It's National Voter Registration Day

Sign up and make a difference in Colorado

DENVER, September 26, 2017 -- Today is National Voter Registration Day, and Colorado is proud to have the highest percentage of registered voters in America among its eligible population.

In addition, the turnout among registered voters in Colorado in the 2016 presidential election was 74.5 percent, the fourth highest in the nation, with 2.9 million voters casting ballots.

Although national elections garner plenty of attention, Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said the Nov. 7 ballot should catch voters' attention because it involves school board races, tax measures and other local issues.

"These can directly affect your property values," Williams said. "Whether you think your neighborhood has too many potholes or the schools need more funding -- or you're happy with the way your local government is being run and want to see your leaders reelected -- you only get a say if you register and cast a ballot."

Colorado Secretary of State efforts to boost voter registration include:

Text to vote. Eligible Coloradans can simply text the word "Colorado" or "CO" to "2Vote" (28683) on their smartphones, and then open the link to the SOS online voter registration and election information site.

Online registration. Colorado in 2010 became the fourth state to allow online voter registration and www.govotecolorado.com has processed more than 1.9 million transactions.

Senior class registration. The office hands out the Eliza Pickrell Routt award to high schools where at least 85 percent of eligible seniors have registered or preregistered to vote.

In addition, Colorado allows for same-day voter registration.

Although some Coloradans canceled their voter registration over the summer, the number of registered voters in Colorado actually increased and is at an all-time high, with 3,756,923 million voters.

Military and overseas ballots for the Nov. 7 coordinated election have already been sent, and beginning Oct. 16 the remaining ballots will be mailed. Coloradans also can vote in person at polling centers in their counties. Six county clerks don’t need to send any ballots at all, because every community in their jurisdiction canceled their elections.

More information on the conduct of elections in Colorado is outlined in a letter from Secretary Williams.

The National Association of Secretaries of State in 2012 designated September as National Voter Registration Month with the fourth Tuesday in September set as National Voter Registration Day to encourage voter participation and increase awareness about state requirements and deadlines for voting.