Hundreds of ballot drop boxes, voting centers open across Colorado: “The most we have ever had in any election”

Nearly 800 ballot drop boxes and voting centers opened across the state this week — the most Colorado has ever had for any single election — state officials said.

“Today, we have 433 drop boxes and 365 voting centers open statewide — the most we have ever had in any election,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a Monday news conference. “We anticipate a great election and will protect the rights of all voters. Every eligible voter, regardless of zip code, race or the amount of money in their bank account, will be able to make their voice heard in our elections.”

Voters can find the closest polling location or drop box to them on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website.

Colorado also authorized $5 million in funding to increase election security and access; expanded the restriction on guns near voting; and passed first-in-the-nation laws criminalizing fake electors and insider threats, laws combating bad faith efforts to delay the certification of the presidential election and laws surrounding deepfakes, Griswold said.

Voters in Colorado have legally protected rights:

• Official election watchers or members of the public do not have the right to interfere with a voter casting a ballot, including at drop boxes or voting centers.
• If an individual requests information about your voting history or registration status, you are not required to answer.
• Every voter’s right to a secret ballot is constitutionally protected in Colorado. If an individual asks how you voted in a particular race, you are not required to tell them how you voted.
• Except for law enforcement and licensed security officials, open carrying or concealed carrying a gun is prohibited within at least 100 feet of a drop box, voting center, or ballot processing facility.
• Electioneering is prohibited within 100 feet of a drop box, voting center, or ballot processing facility.
• You have the right to request the name and credentials of door-to-door solicitors, as well as the organization they represent.
• If you feel harassed or threatened, you have the right to contact local law enforcement, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, or the U.S. Department of Justice.

Voters can access more information about voting rights and processes in the new “Know Your Voting Rights” booklet created by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, Griswold said.

“Your vote is your voice,” Colorado House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon said in Monday’s press conference. “Voting gives our nation life and is a fundamental right. Any efforts to disenfranchise, threaten or intimidate voters have no place in our Democracy.”