In 1990, Colorado elections centered on precinct polling places, excuse-required absentee ballots, no early voting and firm registration deadlines. Over the next two decades, the state steadily added choices that voters increasingly used.
1990
The traditional model begins to changeColorado elections still center on precinct polling places, excuse-required absentee voting, no early voting and firm registration deadlines. That year, Colorado also enacts the Mail Ballot Election Act, creating a statutory framework for certain elections to be conducted by mail.
1992
Colorado expands voting beyond Election Day
HB92-1004 establishes no-excuse absentee voting, allowing Colorado voters to request an absentee ballot without providing a qualifying reason. The legislation also expands Colorado's early-voting framework.
The same year, Colorado voters approve TABOR. Specified tax and fiscal questions must go to voters, and Colorado's mail-ballot framework allows those elections to be conducted by mail. Together, these changes help make voting away from a traditional Election Day polling place increasingly familiar.
1993
Early voting develops furtherColorado follows the 1992 changes with additional legislation refining the state's early-voting framework.
1993
Federal NVRA expands voter registrationCongress enacts the National Voter Registration Act, often called “Motor Voter.” The federal law expands registration opportunities through motor vehicle agencies, mail applications and designated public agencies, while also establishing requirements for voter-list maintenance.
2002
HAVA modernizes election administrationFollowing the 2000 presidential election, federal law brings new voting-system standards, accessibility requirements, provisional ballots, statewide registration-system requirements and the Election Assistance Commission.
2003–04
Vote centers emergeLarimer County pilots vote centers in 2003. Colorado establishes statewide statutory authority for the model in 2004.
2007
Permanent Mail-In VotingSB07-234 establishes the Permanent Mail-In Voter framework. Eligible voters can choose permanent mail-in status so they continue receiving mail ballots without making a new request election after election.
2009
Mail-ballot primaries + risk-limiting auditsColorado authorizes primary elections to be conducted by mail and enacts the statutory requirement for risk-limiting audits, later implemented statewide in 2017.
2009–10
Federal MOVE Act strengthens voting for military and overseas citizensCongress expands UOCAVA through the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act. Among its major changes, states must provide electronic options for receiving registration and ballot materials and transmit validly requested absentee ballots to covered voters at least 45 days before federal elections when the request is received by that deadline. Most requirements take effect for the 2010 election cycle.
2010
Online voter registrationColorado launches online voter registration, adding another way for eligible voters to maintain their registration.
2012
Colorado helps launch ERICColorado is one of seven founding states of the Electronic Registration Information Center, designed to improve voter-list accuracy using registration and motor-vehicle data.
2013 | HB13-1303
A milestone, not a starting line
70.9%
of Colorado voters were already on the Permanent Mail-In Voter list when HB13-1303 passed.
2013 brought existing pieces together.
The Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act made mail-ballot delivery standard for active registered voters while preserving strong in-person voting through Voter Service and Polling Centers. It also added same-day registration.
What did HB13-1303 change? +
Mail-ballot delivery: Active registered voters receive a ballot by mail.
In-person voting: Voter Service and Polling Centers preserve a robust in-person option for voters who want or need it.
Same-day registration: Eligible Coloradans can register and vote in person through Election Day.
A statewide model: The law brought together practices Colorado had been developing for years, including mail voting and vote centers, into the foundation of today's hybrid election model.
2015–17
Uniform voting systems + security modernizationColorado moves toward a more uniform statewide voting-system environment as election cybersecurity becomes a major national focus.
2016–18
Unaffiliated voters enter party primariesVoters approve Propositions 107 and 108 in 2016. Implementation legislation follows in 2017, and unaffiliated voters begin participating in major-party primaries under the new model in 2018.
2017
First statewide risk-limiting auditColorado becomes the first state to complete a statewide risk-limiting audit, using paper ballots to statistically test reported outcomes.
2017–20
Automatic voter registration developsColorado's DMV/SCORE registration process evolves through implementation work and additional 2019 legislation.
What changed with AVR? +
The work began before implementation. Colorado election officials and state partners had been examining Motor Voter and registration modernization for several years before the 2017 changes.
2017: Colorado moves forward with automatic voter-registration changes tied to the state's voter-registration and motor-vehicle systems.
2019–20: Additional legislation expands and clarifies the electronic-transfer process.
The broader trend predates AVR: Colorado already had a substantial unaffiliated electorate before automatic voter registration. AVR arrived amid longer-running changes in party registration rather than marking the beginning of those changes.
See the registration trend +
Active registered voters by affiliation
● Unaffiliated● Democratic● Republican● Minor
The graph shows chronology, not causation. The 2017 marker provides context for when AVR entered the timeline.
2018
National attention for Colorado's security modelThe Washington Post publishes “How Colorado became the safest state to cast a vote,” highlighting paper ballots, audits and election-security practices.
Read the Washington Post article →
2022
Colorado strengthens protections against insider threats
Election security is not only about threats from outside an election office. Colorado strengthened state law and election rules to reduce the risk that someone with authorized access could misuse that access.
New safeguards tightened physical and electronic access to voting systems, background-check requirements, trusted-build procedures, video surveillance, security seals and administrative privileges.
What changed? +
ACCESSStronger controls over who can access voting equipment and secure areas.
ACCOUNTABILITYBackground checks, documented privileges and tighter administrative access, along with stronger election offenses and penalties for unauthorized access, disclosure of protected voting-system information, and other violations of election law.
PHYSICAL SECURITYVideo surveillance, seals and custody requirements.
RISK MANAGEMENTResources and ongoing assessments to help counties strengthen election security.
The principle: No individual should have unchecked access to critical election systems.
2023
Colorado modernizes how elections are funded
As Colorado's election system became more sophisticated, the cost of administering it changed too. SB23-276 replaced the longstanding per-active-voter reimbursement approach with a model tied more closely to actual election costs.
45%
The state's share of necessary and reasonable county election costs for elections with state-certified ballot content under the new reimbursement model.
Modern elections require sustainable funding for staffing, equipment, facilities, ballot processing, security and other election operations.
