Vote early. Use a drop box.

To help election officials process ballots efficiently, return your mail ballot as early as you can. The best way to return your ballot is to deliver it to a secure ballot drop box in your county.

Download and share our one-page summary, How to Vote in Colorado.

Key dates

Please see the Secretary of State’s Election Calendar for more details.

• October 2: First day County Clerks may send mail ballots to active voters for the 2026 General Election. Make sure you’re signed up for BallotTrax and start to look for your ballot in the mail!

• October 9:

  • Last day for initial mail ballots to be sent to active voters.

  • First day that drop boxes must begin to accept hand-delivered mail ballots from voters. Drop boxes will stay open for ballots through November 3rd at 7 p.m.

• October 12: The minimum number of required drop boxes must be open.

• October 19:

  • In person early voting begins! Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) will be open from 10/19 continuing through Election Day, except Sundays and the first Saturday of this period.

  • Ballot counting begins. No results may be disclosed until after 7 p.m. on Election Day.

• October 26:

  • Deadline to register to vote and still be mailed a ballot.

  • If you register online on October 26, you will need to fill out your ballot and deliver it to a drop box or VSPC in person for it to count. Do not return it by mail.

  • If you need to mail your ballot, mail it as soon as possible. Whenever possible, return your ballot using a secure drop box.

• October 27-November 3:

  • Register and vote in person at a Voter Service and Polling Center.

  • Return your mail ballot to a drop box.

• November 3 (Tuesday): Election Day!

  • All voting locations are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

  • All ballots must be delivered to your county clerk’s office or a drop box by 7 p.m. Postmarks do not count.

  • You may register and vote in person on Election Day.

  • Ballots are long this election, and counting will not be finished on Election Day.

Check your registration

Take a minute to make sure your voter registration is up to date. At GoVoteColorado.gov, you can:

• Check your registration

• Update your address

• Change your party affiliation

• View your sample ballot

• Find a ballot drop box

• Find a Voter Service and Polling Center

Need help voting?

Call the Voter Assistance Hotline at 1-833-336-8683 for help voting or to report voter intimidation or suppression.

You can also email voting questions to voting@coloradodems.org

For ballot interpretation assistance, have your ballot with you and choose one of these options:

• Call the Colorado Secretary of State’s office at 303-860-6970.

• Visit a Voter Service and Polling Center in person.

• Call your county election office.

Official Voting Information

• For official Colorado voter registration, ballot and polling location information, visit GoVoteColorado.gov.

• To find a drop box or polling location in Colorado or anywhere in the country, visit iwillvote.com.

• In 2026, be especially careful to only visit trusted sources for election information.