Secretary of State Griswold Applauds Passage of Bill to Preserve Voter Registration Options for Coloradans Affected by the Marshall Fire

Denver, April 1, 2022 - Today, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold applauded the passage of SB-22-152, a bill that would ensure registered Colorado voters displaced by the Marshall Fire and other natural disasters can continue using their home address on their voter registrations if their home was destroyed or is uninhabitable if they intend to return to that location once their residence is rebuilt or repaired.

Following a natural disaster like the Marshall Fire, voters may be displaced from the home address at which they are registered to vote. The bill, sponsored by Senate President Stephen Fenberg, Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, Representative Matt Gray, and Representative Tracy Bernett is an important piece of legislation which will clarify voters’ ability to use their home address as their residence for voter registration purposes while they are temporarily living at a different location but intend to return to their home.

“Coloradans who become displaced because of a natural disaster like the Marshall Fire should be able to use their home address to vote in elections despite temporarily having to live elsewhere,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold. “This bill will provide certainty to Colorado voters who are affected by natural disasters. No person should have to worry about being able to access the ballot box during such an incredibly difficult time, and these voters should be able to cast a ballot on the issues and candidates for the community that they truly call home. I thank Senate President Fenberg, Senator Jaquez Lewis, Representative Gray, and Representative Bernett for their leadership on this important piece of legislation.”

SB22-152 allows a person whose residence has been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable to maintain residency for purposes of voting at the address of the destroyed residence if the person intends to return to the residence once it is replaced or becomes habitable.

A summary of the bill can be found HERE. The full text of the bill can be found HERE.