SEPT. 19
Military and overseas ballotsMust be transmitted no later than this date.
Upcoming
Colorado 2026 General Election
Vote with confidence.
Make a plan to return your ballot. Sign your return envelope, then use an official ballot drop box before 7 p.m. on Election Day.
November
03
Tuesday · Election Day 2026
Return your ballot by 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
Election Day · November 3, 2026
The bottom line
Colorado’s 2026 General Election will operate as voters are accustomed to.Vote your ballot, sign your return envelope, and make sure it reaches your county clerk by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Rumor check
What’s true?
Does a new federal process change how I vote?
No. For the 2026 General Election, Colorado voters will receive ballots and have the same return options they have used in prior elections. County clerks will continue sending and receiving election mail while following Colorado law and established procedures.
What was proposed by the federal executive branch?
A presidential executive order called for the U.S. Postal Service to take a greater role in election administration, including new requirements involving ballot envelopes and voter information. Elections are administered primarily by state and local officials under state and federal law. The legality of the executive order and related USPS requirements remains the subject of litigation. Colorado’s 2026 General Election will be conducted under the same state laws and established procedures Colorado voters and election officials have used in prior elections.
What is the best advice for voters?
VOTE! This is a long ballot with many contests and questions, so do not wait until the last minute to research your choices and cast your ballot. Use an official secure drop box to return your mail ballot. It is the most direct way to place your ballot into the custody of election officials. If you are voting your mail ballot after Monday, October 26, do not use the mail. Use an official drop box or take your ballot to a voter service and polling center instead. Ballots must be received by your county clerk no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. A postmark does not count.
Mark your calendar
Six dates to know
Colorado’s election unfolds over several weeks. You do not need to wait until Election Day to vote.
OCT. 2
Ballots begin mailingCounties may begin sending ballots to active registered voters.
UpcomingOCT. 19
Voting centers openThe minimum required voter service and polling centers begin opening.
UpcomingNOV. 3
Election DayVoting ends and ballots are due to your county clerk by 7 p.m.
The Big DayNOV. 12
Cure deadlineFor a mail ballot with a missing or mismatched signature, or missing required ID, your county clerk must receive the cure by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. Follow the instructions in your county’s notice.
Resolve a ballot issue ↗Also: military and overseas mailed ballots. This is the last day for counties to receive eligible UOCAVA ballots by close of business, provided they were sent by 7 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day, Nov. 3. Electronic returns must be received by 7 p.m. Mountain Time on Nov. 3.
Military and overseas voting guidance ↗Counties must complete their canvass and submit the official abstract of votes cast to the Secretary of State by Wednesday, November 25, 2026—22 days after Election Day.
The canvass certifies the county’s election results. Recounts, when required or requested, can follow this deadline.
UpcomingFour steps to take now
Be ballot ready
Check your voter record
Confirm your registration and mailing address, especially if you recently moved.
Go to GoVoteColorado.gov ↗Research your ballot
This is a long ballot. Review your sample ballot, the statewide Blue Book, and local ballot information before you begin voting.
Open the Colorado Blue Book ↗Track your ballot
Sign up for notifications as your ballot is mailed, received, and accepted.
Open Colorado BallotTrax ↗Choose your drop box
Plan to return your ballot to an official ballot drop box. Find a location and check when it opens before you go.
Find an official drop box ↗2026 General Election
Your ballot. Your drop box.
CCCA recommends returning your ballot to an official ballot drop box. Deliver it directly to election officials without waiting for postal delivery.
RECOMMENDED RETURN OPTION
Use an official ballot drop box
Complete your ballot, seal it in your return envelope, and sign the envelope. Return it to an official ballot drop box before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3.
No postage needed. Check official locations and opening dates before you go.
Find an official drop box →HELP IN PERSON
Visit a voting center
Drop off your signed ballot envelope, get assistance, or vote in person. Check your county’s locations and hours.
Find a voting center →Return by 7 p.m. · Tuesday, Nov. 3
A postmark does not count.
Need to return your ballot by mail?
If you choose to return your ballot by mail, use your signed return envelope, follow its postage instructions, and send it early enough to arrive by the deadline.
If you have not mailed your ballot by Monday, October 26, do not return it through USPS. Take it to an official ballot drop box instead. A drop box is a fast, secure way to return your ballot directly to election officials, without waiting for postal delivery. You may also return it to a voter service and polling center.
Your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. A postmark does not count.
Find an official drop box →Military and overseas voters: see your separate return rules. Track your ballot →
Return your ballot
Easy, secure, and on your schedule
CCCA recommends returning your mail ballot through an official secure drop box. You may use any official ballot drop box in Colorado, as long as your ballot is deposited before 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Use a secure ballot drop box
More than 75% of Coloradans who cast a ballot return it through a 24-hour ballot drop box. CCCA recommends official drop boxes as the safest, most secure, and most direct way to return a mail ballot.
- Use any official ballot drop box in Colorado
- Many are available 24 hours a day
- Ballots are collected by bipartisan teams
- Official locations are published by county clerks
When are you planning to return your ballot?
Use an official secure drop box for the safest, most secure, and most direct return of your ballot.
Ballot transparency
Follow your ballot from your mailbox to the count
Every returned mail ballot moves through documented checks designed to protect the ballot, confirm the voter, preserve voter privacy, and produce an accurate count. Follow each step below.
Ballot prepared and mailed
Your county prepares the correct ballot packet for you and mails it to the address in your voter record.
You vote and sign
You mark your ballot, place it in the return envelope, and sign the voter affidavit on the envelope.
Securely returned
You place the signed return envelope in an official drop box, transferring it directly into the custody of election officials.
Bipartisan collection
Sworn bipartisan teams collect ballots from drop boxes and document the chain of custody as ballots are transported to the county’s secure processing facility.
Received and recorded
The return envelope is date-stamped and checked into the statewide voter system. Your voter record receives voting credit, which shows only that you returned a ballot, never how you voted.
Signature verified
Trained election judges compare the signature on your envelope with signatures in your voter record.
Accepted: the ballot moves forward.Issue found: the voter is notified and given an opportunity to cure it.
Ballot made anonymous
Once accepted, bipartisan teams open the envelope and separate the ballot from identifying information. From this point forward, the ballot is anonymous.
Tabulated and secured
The ballot is scanned and its votes are tabulated. The paper ballot is securely retained as the official record for reconciliation, auditing, and any recount required by law.
GO DEEPER · SECURITYWant the evidence behind every step? Explore all ten layers of election defense →
The process is observable.
Track your ballot ↗Authorized watchers appointed by political parties, candidates, and issue committees may observe ballot receipt, signature verification, processing, and counting without seeing how an individual voter voted.
Need help?
There is a solution.
Do not let a missing ballot, registration question, signature issue, disability, or language need keep you from voting.
My ballot did not arrive, or it was lost or damaged
Visit a voter service and polling center in your county to receive a replacement ballot or vote in person. Contact your county clerk if you need help before visiting.
Find a voting center ↗I am not registered or need to update my registration
Colorado voters may register through Election Day. If you miss the deadline to receive a ballot by mail, register or update your record in person at a voter service and polling center in your county.
Check or update your record ↗I received a signature or identification notice
Follow the instructions from your county clerk promptly. You have through Thursday, Nov. 12, to resolve a qualifying signature or identification issue so your ballot can be counted.
Open Colorado’s secure cure portal ↗I need accessible voting or language assistance
Every voter service and polling center offers an accessible voting system. Eligible voters with disabilities may also use Colorado’s electronic ballot access system. Your county clerk can provide information about available language assistance.
Open the accessible ballot system ↗Election Night and after
Results take time because verification matters
Election-night reporting is a progress report, not the final certified outcome. Open each stage to see what happens next.
01 · REPORTUnofficial results
Counties begin publishing unofficial results after 7 p.m. on Election Night. Expect multiple updates later that evening and additional updates in the days that follow as more verified ballots are processed.
02 · REVIEWElection Day ballots take time
Hundreds of thousands of ballots may be cast or returned on Election Day. Election officials must complete eligibility checks and process those ballots before they can be counted. Voters have through Thursday, Nov. 12, to cure qualifying signature or identification issues. Counties must also finish verifying and counting provisional ballots by Thursday, Nov. 12.
03 · VERIFYAudit and reconcile
Counties account for ballots and conduct required post-election audits using the paper record.
04 · CERTIFYResults become official
Bipartisan canvass boards review election records before certification. Counties must complete the canvass and submit their official abstract of votes cast to the Secretary of State by Wednesday, November 25, 2026. Recounts, when required or requested, can follow this deadline.
If a contest is close, it may take up to 10 days after Election Day for counties to finish tabulating all accepted ballots. Doing this work accurately takes time. The process is transparent and may be observed by authorized watchers appointed by political parties, candidates, and issue committees.
Ready to vote?
Check your record, research your choices, and make a plan to return your ballot through an official secure drop box.
Official sources and additional information
- Colorado Secretary of State: 2026 Election Calendar
- Colorado Secretary of State: Current Election Rules
- Colorado Secretary of State: Voter Registration FAQs
- Colorado General Assembly: Ballot Information Booklet
- GoVoteColorado.gov: registration and ballot status
- USPS: Sept. 1, 2026 ballot-mail portal statement
- Colorado Election Defense in Depth