When is the election?
The general election is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. You can view a full election calendar here.
What are people voting on?
Coloradans won’t be the only people watching the election results in our state closely, as the U.S. Senate race between the incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democratic, and Republican challenger Joe O’Dea is expected to play a big role in whether or not Democrats can maintain control of the Senate.
The latest models indicate Democrats have roughly a 50/50 chance to retain control of the Senate (due in part to Bennet’s recent performance in polls), though their chances are worse in the House.
The U.S. Senate seat is far from the only high-profile race in Colorado. Voters will also choose the state’s governor. The primary opponents are incumbent Democrat Governor Jared Polis and University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, a Republican from Lone Tree.
All voters will also have the opportunity to vote on three statewide amendments and eight propositions. Detailed information on each of these eleven statewide measures is available here.
Coloradans will also vote on:
- Their representative in the U.S. House
- Their representative in the State House
- Their State Senator
- Colorado Secretary of State
- State Treasurer
- State Attorney General
- Regents of the University of Colorado
- Colorado State Board of Education
- Regional Transportation District seats
Other ballot initiatives depend on what county you live in. If you are registered to vote, you can download a sample ballot specific to your county here.
How do I register to vote?
In Colorado, people can register to vote all the way through election day. Check your registration status here. If your registration is active, you don't have to re-register.
If you have a valid Social Security Number, Colorado driver's license or state issued ID card from the Colorado Department of Revenue, you can register to vote online here.
If you don’t have any of the above options but are a resident of Colorado, you can register to vote in-person. From the Colorado Secretary of State’s website:
- A Colorado Department of Motor Vehicle office when you apply for a driver's license, or when updating your driver's license information;
- Offices that provide public assistance, including offices that provide state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to person with disabilities;
- Recruitment offices of the armed forces of the United States;
- Any federal, state, or local government office or any nongovernment office that chooses to provide voter registration service or applications; or
- A voter service and polling center
You can also fill out this paper voter registration form and mail it to your County Clerk and Recorder.
In order to receive a ballot in the mail, you must register to vote by Oct. 31.
Where can I vote?
Colorado has a popular vote-by-mail system that was implemented in 2014. In the 2016 general election, for example, more than 90% of voters submitted their ballots through the mail. The system is credited for driving Coloradans’ impressive turnout in recent elections.
Every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail. To make sure you have the correct address on file with the state, visit www.GoVoteColorado.gov. You can track your ballot from start to finish by signing up for BallotTrax here.
Ballots will be sent in the mail starting Oct. 17 and they must all be mailed by Oct. 21. If you don’t receive your ballot in the mail, contact your County Clerk.
Once you complete your ballot, you can send it back in the mail or use one of the hundreds of ballot drop boxes across the state.
Your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. As long as your ballot is in one of the drop boxes before 7 p.m., your vote will be counted. If you send the ballot in the mail, give yourself more time so that the ballot arrives to your County Clerk in time. Postmarks do not count.
Voters also have the option to fill out their ballots at polling locations, which you can find here. Polls will be open Nov. 5, Nov. 7 and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8, which is election day.
Where can I find the results?
On the Rocky Mountain PBS website, of course!
Once election results are made public (starting when polls close at 7 p.m. on November 8), visit rmpbs.org/2022-midterms for the latest updates on key races.
Kyle Cooke is the digital media manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.