FACT SHEET

Election Day: November 3, 2020
Debates:
Presidential Debates – September 29, October 15 and 22
Vice Presidential Debate – October 7
Hickenlooper-Gardner US Senator Debate – October 9, 5 p.m., 90 minutes (1st hour broadcast live) CPR, Channel 7 Denver Post. // Channel 9 will have its own debate October 13, 60 minutes

UPDATE November 2, Monday: Vote in person today at the Lyons library 8a.m.-6p.m. or tomorrow 7a.m.-7p.m. You can also still put ballots in the drop box in front of Town Hall.

Colorado Voting: www.GoVoteColorado.gov
October 9 – Colorado Voting Ballots mailed.
Ballots cannot be forwarded.

The Secretary of the State stated that they have an unprecedented number of people applying for Election Judge positions, due to more people staying at home and available to work. Back in April, the state was desperate for people because the majority of volunteers are traditionally retired people, who were too vulnerable to work in Election work rooms this year. Some areas are still looking for people who can work on multiple days; if you apply, be sure to state your extended availability.

Important Colorado Voting Information: https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/home.xhtml You can go to this page for about 20 different things, including:
==Voter Service and Polling Center (“VSPC”) – check to see when one in your area will open for early voting or registration, and what their hours are.
The CO Secretary of State will be using funds from the CARE Act to support counties that state they need to be open on the Sunday before Election Day.

==Register to Vote = October 26 – deadline to register to vote or update your registration and still receive a ballot in the mail.
If you or others you know are not registered to vote, the GoVoteColorado.gov website has selections that allow you to register online. To vote in Colorado, you need to be a resident of the state for at least 22 days. You may need a Colorado Driver’s License or a Colorado-issued ID to accomplish your online registration.
Colorado law allows persons under 18 to register to vote in this election — as long as they will be 18 on November 3, 2020.

==In Colorado, you can register to vote and vote in person up to 7:00 PM on Election Day. Voters who need to use a VSPC should use the VSPC in their own area in order to have access to the correct version of their ballot. If a VSPC in another area is used, a voter may be restricted to voting for only national and state-wide-level candidates and ballot issues.

==Review your voter record to make sure your information is up to date. Every registered go to the Voter Service and Polling Center (“VSPC”) in the Community

==View “my sample ballot.”

==Register to Track your Ballot: If you live in Colorado, you can check to ensure your mail-in ballot has been received and counted. The Secretary of State has increased the ease in tracking your Ballot this year thru email or text. Previously, only about a quarter of the state’s counties offered automatic ballot tracking. Instead, voters in most counties had to log onto a state website to check on their ballot. The expansion of the BallotTrax system makes Colorado one of five states with a statewide notification program. Real-time ballot tracking boosts people’s confidence in mail ballots and the return of ballots has increased.

Ballot Mailing or Drop off Instructions:
Mail in your Ballot no later than eight days before Election Day (October 26). Be sure to sign it, date it, put it in the confidential sleeve, and put first class postage on it. (Some counties no longer use the sleeve).
Or, there is a US Ballot Drop Off Box in front of Lyons Town Hall, with no postage necessary. Mail ballots must be received by the county clerk and recorder no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Voters are encouraged to drop off ballots at designated drop off locations, drop-box locations, or mail their ballots in time to be received by the county clerk before the polls close. Postmarks do not count. It is best to drop it off at a box in your county. Otherwise, there will be a delay in having it delivered to your county, and it will delay the final vote. Larimer County people in the Lyons area can go to Estes Park or Loveland.

Voting for Judges:
Judges are initially appointed, but when their term expires, they are up for election. A 9NEWS investigation found that 70% of judges listed as “do not retain” won re-election in Colorado. Remember, you or a loved one may face this judge in the future, so you want to take the time to study their credentials. The State of Colorado has gathered comments about each judge from a variety of sources, and rates them qualified or not. Go to: Colorado Judicial Performance/ for State of Colorado web page (and use the search box).

==Versión en Español

Lyft rides to vote

2020VOTE Promo code is valid on November 3, 2020 between the hours of 4am – 11pm local time for 50% off up to a maximum of $10 one (1) Lyft car ride (Lux excluded), Lyft scooter ride, or Lyft-operated bikeshare ride to a polling location anywhere in the U.S. with Lyft service, including registered dropbox locations if you are in an exclusively vote-by-mail state. Limited quantity available. Limit one per user. Lyft promo codes and discounts are offered in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and cannot be combined with other ride credit or offers. Offer of promo code is not intended to induce, nor is it conditioned on, the act of voting, or voting for or against any particular person or measure. Subject to Lyft’s Terms of Service.

This page will be updated throughout October and November, as needed.

UPDATES FROM SECRETARY OF STATE

October 30, 2020 DENVER: HOW COLORADO COUNTS ITS BALLOTS:
While counties began to process ballots 15 days before Election Day, initial results will not be reported until after polls close at 7 p.m. on November 3. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office expects to have approximately 70-80% of ballots counted on Election Night. …”In the days after Election Day, military and oversees voters return their ballots, signature discrepancies can be fixed, and a risk-limiting audit is conducted to determine statistical confidence in the results.” In Colorado, …ballots cast in-person are not reported separately or before ballots returned by mail or drop box. However, as counties can start reviewing signatures once ballots are received and begin processing ballots for scanning…voters in Colorado have a cure period (of 8 days) to fix issues with their ballots, including discrepant signatures.

October 23, 2020 DENVER =Voter Information for Coloradans ****************DISPLACED BY WILDFIRES **************
Voters needing a replacement ballot can get one at any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) in their county or request a ballot be mailed to them, as long as that request is made by Monday October 26. Voters displaced outside of their county can receive a replacement statewide ballot at any VSPC in the state. Those who have voted their mail ballot can place it in any drop box in the state of Colorado and it will be forwarded to their appropriate county.

In addition, first responders working to combat fires, as well as voters who have been displaced by a fire can receive and return an emergency replacement ballot electronically, using Colorado’s electronic ballot delivery system. Contact your county clerk for more information about emergency ballots, and for the latest status on VSPC and drop box closures or other voter service interruptions.

Estes Park/Pinewood Springs Election Update (10/22/2020 5PM MDT):

Due to ongoing mandatory and voluntary evacuations in and around the Estes Park community, the Larimer County Clerk’s Office has temporarily closed the Estes Valley Community Center Voter Service and Polling Center and the 24-Hour Ballot Boxes. The Larimer County Clerk’s Office will continue to monitor conditions in Estes Park. The Estes Valley Community Center Voter Service and Polling Center and the 24-Hour Ballot Boxes will remain closed until it can be safely reopened. In the interim, go to the Larimer County web site for a list of the 2020 General Election Drop-Off and Voting Locations that remain open and available for service. Anyone affected by fires in Larimer County is encouraged to call the Elections Office directly at 970-498-7820 for assistance with voting, if needed. == Note, some residents say that no one is answering the phone. Also, you need to bring your ID with you to the polling center to obtain a ballot. It is too late to mail a ballot. You should go to Ft. Collins or Loveland to drop it off. (As of Oct 28th – all Estes stations and boxes are closed). There is still a large portion of EAST Estes Park that is under evacuation orders, and until that is lifted, Larimer County personnel will not be coming to Estes Park.

October 7, 2020 DENVER, Colo- SIGNATURE DISCREPANCIES
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold today announced an election innovation that allows voters to fix signature discrepancies using a smart phone will be used in the upcoming general election. The new program, called TXT2Cure, is designed to reduce the number of ballots rejected due to missing or discrepant signatures, and is especially geared for younger voters who statistically have more ballots with signature discrepancies. 
TXT2Cure IS a major innovation to ensure Colorado’s election model remains the nation’s gold standard. Under the new program, if a voter is notified of a signature discrepancy, all they have to do is text “Colorado” to 2VOTE (28638) and click on the link they receive as a reply, and follow the instructions. For those no able to use texting, instructions will be mailed to the voter’s address on file.  This program was used in a limited number of counties in prior elections, and is now ready to be fully launched. Only 0.52% of the ballots have signature discrepancies.

October 6, 2020 = DENVER, Colo – CO Secretary of State TESTIFIES INFRONT OF US HOUSE= Today, Colorado Secretary of State will appear before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Elections to testify in a hearing on combatting misinformation in the 2020 general election.  The virtual testimony will take place at 11 a.m. MT and can be live-streamed here.
“Colorado is considered the safest state to cast a ballot in today, and I am honored to have the opportunity to testify,” said Secretary Griswold.  “Combatting misinformation is a critical component to ensuring the integrity of our electoral process. I appreciate the Subcommittee’s leadership on this important topic.”    
In addition to discussing Colorado’s successful election model, the Secretary will ask for additional partnership and investment from the Federal Government, including federal election cybersecurity funding and federal legislation similar to what has been considered in Colorado, to combatting deep fake videos and ensuring social media companies are accountable if used in foreign disinformation campaigns.

October 2, 2020 = ELECTION JUDGES =DENVER, Colo- Coloradans are expressing their enthusiasm for the upcoming November 3 election by applying to serve as Election Judges in record numbers.  Over 6,300 people have signed up to work. For the November General Election, the Secretary of State’s office is funding two initiatives to help counties recruit and maintain Election Judges during the COVID-19 national health crisis.  The Secretary of State’s office instituted a $1 million statewide grant program for counties to increase pay for judges and is enabling counties to provide sick pay to help judges to stay home if they’re not feeling well.  The Secretary of State has also encouraged younger voters to get involved.  As a result, nearly a quarter of those who signed up through the Secretary of State’s office are ages 35 and under.   
The majority of counties at this point have enough judges to conduct the election, but some are still looking for those who can work multiple days leading up to November 3.  If you are interested in becoming an Election Judge, please contact your county clerk to determine if there is still a need. You can also still sign up here with the Secretary of State’s office and your application will be forwarded to the appropriate clerk.

September 24, 2020 = ADDITIONAL CENTERS OPEN SUNDAY BEFORE ELECTION – DENVER, Colo- The Colorado Secretary of State’s office today announced it will be providing funding for any county that elects to open Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) the Sunday before Election Day. Colorado state law requires early voting centers to be open beginning October 19, but excludes mandatory openings of voting centers on Sundays. This funding for Sunday voting is part of an initiative spearheaded by Secretary of State Jena Griswold to increase voting access. Funds will come from the CARE Act Funding for Elections.

September 26, 2020 = INCREASE IS ACCESSIBILITY TO COLORADO’S INDIAN NATIONS – DENVER, Colo- Colorado Secretary of State last week took a two-day trip to Southwest Colorado to meet with representatives of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and met virtually with the Southern Ute Tribe to discuss continued efforts to increase voting access for Native Americans living on tribal lands. In response to conversations with the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute, the Secretary of State’s Office is working to hire additional staff focused on Native American outreach and has funded additional  drop boxes, to better serve tribal members…and polling locations.

September 14, 2020 = STATEWIDE BALLOT TRACKING – DENVER, Colo- Colorado Secretary of State today announced that for the first time, voters in all 64 counties will be able to track the status of their individual mail ballots for the 2020 General Election. Voters will be able to receive notifications by phone, email, or text about the status of their mail ballots, from the time their County Clerk and Recorder mails the outgoing ballot packet, to when their voted ballot is received and accepted for counting.
“I’m happy to announce that for the first time, every Colorado voter will have access to ballot tracking, to be able to see when ballots are sent to when they are processed,” said Secretary Griswold.  “This new program is one of the many ways that Colorado continually innovates to ensure our elections are the best in the nation.”

September 1, 2020 = INITIATIVE TO GET COLLEGE STUDENTS TO REGISTER AND VOTE – “As the youngest Secretary of State in the country, it’s important to me that young voters have their voices heard in our elections,” said Secretary Griswold. “We cannot allow the COVID-19 health crisis to inhibit students from registering to vote or receiving their ballots. The ALL IN Challenge creates a fun competition for our colleges and universities, and highlights the importance of college students to register and vote.”