Faqs
In the 2024 General Election, voters will cast their ballots for the candidates for Federal, State, County Offices, State Citizen Initiatives and Ballot Questions, and Local Candidates and Ballot Questions.
Election Day is November 5, 2024
Please visit our on the ballot page view a sample ballot and find links to information about candidates and issues.
(Note: The Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder’s Office does not endorse and is not responsible for any content on any third-party candidate or issue website.)
Mail ballots will be sent to all active registered voters starting the week of October 14, 2024.
Please check your voter registration at www.govotecolorado.gov. Make sure that your residential address and your ballot mailing address are current. Ballots are not forwarded by the Postal Service, even if you have completed a Change of Address request with the Post Office after moving to a new home.
The deadline to register to vote or update your registration online or by mail and receive a ballot by mail is Monday, October 28, 2024.
After this date, you should visit a Voter Service and Polling Center in Arapahoe County in order to register to vote and request a ballot.
If you did not receive a mail ballot, please call our Elections Division at 303-795-4511 by October 28, 2024 to request a replacement mail ballot be sent to you.
After October 28, it is too late to request a ballot by mail.
Between October 28 - November 5, 2024, you may go in-person to a Voter Service and Polling Center in Arapahoe County to request a replacement ballot. When we replace your ballot, we will void your original mail ballot. An elector may not vote twice.
You may also be able to reserve a specific time to pick up your ballot curbside by visiting our curbside ballot pickup reservations page.
Yes. You may leave any race or question blank as you see fit.
You do not have to vote on every race unless you choose to do so. We will count any races and questions that you do choose to vote on.
You should vote for just one option in all races and questions that state "Vote for One".
If you select more than one option, your vote for that specific contest will be considered an "over-vote" and will not count.
Read all instructions with your ballot. Mark your choices by filling in the ovals with a black or blue pen.
Please completely fill in the oval next to your choice. Do not use an 'x' or check mark, as these are not easily read by our scanning machines.
If you make a mistake, please clearly indicate which candidate you meant to vote for by writing a small note or by circling their name. Our scanning machine will always recognize these markings, and our bipartisan teams of trained election judges will review your ballot to determine your intent and count your vote as you noted.
Return your ballot by mail with paid postage or deliver it to any Ballot Drop-Off Location or Voter Service and Polling Center in Arapahoe County.
Ballots must be received by the County Clerk by 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, 2024 in order to be counted. The Postal Service recommends mailing your ballot by Monday, October 28th, in order to ensure it arrives by Election Day.
Postmarks do not count as received.
All eligible ballots received by 7 p.m. on Election Day are counted in the same manner, regardless of the closeness or outcome of any race.
You can see the status of your mail ballot online with BallotTrax or at www.GoVoteColorado.com.
If you deliver your ballot to a ballot box, please allow two (2) business days for processing before expecting to see the status of your mail ballot. If you return your ballot by mail, please allow one full week before expecting a status update.
If you are voting for the first time in Colorado and did not provide ID when you registered to vote, you must provide a photocopy of your ID in the Official Return Envelope, so that your ballot can be counted
The instructions that arrived with your ballot will indicate if you are required to provide a photocopy of your ID. Please read these instructions for details and acceptable forms of ID. If your ID shows an address, it must be located in Colorado.
Yes! Residents can register and update existing voter registration up through November 5, 2024; however, you will need to get a ballot in-person using our new curbside pickup or by visiting a Voter Service and Polling Center.
For faster service, please register to vote or update your voter registration online before coming to a VSPC.
- You may have received two mail ballot envelopes from Arapahoe County if you have updated your voter registration or requested a replacement ballot in the time period since ballots were first printed and mailed.
- In this situation, you may vote and return only one ballot.
- It does not matter which of the ballots you return, as our system will only process and give credit for one.
- An elector may only vote once in any election.
- You may also have received two mail ballot envelopes if you own more than one property in Arapahoe County.
- By law, property owners are eligible to vote in Special District elections (such as fire, water or metro districts) for every property owned.
If you believe you received a duplicate ballot for another reason, please contact our Elections Division at 303-795-4511.
If you damage or lose your ballot, you may request a replacement ballot by calling us at 303-795-4511 by October 28, 2024, or by visiting a Voter Service and Polling Center between October 21, 2024 - November 5, 2024.
When we issue your replacement ballot, we will void your original ballot.
You may also be able to reserve a specific time to pick up your ballot curbside by visiting our curbside ballot pickup reservations page.
By law, voters must sign their ballot envelope. And your signature must be verified against the signature in your voter registration record. (Title 1-7.5-107(5)(c) C.R.S.).
This prevents fraudulent voting by ensuring that you voted your own ballot.
If your signature does not match the signature in your voter registration record, or if you forget to sign the envelope, Arapahoe County will mail you a letter with instructions on how to “cure” this issue by the 8th day after the election, in order for your ballot to be counted. We will set your ballot aside until we receive your cure.
For this reason, it is important to continue to watch your mail even after your return your mail ballot.
Arapahoe County moved to a new envelope style that does not include a paper tab over the voter’s signature.
This change saves Arapahoe County approximately $17,500 in taxpayer dollars for printing costs, plus more than $20,000 in labor costs for temporary workers who historically removed the tab before ballot sorting.
The paper tab did not serve the purpose of protecting against unwanted access to a voter’s signature in the mail system, since it could easily be torn off at anytime by anyone.
If you are concerned about the privacy of your signature in the mail system, we encourage you to return your ballot to one of our secure ballot boxes in Arapahoe County.
These ballots are collected daily and transported by a bipartisan team of two election workers to our warehouse for processing, so you can trust that your signature will not be seen by anyone outside of our election team.
Yes, Colorado law does require a voter to show a valid ID when appearing to vote at a Voter Service and Polling Center. See acceptable forms of ID.
If you wish to vote in-person, instead of casting your mail ballot, you may visit any one of our Voter Service and Polling Center between October 21, 2024 - November 5, 2024.
There are no assigned polling locations.
Arapahoe County residents can visit any one of our Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPC) to:
- drop off a voted mail ballot,
- register to vote,
- update registration,
- request a new ballot,
- request a replacement mail ballot,
- vote a provisional ballot; or
- vote on an accessible electronic tablet.
If you visit a VSPC but you have already been sent a mail ballot, we will void the original ballot so that you can vote in-person. An elector may not vote twice.
All voters will automatically receive a mail ballot in every election.
Voters with a disability may also vote in-person at any of our Voter Service and Polling Centers in Arapahoe County. All of our VSPCs are HAVA/ADA accessible.
Every VSPC offers several accessible voting interfaces that allow voters with various disabilities to effectively vote, review and cast a paper ballot in a private and independent manner. Voters may request any of the following:
- Wheelchair-accessible voting booth
- Audio ballots and headphones
- Tablet with large font size
- Stylus pointer to assist with reaching the tablet screen
- Input jack to connect to a voter's own assistive devices, such as sip & puff, paddles or a four-direction joystick.
Our Election Judges are also available to assist voters upon request.
Eligible voters with a disability may request to access their ballot and vote their ballot electronically on the Secretary of State's website. The eligible voter must print the voted ballot and the accessible ballot application, then sign the application and return all materials through the USPS or at a county drop-box or VSPC no later than 7:00 PM on Election Day.
Yes, this is legal. Under Colorado law, there are exemptions to telephone solicitation, and political calls are one of them. Calls are permitted that are:
- Made for the sole purpose of urging support for or opposition to a political candidate or ballot issue; or
- Made for the sole purpose of conducting political polls or soliciting the expression of opinions, ideas, or votes.
In addition to the political phone calls, there is an increase in the volume of political literature sent through the mail. Unfortunately, there is no complaint or removal process established for these types of calls and mailings. You can contact us at 303-795-4511 to request that your phone number be removed from your voter registration record, but this provides no guarantee that your phone number will not be obtained from other sources.
To reduce the number of political calls, we urge you to return your ballot as early as possible before Election Day. As soon as you return your voted ballot, your name can be removed from campaign lists, so you can enjoy a quieter election season without campaign calls.
Electioneering is not allowed within 100 feet of any Voter Service and Polling Center or Ballot Drop-Off Location.
Electioneering includes campaigning for or against any candidate, ballot issue or question that is on the ballot. Each Voter Service and Polling Center should have an orange cone marking the 100-foot limit.
Voters may not wear pins, t-shirts, hats, or other apparel that displays a preference for a candidate, political party or ballot issue/question inside of a Voter Service and Polling Center.
Campaign workers may be outside of Voter Service and Polling Centers to offer water, snacks, and other items to voters who are in line to vote. However, these “comfort teams” may not campaign or wear campaign apparel.
To be a poll watcher, you must be registered to vote in Colorado and formally appointed by an authorized individual or entity. To learn about appointments and training for poll watchers, please see our Poll Watchers web page.