The Office of the Clerk and Recorder will send approximately 4,100 ballots for the General Election to voters classified under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) by the end of day on Friday, September 21, (statutory requirement is September 22). These voters with special circumstances include military and their dependents living out of state, and voters who reside out of the country. Holding the highest amount of active UOCAVA voters in the State of Colorado, the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office pays special attention to these voters.
“Due to the length of time required for UOCAVA voters to receive and return their ballots, the law ensures they will have every opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote,” said Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman. “We have staff dedicated to work with these voters and provide them the information they need to successfully participate in this important election.”
Besides receiving their ballots earlier, the UOCAVA voters also have an extended time to return their ballot to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office. Whereas local voters must return their ballot by 7:00 PM on Election Day to count, UOCAVA ballots postmarked by 7:00 PM on Election Day will count if they arrive as late as eight days after the election. The postmark is counted as valid only on UOCAVA ballots, and not for local voters. UOCAVA voters can vote and return their ballot by mail, fax or email to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
UOCAVA voters may obtain additional information by contacting the Election staff members who have expertise in this area at uocava@elpasoco.com. They also may visit the website for the Colorado Secretary of State.
In this highly anticipated election, the Clerk’s Office wants all voters to be prepared. This is an all-mail ballot election and voters’ registration must be up to date in order for their ballot to be mailed to them. Voters are encouraged to visit www.GoVoteColorado.com now and check that the address on their registration record is correct. El Paso County will have a long ballot with two sheets for the 2018 General Election. Voters are instructed to vote both sides of each sheet. Ballots will begin being mailed to local voters on October 15.