14980 E. Alameda Dr.	Aurora	80012
Arapahoe County Elections Facility	5251 S. Federal Blvd	Littleton	80123
Arapahoe County Lima Plaza	6954 S. Lima St.	Centennial	80112
Aurora Center For Active Adults	30 Del Mar Circle	Aurora	80011
Aurora Municipal Center (Library Cir.)	15151 E. Alameda Pkwy.	Aurora	80012
Beck Recreation Center	800 Telluride St.	Aurora	80011
Centennial Civic Center	13133 E. Arapahoe Rd.	Centennial	80112
Central Recreation Center	18150 E. Vassar Pl.	Aurora	80013
Cherry Hills Village Center	2450 E. Quincy Ave.	Cherry Hills Village	80113
City of Glendale Municipal Building	950 S. Birch St.	Glendale	80246
City of Greenwood Village	6060 S. Quebec St.	Greenwood Village	80111
City of Sheridan Municipal Center	4101 S. Federal Blvd.	Sheridan	80110
Community College of Aurora - Centretech	16000 E. CentreTech Pkwy.	Aurora	80011
Community College of Aurora - Lowry	710 Alton Way	Denver	80230
Deer Trail Town Hall	555 Second Ave.	Deer Trail	80105
Eloise May Library	1471 S. Parker Rd.	Denver	80231
Englewood Civic Center	1000 Englewood Pkwy.	Englewood	80110
Goodson Recreation Center	6315 S. University Blvd.	Centennial	80121
Heather Gardens Clubhouse	2888 S. Heather Gardens Way	Aurora	80014
Iliff RTD Parking Structure	14000 E. Wesley Ave.	Aurora	80014
Kelver Library	585 S. Main St.	Byers	80103
Koelbel Library	5955 S. Holly St.	Centennial	80121
Martin Luther King, Jr. Library	9898 E. Colfax Ave.	Aurora	80010
Mission Viejo Library	15324 E. Hampden Cir.	Aurora	80013
Saddle Rock Golf Course	21705 E Arapahoe Rd.	Aurora	80016
Smoky Hill Library	5430 S. Biscay Cir.	Centennial	80015
Tallyn's Reach Library	23911 E. Arapahoe Rd.	Aurora	80016
Tri-County Health Clinic	4857 S. Broadway	Englewood	80113
Utah Park Pool	1800 S. Peoria St.	Aurora	80012
Adams County Bennett Motor Vehicle	355 S. First St.	Bennett	80102
Adams County Sheriff Substation	2550 Strasburg Rd.	Strasburg	80136
South Suburban Sports Complex	4810 E. County Line Rd.	Littleton	80126

 

Map of all 24 hour drop boxes