Key Reminders to Voters

Boulder County, Colo. – Elections in Colorado are conducted by
mail with Voter Service and Polling Centers available for those who would like
additional assistance with voting or who prefer to vote in person. Now that all
active registered voters have been mailed a ballot, the office of the Clerk and
Recorder in conjunction with the Boulder District Attorney’s office would like
to offer several key legal reminders to voters:

1) Signing
another person’s ballot envelope is a crime. You may only
sign your own ballot envelope. Signing your spouse, child, roommate, etc.
ballot envelope is strictly prohibited and will result in the ballot not being
counted. All ballot envelopes are signature verified against the signature on
your voter registration record.

2) Voting a ballot that is not your own is a crime. If for
any reason you receive a ballot that is not your own, discard the ballot or
return it to our office. If the person is recently deceased, mark that on the
unopened envelope and return it to our office.

3) Attempting to vote more than once is a crime. The
Colorado voting model is extremely advanced. Once someone has voted, that
information is recorded in the statewide Secretary of State database preventing
them from casting a ballot a second time.

4) Sign-up
for Ballot Track or watch your mail closely (even after the election). If for
any reason the Elections Division cannot match your signature to the signature
on record for you or if you fail to sign your ballot envelope, you will be
sent a letter in the mail notifying you that you have until 8 days after the
election (Wednesday, Nov 16 by 4:30 p.m.) to verify that the returned ballot is in
fact your voted ballot. To receive a notification of this type of discrepancy
sooner, you may sign-up for Ballot Track, which would send you a message via
text, email, or phone even sooner than you would receive the letter in the
mail. Sign up is available at www.BoulderCountyVotes.org.

Any occurrences of voters attempting to vote twice or any signatures
discrepancies that have not been cleared up by the voter in question are turned
over to the District Attorney’s office for investigation into voter fraud.
While Boulder County has not had any cases of voter fraud, having to
investigate cases takes taxpayer expense. Thus, it is a key reminder for any
voter who receives a notice by mail or through Ballot Track about any
discrepancy or problem with their ballot envelope, to contact the Elections
Division as soon as possible, even if the election has concluded and there are
no close races. All cases not responded to are turned over to the District
Attorney for investigation.

This also serves as a great reminder to sign your ballot envelope as you
normally sign your signature and to return your voted ballot envelope early so
that if there is any discrepancy with your signature, that you will have more
than sufficient time to address the issue.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Elections Division at
303-413-7740 or the District Attorney office at 303-441-3700.

Key Dates for the 2016 General
Election:

October
17

• Ballots mailed to
  active voters
• Voter services
  available at Boulder County Clerk & Recorder’s Office in Boulder
• All 24-hour Ballot
  Drop Boxes open

October 24

• Voter Service and
  Polling Centers open

October 31

• Last day to register
  and still receive a ballot in the mail

November 4

• Drive-by Ballot
  Drop-off locations open

November 8 General Election

• Ballot drop-off and
  voting services available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ballots must be received
  by 7 p.m. to be counted.