DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — As Coloradans receive their ballots for the November election in the mail, Colorado's Secretary of State's office has confirmed an issue with roughly 800,000 ballots, specifically in parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Weld counties.
The issue stems from an item titled Ballot Issue 7A; if it passes, it would increase taxes for residents who live inside the Front Range Passenger Rail District to help pay for the Colorado Connector train line.
The train line is currently slated to connect Pueblo to Fort Collins with ten stops in between.
Voters in communities where there would be train stops would have 7A on their ballot, which in Douglas County would include Districts 1-7 of Sterling Ranch.
But on Tuesday, the Secretary of State's office confirmed that in DougCo, 7A appears on everyone's ballot.
Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Sheri Davis issued the following statement Wednesday:
"Front Range Passenger Rail District Ballot Issue 7A appears on all Douglas County ballots for the November 3 General Election. The only boundary map the district provided to my office showed all of Douglas County within the district, and we used that map to prepare ballots.
Although legislation changed the district’s boundaries in 2026, my office has not received an updated map or clarification of the new boundaries from the district. I am working with all parties involved to continue to gather information, review legal questions, and understand all options before deciding on the appropriate steps to take.
Here is what I want voters to know: My responsibility is to administer secure, transparent elections according to the law. You do not need a new ballot. Please complete and return the ballot you received as you normally would, and know that my office will ensure that every valid vote is counted.”
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office also issued a statement, in partnership with the Colorado County Clerks Association:
"The Front Range Passenger Rail District did not communicate the District’s updated boundaries adequately to counties following a 2026 law change. This resulted in Ballot Issue 7A being included on more voters’ ballots in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, and Weld Counties than it should have been.
The Colorado Department of State is in close communication with the Colorado County Clerk’s Association, and the office is currently working on guidance to the counties on the proper administration of this ballot issue.
Only eligible voters will have their vote in this contest counted. Ballot processing may begin on October 19.
Please direct questions about the number of voters impacted to County Clerks."
While the ballot item is currently being remedied, there are still some DougCo residents like Nic Vasilauskas who are concerned.
"What's the resolution going to be, and could you know 10s of 1000s of votes be invalidated just for the error on the ballot?" Vasilauskas said to Denver7's Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito.
Vasilauskas lives in Meridian Village, an unincorporated part of DougCo near Parker and Lone Tree, roughly 15 miles from Sterling Ranch.
He says he quickly noticed the issue with his ballot when he got it in the mail earlier in the week.
"The ballot's pretty overwhelming this time around, said Vasilauskas. "The very last question on the ballot I saw was 7A, which I had some knowledge about, but in looking into it further, realized maybe it shouldn't be."
Vasilauskas adding that he usually is diligent to fill out his ballot, but he is still worried about what it could mean if he fills out, or does not fill out, Ballot Issue 7A.
"If I do fill it out, does it invalidate my you know my ballot completely?" asked Vasilauskas.
Per Davis' statement above, Douglas County voters are still encouraged to fill out their ballots in full, and she and her team will make sure votes for 7A are properly counted on Election Day.
Denver7's Political Analyst Alton Dillard says mistakes are not uncommon to be found after ballots are sent out.
"Errors happen in the elections process, elections are a very human process," Dillard told Melito. "I've seen everything from transposed yes nos on ballots. I've seen candidates pass away after ballots have been printed, and so there are ways to fix this."
Dillard saying the most common fix for an issue like this is to have the tabulators used to count ballots set to only count certain ballots regarding 7A.
But Dillard notes how it may not be as simple.
"Because of the multi-jurisdictional aspect, this fix may not be that simple, and that's one of the reasons that people really need to keep an eye on the headlines and see what the solutions that the Secretary of State's office and the affected counties and municipalities are going to come up with," Dillard explained.
