It’s almost Election Day (for real)!

The New Era team and volunteers registering voters on National Voter Registration Day! ICYMI: It’s a big election year in Colorado and across the country. Voting can feel intimidating, but don’t stress: we have all of the deets you need to help you fill out your entire ballot to make change in your community—right here, right now.

In Colorado, it is never too late to register to vote. You can register to vote or update your registration at a Voter Service Center in your county—just be in line by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Nov. 5). And you have options for how to vote: mail it back, drop it off, or vote in person.

Voting is a choice to fight for the future we deserve. So why the f*ck not?!

You know you’re too grown for ghosting, so don’t leave your ballot on read. Do your research, ask questions, and know you can use your resources (like this one!) to help you fill out your ballot—at home or at the ballot box. Keep scrolling to learn what you need to know to vote for progress on the Youth Agenda!

We know you probably have some questions. We got you.

Key Dates | Young People’s Priority Ballot Measures | Who can vote? | How can I register to vote? | How Do I Vote? | Acceptable IDs

Key Dates
  • Oct. 11: Check your mail! Ballots start to get mailed out to voters today. 
  • Oct. 21: Go get your “I Voted” sticker! In-person voting starts as Voter Service Centers (VSC) and all 24-hour drop boxes will be open by this day! 
  • Oct. 28: Moved since the last election? Want to make sure you receive your ballot in the mail? Make sure your voter registration is updated online by today. Today is also the last day we recommend mailing back your ballot for it to be received by Election Day. (Check your voter registration status at GoVoteColorado.gov.) 
  • Nov. 5: It’s Election Day, bbs. Be in line at a Voter Service Center or dropbox by 7 p.m. to vote. on Nov. 5!
Young People’s Priority Ballot Measures

Our Colorado ballots can get pretty long with all the ballot measures voters will decide on. Our team looked at what’s on the ballot through a Youth Agenda lens to see how each measure does—or doesn’t—bring us closer to the liberated, compassionate world young people dream of. Your vote can make a difference in your community right now by voting on the ballot measure that will impact your daily life. 

Here’s our top takes: 

Vote YES on Amendment 79: The Right to Abortion

New Era Colorado staff and members of the Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom campaign at the campaign launch in Jan. 2024.

  • What does it do? Protects the right to abortion through the Colorado Constitution by repealing a funding ban that prevents state and local government entities from covering abortion care. 
  • Why? Amendment 79 makes it easier for over one million more Coloradoans, like teachers and other public employees, who currently lack coverage to access essential health care. It will ensure that people who live on low incomes and are Black and brown can make the best decision for themselves about their reproductive care. 
  • Who else says YES? Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Cobalt. 

Vote YES on Amendment J: Repealing the Definition of Marriage in the Constitution. 

  • What does it do? Repeals a Colorado law that defines marriage as only “between a man and a woman.” 
  • Why? Marriage is a basic freedom, and no one should be denied the privilege of marrying the person they love. Passing Amendment J ensures LGBTQIA+ marriages will remain legal and recognized by the state of Colorado in the potential event of a future Supreme Court ruling that overturns same-sex marriage protections. 
  • Who else says YES? One Colorado, Rocky Mountain Equality, and Colorado Working Families Party 

Vote YES on Amendment H: Judicial Discipline Procedures and Confidentiality. 

  • What does it do? Creates an independent body to hold justices or judges accountable for misconduct. Complaints and investigation trends will also be made available publicly. 
  • Why? Our criminal justice system needs independent boards, which are more likely to produce unbiased results and findings, to hold people in positions of power accountable.

Vote YES on Amendment K: Modify Constitutional Election Deadline

  • What does it do? The measure, at county clerks’ request, would add an extra week to two election-related deadlines: the time clerks are given to certify a list of ballot initiatives and candidates for the Secretary of State’s office and the deadline to finalize the ballot. 
  • Why are we voting YES? As Colorado’s ballots continue to get longer and more complicated, county clerks need additional time to ensure that the ballots voters will receive are accurate, reducing the chance of sending out corrections and subsequent voter confusion. Ultimately, Amendment K helps county clerks make sure the ballots they send out are completely error-free and what voters need to know. 
  • Who else says YES? Colorado County Clerks Association

Vote NO on Proposition 131: Establishing All-Candidate Primary and Ranked Choice Voting General Elections. 

  • What does it do? Proposition 131 will make it so all candidates running for office will compete in the same primary election, regardless of their political party. All voters will get one non-partisan primary ballot and vote for only one candidate. The four candidates who receive the most votes will then advance to the general election, where voters will rank the candidates in order of preference. The candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes wins. 
    • This will apply to the following races: U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, CO Governor + Colorado Lieutenant Governor, CO Secretary of State, CO Treasurer, CO Attorney General, Members of the CO State Board of Education, CU Regents, and CO state Senators + CO state Representatives. 
  • Why? This system is so complicated that it’s x10 more likely a voter will make a mistake—leading to their vote being thrown out without their knowledge. People who already face barriers to voting are at a higher risk of being further disenfranchised by this system.  
  • Who else says NO? American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Colorado Common Cause, and Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition

Vote NO on Amendment 80: Constitutional Right to School Choice. 

  • What does it do? Amendment 80 will hurt public schools–which serve 95% of students in Colorado–by opening the door to taking funding out of public schools that serve everyone to fund private schools that prioritize their selected few. 
  • Why? Amendment 80 would siphon money away from all students in Colorado to schools that can deny students with LGBTQ+ parents or parents of kids with special needs and intensify existing inequities that hurt Black and brown students.
  • Who else says NO? Colorado Education Association, American Federation of Teachers Colorado (AFT Colorado), ACLU of Colorado

Vote NO on Proposition 130: Funding for Law Enforcement

  • What does it do? Requires the state to provide $350 million to local law enforcement agencies to improve recruitment and retention; it also adds a $1 million death benefit to families of police officers killed in the line of duty to existing benefits.
  • Why are we voting NO? Proposition 130 throws money at problems instead of funding solutions like co-response programs and other mental or behavioral health-focused response programs. Colorado spends enough on law enforcement already, allocating more funding per capita than 75% of states in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Our tax dollars would be better used to support our underfunded education system and mental health services. 
  • Who else says NO? Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Colorado Fiscal Institute, ACLU of Colorado

Vote NO on Proposition 128: Parole Eligibility for Crimes of Violence

  • What does it do? Requires a person convicted of certain violent crimes to serve at least 85% of their sentence in prison before being eligible for earned time or discretionary parole. 
  • Why are we voting NO? Instead of investing in restorative justice or rehabilitative programs, Proposition 128 would waste $56 million annually on prolonged imprisonment of people who have already served long sentences and disproportionately incarcerated Black and brown people. 
  • Who else says NO? Colorado Freedom Fund, Soul 2 Soul Sisters, and Together Colorado

Vote NO ON Amendment I: Constitutional Bail Exception for First Degree Murder

  • What does it do? This measure allows judges to deny bail to a person charged with first degree murder.
  • Why are we voting NO? One of the most basic principles underlying our criminal justice system is that a person is “innocent until proven guilty,” and denying bail assumes that the person charged is already guilty. This measure reinforces pretrial detention, which disproportionately harms Black and brown communities.

If you’re voting in Denver… 

Vote YES on Referred Question 2U: Collective Bargaining

  • What does it do? This charter amendment will decide whether city workers of Denver, such as park rangers and human services workers, can unionize. 
  • Why are we voting YES? This measure would empower city workers to fight for a fair wage and better working conditions through unionizing. This would give 11,000 workers the ability to collectively address workplace issues and allow them to better advocate for themselves, and the public they serve. 
  • Who else says YES? Colorado AFL-CIO, Colorado Working Families Party, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Vote YES on Referred Question 2S: Department of Human Rights

  • What does it do? It will create a new city department focused on human rights and community partnerships, complete with funding and the authority to support the well-being of people who are Black, brown, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, live with disabilities, and other historically marginalized groups.
  • Why are we voting YES? This department would signal Denver’s commitment to addressing racial justice and human rights issues. Young leaders and organizations will have a direct channel to work with the city on issues such as economic justice, climate change, immigrant rights, housing, and other Youth Agenda issues. 

If you’re voting in Boulder… 

Vote YES on Ordinance 8640: Council Pay

  • What does it do? This ordinance would set the pay of Boulder City Councilors to 40% of Boulder’s area median income and the mayor’s pay to 50% of Boulder’s area median income. This change would take effect in 2026 when a newly elected City Council is sworn into office. 
  • Why are we voting YES? Public servants should be fairly compensated for their time working on solutions for our community. Increasing Council pay will remove some financial barriers that stop more people from running for office and enable more young people to serve as City Councilors, creating a more representative democracy and ensuring a more equitable future for Boulder. 
Who can vote?

To be eligible to vote in Colorado, you must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Be 18 years old or older by Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5)
  • Live in Colorado at least 22 days before Election Day (Monday, Oct. 14)
    • Moved after Oct. 14 and still want to vote? No worries, you may be eligible to still vote for the President and Vice President if you go to your local VSC!
  • Unless you are: currently serving a sentence in prison or jail for a felony or are on DOC inmate status and are living in a community corrections halfway house or on non-residential status, you have the right to vote. For more information go to VotingWithConviction.org! 
How can I register to vote?

There are a few different ways you can register to vote or update your voter registration: 

  • Register to vote online using your CO ID or your Social Security Number (last 4 digits) by Oct. 28. 
  • Voted in Colorado before but maybe moved since then? Check your registration at GoVoteColorado.gov. 
  • Starting on Oct. 21, you can register in-person at a Voter Service Center in your county up to and including on Election Day. Find one near you. 
  • If you’re registering in person and want to check off voting in the same go, bring an accepted form of ID with you. 
How Do I Vote?

You have all the options for how to vote: In Colorado, voters can mail their ballot back, drop it off, or vote in person.

If you want to drop it off…. 

All you need to do to vote at a drop box is to drop off your ballot at any drop box or voter service center in the state by 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 5. 

If you want to vote in person… 

  • Head to the nearest VSC in your county, your one-stop shop to register, vote, update your address, or solve any election-related issue
  • Be sure to bring your ID with you (yes, Colorado student IDs are accepted!)
  • Be in line with your ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5

If you want to mail it in… 

  • If you want to receive a ballot in the mail and aren’t registered to vote in Colorado, make sure to register to vote online by Monday, Oct. 28 
  • We recommend you mail your ballot back by Monday, Oct. 28 in order for it to be received by Election Day at 7 p.m. (postmarks don’t count!)
  • You may need to include a photocopy of your ID (peep the instructions on your ballot for deets)
  • Put two stamps on it (just in case!) 

Still have questions? Text or call:

866-OUR-VOTE – English

888-VE-Y-VOTA – Spanish

888-API-VOTE – Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog 

844-YALLA-US – Arabic 

301-818-VOTE – ASL (video call)

Acceptable IDs

via JustVoteColorado.org*

Digital IDs can now be used for voting. Any officially accepted form of ID can be provided digitally, including digital student IDs. Other accepted IDs include: 

  • A valid Colorado driver’s license or valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue. (Note: documents issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. are not acceptable forms of identification.)
  • A valid U.S. passport.
  • A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado.
  • A valid pilot’s license issued by the federal aviation administration or other authorized agency of the U.S.
  • A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector.
  • A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector.
  • A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood.
  • A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
  • A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate for the elector.
  • Certified documentation of naturalization.
  • A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in Colorado, as defined in section 23-3.1-102(5), C.R.S.
  • A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ Health administration with a photograph of the eligible elector.
  • A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership. Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility, as defined in section 1-1-104(18.5), C.R.S.
  • Verification that a voter is a person committed to the department of human services and confined and eligible to register and vote shall be considered sufficient identification of such person for the purposes of section 1-2-210.5, C.R.S.
  • Written correspondence from the county sheriff or his or her designee to the county clerk indicating that a voter is confined in a county jail or detention facility.

Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification.

*Just Vote! Colorado Election Protection is a non-partisan voter assistance project and is not affiliated with or promoting any party, candidate, or ballot issue. Just Vote! Colorado is not affiliated with or responsible for the content of this piece.