Brief by Central Staff
Election – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
The old Chicago joke encourages people to “vote early and often.” In Colorado, the “vote early” part is legal.
Election Day is Nov. 2, when the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, registered voters can cast their ballots starting on Oct. 18 if they go to their county’s “Designated Early Voting” place – most likely the county clerk’s office, and that’s the place to call to find it for your county.
Other relevant deadlines include Oct. 26, which is the last day to request an absentee ballot by mail, and Oct. 29, the last day to request one in person. Do note that if you get a mail-in ballot during the off-year elections, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get a ballot mailed to you for the general elections. You have to request a mailed absentee ballot if you want to vote by mail in 2004.
For our part, we’re not fond of early voting – campaigns have a tempo that peaks at Election Day, and information that helps in voting decisions often does not emerge until the last few days.
So we don’t encourage early voting, but then again, “voting early” is an improvement on “voting often.”