Elections

• October 21 – Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) opens at the County Clerk's office 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. M-F and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, November 2
• October 28 – Last day for an individual to submit a voter registration application and receive a General Election ballot in the mail
• November 2 – VSPC at County Clerk’s office open from 8:00 a.m. to noon for ballot drop-off, voter registration, and in-person voting
• November 5 – Election Day; 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Clerk’s office open for Election business only!  County Clerk must receive ballots no later than 7:00 p.m. for them to count.
• November 13 – Deadline to cure a signature discrepancy or missing signature/deadline to receive UOCAVA ballots

How to run for county office:

• Candidate Guideline Manual 2024

• Sample major party petition

• Sample minor party petition

• Sample unaffiliated petition

• Petition Acceptance Form

• Write-in Affidavit

• Candidate Withdrawal

Campaign Finance (candidate revenue and expenditure reporting) is handled by the Colorado Secretary of State’s office at the link below.  Campaign Finance is a mandatory requirement according to state law and failure to file may result in heavy fines.  Candidates wishing to run for any public office (including school board, fire department, or other special district candidates) must submit their original, paper copy of the Candidate Affidavit to the Colorado Secretary of State using the TRACER electronic filing system.  Once received, the SOS will send an email confirmation to the candidate, along with a unique login and password.  All future reports must be filed electronically through the SOS.  Direct all questions to the Colorado Secretary of State’s campaign finance team at cpfhelp@sos.state.co.us, or by calling (303) 894-2200 ext. 6383.

A copy of the Candidate Affidavit must be submitted to the County Clerk, along with the signed and notarized Candidate Acceptance and Designation and Declaration of Qualification form, which will ensure the candidate ballot access through the assembly process, by petition, or as a write-in candidate.  Obtain your Campaign and Political Finance 2023 County Filing Calendar here.

CORA Request:

Resolution 864: Lincoln County's CORA Policy Resolution 864

• CORA Policy - 2022- Revisions
• Colorado Open Records Act Request Form

CVR

• 2024 General
• 2024 Primary
• 2024 Presidential Primary
• 2023 Coordinated
• 2022 General
• 2022 Primary- Recount
• 2022 Primary
• 2020 General

1. Am I eligible to vote?

In order to determine your eligibility in upcoming elections, you can either visit www.govotecolorado.gov, or contact the county clerk’s office at (719) 743-2444, PO Box 67, Hugo, CO 80821, or clengel@lincolncountyco.us.  You must have lived in the state of Colorado at least twenty-two (22) days prior to the election in order to vote on state and local issues. govotecolorado.gov also has excellent information regarding any election questions you may have.

2. How do I register?  What’s the deadline?

You have several options when it comes to registering to vote: 

• You may submit an application through the mail, a voter registration agency, a local driver’s license office, or a voter registration drive NO LATER THAN twenty-two (22) days before the election, unless the twenty-second day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, in which case you have until the next business day following the Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday;
• You may register through a high school registrar;
• You may pick up an application at the Limon Town Hall, but it will need to be mailed to the Lincoln County Clerk, PO Box 67, Hugo, CO 80821;
• You may use the on-line voter registration system at http://www.govotecolorado.gov through the eighth (8) day prior to an election;
• You may appear in-person at the county clerk’s office during normal registration hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except for legal holidays); or
• You may appear in-person at the Voter Service and Polling Center during normal hours of operation.

3. What's on the ballot?

• Sample Ballots

4. Where do I go to vote? 

Colorado law requires county clerks to conduct all elections as mail-in ballot elections.  Ballots will be sent to the current address in the voter system for all active, registered voters of the major political parties.  Unless they indicated a preference, active unaffiliated voters will receive both major party ballots.  Unaffiliated voters must return only one of these ballots for their vote to count.  It is the voter’s responsibility to update their address if it changes.                    

5. Can I vote on voting equipment even if I got a ballot in the mail?

Disabled Access Units are available in the county clerk’s office at the same time that mail ballots are sent out.  However, if you intend to use this option, you MUST surrender your mail ballot at the time that you come in to vote on the equipment.

6. How do I know if my record is active?

You can visit www.govotecolorado.gov to verify your voting status and make necessary changes to your record. You must contact the county clerk’s office to find out if you will automatically receive a ballot in the mail.  Inactive voters are still eligible to vote, but they must request a ballot from the clerk’s office.

7. What do I do if I don’t receive a ballot in the mail?

Contact the county clerk’s office and ask if your record is active and what address we have on file for you.  Always make sure your address is updated prior to an election.  Changing your address on your vehicle registration does not automatically change your voter record.

8. Do I need to provide ID to vote?

Only voters who have “ID” marked on their outer ballot envelope need to provide ID with their mail-in ballot.  Please do not place the copy of ID inside the secrecy sleeve with your ballot if you are required to provide ID.

9. What are the deadlines for military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters to return their ballots?

Ballots from military and overseas voters must be received in the county clerk’s office no later than eight days after the election, in order to be counted.  Only UOCAVA voters or voters who have received letters due to signature discrepancies are allowed additional time after Election Day.

10.  What if I forget to sign my ballot envelope or my signature does not match what is on file?

The clerk will send letters to voters who neglect to sign their ballot envelope or whose signatures do not match their records in the voter registration system.  Signatures may change over time, but voters should try to sign their ballot envelope as closely as possible to the signature in their registration record.  Driver's license records now transfer to the voter registration system, so it is possible that signatures will update automatically. 

11.  What if I accidentally use my spouse’s return envelope or vote my spouse’s ballot instead of my own?

This happens frequently.  Please contact the clerk’s office at (719) 743-2444 so that we can help you with this issue.

12. How can I get results on election night?

You can view the results here or call (719) 743-2444.

 

Provisional Ballot Status

To see the status of your provisional ballot go to www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/provLookup.do or www.sos.state.co.us/voter-classic/provLookup.do approximately 2 weeks after the election.

Register to vote at www.sos.state.co.us or pick up copy of the current registration form in person, ID required.

Precinct Map
School District Map

• To access your ballot online:

  https://myballot.sos.colorado.gov

Important Information:

The Lincoln County Courthouse, located at 103 3rd Avenue in Hugo, will be the only Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) location available for ballot drop-off and replacement, voter registration, or party affiliation and other voter registration changes.  Electors can always update their voter records by visiting www.govotecolorado.gov, which is an extremely easy way to change an address or party affiliation.  Records updated through this method are received in the county clerk’s office and checked on a daily basis but must be done no later than eight days prior to Election Day.

VSPC hours of operation:   Monday through Friday, October 21 through November 4, from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, November 2, from 8:00 a.m. until noon; and Election Day (November 5) from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

VSPC functions:   Voter registration, ballot drop-off, replacement ballots (if lost, spoiled, or never received), and changes to name, address, or party affiliation.

Make sure your vote counts!
The ballot you receive in the mail is your official election ballot.

• Vote your ballot, sign the affirmation on the return envelope, and return it via mail with proper postage.  Allow sufficient time for mail delivery.  Due to changes in postal service processing times and load-leveling, mail is not always processed and delivered on a daily basis.
• Concerned we won’t receive your ballot on time?
  o   Drop your voted ballot off at the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder’s office/VSPC at 103 3rd Avenue in Hugo until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.  Ballots received after 7:00 p.m. do not count. 
  o   Use the 24-hour drop box located on the east side of the Limon Town Hall (the Police Department side) or the 24-hour drop box located in front of the Courthouse. Again, ballots received after 7:00 p.m. on Election Day will not count.
• It is against the law for one party to drop off more than ten ballots on behalf of any other party in any election - 1-7.5-107 (4) (b) (1) (B), C.R.S.

Signing the affirmation on the return ballot envelope:  (1-7.5-107.3, C.R.S.)

• Signatures on each return envelope are compared with the signature of the eligible elector stored in the statewide voter registration system.
• If the signatures do not match, the county clerk must send a letter explaining the discrepancy to the voter (along with a form for the voter to confirm that he/she returned a ballot to the county clerk and recorder) within three days after confirming the signature deficiency.
• If the clerk receives the confirmation form within eight days after Election Day, and if the ballot is otherwise valid, the ballot will be counted. 
• If the voter returns the form indicating that he/she did not return a ballot to the county clerk and recorder, or if the voter does not return the form within eight days after Election Day, the self-affirmation on the return envelope shall be categorized as incorrect and the ballot will not be counted.
• The county clerk and recorder shall send copies of the eligible voter’s signature on the return envelope and the signature stored in the statewide voter registration system to the district attorney for investigation. 
• If a mail ballot envelope is not signed, the clerk must send a letter notifying the voter that he or she can affix a signature within eight calendar days after the election.

What if the voter cannot sign the affirmation for some reason?

• A signature stamp is acceptable for the voter.
• Power of Attorney is not acceptable; a POA is not recognized for voter registration, changes, or voting purposes. 
• The voter needs to attempt to sign the affirmation as best as they can and have someone witness their signature on the witness line. 

1-13-106 C.R.S. - Forgery.  Any person who falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any ballot before or after it has been cast, or who forges any name of a person as a signer or witness to a petition or nomination paper, or who forges any letter of acceptance, declination, or withdrawal, or who forges the name of a registered elector to a voter’s mail-in or mail ballot commits forgery as set forth in section 18-5-102, C.R.S., and shall be punished as provided in section 18-1.3-401, C.R.S.

C.R.S. 1-13-705 - Personating elector.   Any person who falsely personates any elector and votes at any election provided by law under the name of such elector shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than eighteen months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

MAJOR POINTS:

1. All elections will be Mail Ballot Elections

• Beginning July 1, 2013, all General, Primary, Congressional Vacancy, Coordinated, Odd-Year and Recall elections conducted by or coordinated with the County Clerk must be Mail Ballot elections

2. Establishment of Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC)

• Coordinated (odd-year November) and Primary (even-year June) Elections require that counties with fewer than 25,000 active electors maintain one (1) VSPC
• General Elections (even-year November) require that a minimum number of voter service and polling centers be designated as follows:
• For counties with fewer than 10,000 active electors: during the period designated for early voting and on election day, at least one (1) VSPC
• The Lincoln County VSPC will be in the county clerk’s office at the Lincoln County Courthouse – 103 3rd Avenue, Hugo, Colorado

3.  Mail Ballot Drop-off Locations

• Only counties with at least 25,000 active electors are required to provide stand-alone drop-off locations on the date of a General Election and on the Saturday and Monday immediately preceding the date of a General Election
• Lincoln County will have three drop-off locations for mail ballots:  
  • the county clerk’s office in the Lincoln County Courthouse, 103 3rd Avenue, Hugo, Colorado.
    • Hours of operation:  Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 2, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
  • Stand-alone drop-box on the east side of the Limon town hall at 100 Civic Center Drive, Limon, Colorado.
    • Open 24-hours a day beginning February 26, 2024.
  • Stand-alone drop-box at the Courthouse entrance.
    • Open 24-hours a day beginning February 26, 2024.
  • Drop-off locations close at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day

4.  Registration Requirements - Deadlines

• An elector is permitted to vote in any Primary, Presidential, General, Coordinated, Special Legislative, Municipal, Congressional Vacancy, Special District or other election if he or she timely registers to vote before or on the date of such election
• An elector may timely register to vote by:
  • Submitting an application through the mail, a voter registration agency, a local driver’s license office, or a voter registration drive NO LATER THAN twenty-two (22) days before the election, unless the twenty-second day is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, in which case the elector may register the next business day;
  • Registering through a high school registrar;
  • Using the on-line voter registration system through the eighth (8) day prior to an election;
  • Appearing in-person at the county clerk’s office during normal registration hours;
  • Appearing in-person at the Voter Service and Polling Center during normal hours of operation

5.  Residency Requirements

• Elector must have resided in the state of Colorado twenty-two (22) days immediately prior to the election at which the person intends to vote

6.  Definitions:

• Coordinated Election:  An election where more than one political subdivision with overlapping boundaries or the same electors holds an election on the same day, and the county clerk and recorder is the coordinated election official for the political subdivision
• Primary Election:  The election held on the last Tuesday in June of each even-numbered year in which the names of the candidates are printed on the ballot along with their affiliation.  Electors must be registered with the political party by the first working day in January of the same year in order to vote for that party’s candidates.  Candidates who win their Primary elections will have their names placed on the General Election ballot to run against candidates of opposing parties 
• General Election:  The election held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November in each even-numbered year.  Example: Presidential or Gubernatorial
• Mail Ballot Election:  An election in which eligible electors receive ballots by mail and vote by returning their ballot via the U.S. Postal Service or depositing it at a Mail Ballot Drop-off Location or the county clerk’s office.

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020