February 12, 2024 – The Office of the Clerk and Recorder has mailed approximately 450,820 ballots for the March 5 Presidential Primary to all eligible, active registered Democratic, Republican and Unaffiliated voters.
“We encourage voters to exercise our cherished democratic right and vote their mail ballot,” said Clerk Steve Schleiker. “For the 2020 Presidential Primary the turnout was 42.97% in El Paso County. We can do better! Let’s make our voices heard and raise our voter turnout rate.”
Voters are cautioned to keep up to date on the current candidates for the political parties. Names of some candidates may appear on the ballot; however, they have ended their campaigns. Due to legal requirements and deadlines, the Secretary of State could not remove those candidate names from the ballot. If you vote for a person who is no longer a viable candidate, your vote will not count.
Because this is a Primary Election, unaffiliated voters will receive a ballot packet containing two ballots: a Republican candidate ballot and a Democratic candidate ballot. It is essential the unaffiliated voter only votes and returns one ballot. They should destroy and discard the other ballot. If the unaffiliated voter returns both ballots voted, neither will be counted. The voter needs to vote only one ballot.
The mail ballot packet contains an “I Voted” sticker on the instruction sheet. Five different, colorful designs allow mail-in voters to show they have voted by wearing their sticker. If you do not receive your ballot by February 22, contact our Elections Department at 719-575-VOTE (8683). To track the status of your mail ballot, sign up for BallotTrax.
The Clerk provides 39 secure 24-hour ballot drop box locations throughout the county. 99% of the county’s population lives within a fifteen-minute drive of one of these locations. Every ballot box is under 24/7 camera surveillance that was upgraded in 2023 and gives the public access to view each box. By visiting www.epcvotes.com you can view motion triggered events at any of the ballot boxes.
Voters also may return their ballot through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) by affixing adequate postage to their return envelope. The Clerk’s Office recommends that voters do not return their voted ballot by mail after February 26. All voted ballots must be returned to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, March 5, to be counted. Postmarked ballots received after the deadline cannot be counted.
Any voter needing a replacement ballot, or other in-person services may visit the VSPC at the Citizens Service Center at 1675 West Garden of the Gods Road. Additional Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) will open February 26 and March 4. A full list of locations along with hours of operation can be viewed here.
For election information voters should visit www.EPCVotes.com or contact the Clerk’s Election Department at (719) 575-VOTE (8683), or elections@elpasoco.com.