Secretary of State Jena Griswold Partners with the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes to Expand Voting Access on Tribal Lands

Denver, November 3, 2022 - Tribal members of the Southern Ute Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will have greater access to voting during the 2022 General Election. This effort is the result of a partnership between the Secretary of State’s Office and the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribal leadership.

This year, voters living on Southern Ute Tribal land can cast their ballot early, in-person at a vote center on Tribal Land, starting Friday, November 4th, Saturday, November 5th, Monday, November 7th and on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th. This adds two days of early voting to the Southern Ute locations. Voters living on Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Land will also have access to a local voting center on Monday, November 7 and Tuesday, November 8.

Voters also have more access to local drop boxes than previous years in Ignacio, Towaoc, and Arboles.

“I’m proud to partner with the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes to ensure all Native voters have accessible elections,” said Secretary Griswold. “As Secretary of State, I will always work to ensure that the voices of Native communities in Colorado are heard and that we continue to remove barriers to voting.”

“Voting is important to all residents of La Plata County including those who reside on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. We want to ensure that all voters have access and are pleased to have a voting service and polling center on our tribal campus for extended early voting,” said Southern Ute Chairman Melvin J. Baker.

"The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe provides a location for a ballot box and a voting center on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in Colorado so as to accommodate early and in-person voting for residents of the reservation. This has enabled more Tribal Members to participate in state and federal elections, ensuring that the Ute people have a voice in the selection of state and federal elected officials. The Tribe is proud to partner with the state of Colorado to ensure that all Colorado voters can participate in state and federal elections," said Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart.

Native Americans living on Tribal lands in Colorado did not have guaranteed voting rights until as late as 1970. As part of continuing efforts to improve voting access for Native Americans, Secretary Griswold helped pass one of the largest democracy reform packages in the nation in 2019. The package included guaranteed voting centers on Tribal lands, at the request of each Tribal Council. The law also ensured that Native Americans who do not have an address recognized by the U.S. Postal Service may register to vote and receive their ballot using their Tribal Council Headquarters address, or any other address approved by the Tribal Council. Finally, Tribal members eligible to vote can also drop off their voter registration application to their Tribal Council, who will then forward it to the county clerk and recorder.

The Secretary of State also facilitated the hiring of a dedicated Tribal Election Outreach Coordinator from each Tribe whose work will be funded by the Secretary of State’s Office using HAVA funding. Tribal Election Outreach Coordinators are Tribal members who can share nonpartisan election information and resources with other Tribal members and voters living on Tribal lands. This initiative was started by Secretary Griswold in 2020.

Additional costs associated with this increased access will be paid in full by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office using Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding.

In the 2020 General Election – the first election with voting centers guaranteed on Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribal Lands – turnout for active voters living on Ute Mountain Ute Tribal lands increased by nearly 14%. Turnout among active voters living on Southern Ute Tribal lands increased by nearly 30%. The Secretary of State’s Office meets regularly with Tribal representatives to identify new and innovative ways to overcome barriers and historical biases to Native voters.