Denver voters will have more options to cast their ballots starting Monday, as additional voter service and polling centers open across the city.
This comes as election officials are preparing for a high voter turnout of around 80%.
“This year, given the number of federal races at stake and the high number of local and statewide races and ballot measures, we are preparing for a turnout of roughly 80%, which is not seen at those levels outside of a presidential election. Denverites historically vote later in the election cycles, so we are preparing to see around 40% to 50% of those of ballots sent out returned to us on the last few days of voting,” the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office told Denver7.
Watch the video report below:
Thirteen additional voter service and polling centers open Monday, bringing the total number of in-person voting locations in Denver to 14. The Denver Public Library has already been open to voters. In total, there are around 40 VSPCs that will be opened in phases leading up to Election Day.
“As more of our vote centers open between now and Monday, Nov. 2, voters will have more options in locations to go to cast their ballots,” the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office said.
Each center offers full services, including voter registration, ballot replacement and in-person voting. Voters must bring an accepted form of identification. There are 17 forms of identification that the state of Colorado accepts as valid for voting.
“There's been a lot of noise around voter identification lately but in Colorado, you cannot register to vote if you are not a citizen of the United States or a resident of Colorado. Also if voters would like to skip the lines, there are 29 drop boxes located conveniently around the city and county of Denver where voters can drop off their completed ballots,” the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office told Denver7.
For those voting by mail, officials say to sign the return envelope and recommend mailing ballots by Oct. 26 to avoid delivery delays.
“The single most important thing a voter can do when returning their ballots is to sign the envelope. Our judges receive FBI-level training on verifying signatures and matching them to the most recent signature on file for that voter, but we cannot do that and cannot count their vote unless a voter signs their envelope. And without a signature, we have no way to contact the voter to give them an opportunity to cure their ballot,” ,” the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office said.
Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Denver election officials said voters can track their mail ballots through BallotTrax, or use one of the city’s official drop boxes to avoid potential mail delays.
“The easiest way is to sign up for BallotTrax. It's a text message or email (or both) delivered to you as your ballot makes its way through the system, starting with it being sent to you. As soon as it's scanned in, you'll be notified that it's been received, processed and counted,” the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office told Denver7.
Denver7 spoke to young voters on what they hope to see in terms of voter turnout.
“We're not really seeing any young faces. So, especially this election cycle, we're seeing a lot more of that. It's very hopeful and I think it has been mobilizing a lot of younger voters during this election,” MSU Denver student Carter Lane said.
Lane said it has always been a priority for him to vote in every election since he turned 18.
“I think young people should vote because it’s great to show what people care about in a certain point in time. If young people don't vote, then all of their issues are going to be ignored,” Lane said.
The Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office sent out more than 467,000 ballots to registered active voters. As of Friday morning, more than 22,000 ballots have been received and accepted.
“These numbers are fairly average with previous elections. We’ll see a good 50% or more of ballots come back in the two to three days before Election Day, so this return rate is fairly standard,” the office told Denver7.
Voters can find polling locations, drop box information and accepted forms of identification at denvervotes.org.
Denver7's Colorado Voting Guide also has everything you need to know before Election Day.
Phase 1 VSPCs
Hours of operation
Monday, Oct. 19 - Friday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 26 - Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Barnum Recreation Center – 360 N. Hooker St. | Multipurpose Room
- Blair-Caldwell Library – 2401 Welton St. | Large Conference Room
- Calvary Baptist Church of Denver – 6500 E. Girard Ave. | Fellowship Hall
- Christ Church United Methodist – 690 N. Colorado Blvd. | Fellowship Hall
- Denver Central Library - 10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy. | Park View Room
- Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center - 4890 N. Argonne Way | Multipurpose Room
- Harvard Gulch Recreation Center – 550 E. Iliff Ave. | Multipurpose Room
- Harvey Park Recreation Center – 2120 S. Tennyson Way | Multipurpose Room
- Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreation Center – 3334 N. Holly St. | Multipurpose Room
- Highland Recreation Center – 2880 N. Osceola St. | Multipurpose Room
- Montbello Recreation Center – 15555 E. 53rd Ave. | Multipurpose Room
- Tivoli Student Union at Auraria – 900 Auraria Pkwy. | Multicultural Lounge, Rm. 261
- University of Denver Dimond Family Res. Village – 2020 S. High St. | Multipurpose Room
Phase 2 VSPCs
Hours of Operation
Monday, Oct. 26 - Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Central Park Recreation Center – 9651 E. Martin Luther King Blvd. | Multipurpose Room
- Montclair Recreation Center – 729 N. Ulster Way | Multipurpose Room
- Southwest Recreation Center – 9200 W. Saratoga Pl. | Multipurpose Room
- Swansea Recreation Center – 2650 E. 49th Ave. | Multipurpose Room
- Windsor Gardens – 595 S. Clinton St. | Auditorium
Phase 3 VSPCs
Hours of Operation
Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Athmar Recreation Center – 2680 W. Mexico Ave. | Gym
- Cook Park Recreation Center – 7100 Cherry Creek South Dr. | Multipurpose Room
- Eisenhower Recreation Center – 4300 E. Dartmouth Ave. | Multipurpose Room
- La Familia Recreation Center – 65 S. Elati St. | Gym
- Martin Luther King Jr. Library – 9898 E. Colfax Ave. | Akron, Boston, Clinton, and Dayton Rooms
- Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a .m. - 5 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Regis University/Claver Hall – 3333 Regis Blvd. | Mountain View Room (Use Ignatius Lot 4 entrance on Lowell Blvd. north of 52nd Ave.)
- Re:Vision – 3738 Morrison Rd. | Gallery
Phase 4 VSPCs
Hours of Operation
Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Augustana Lutheran Church – 5000 E. Alameda Ave. | Fellowship Hall
- East High School – 1600 City Park Esplanade | Calloway Gym (Enter from Detroit St.)
- Glenarm Recreation Center – 2800 S. Lamar St. | Outdoor Auxiliary Gym
- La Alma Recreation Center – 1325 W. 11th Ave. | Dance Room
- Montbello High School – 5000 Crown Blvd. | Gym
- Nova Church – 1205 E. 8th Ave. | Multipurpose Room
- Riverside Church – 2401 Alcott St. | Gym
- Scheitler Recreation Center – 5031 W. 46th Ave. | Gym
- South High School – 1700 E. Louisiana Ave. | Gym
- St. John's Cathedral – 1350 N. Washington St. | St. Francis Chapel
- Thomas Jefferson High School – 3950 S. Holly St. | Dance Room
- Tracks – 3500 Walnut St. | Multipurpose Room
- Union Station – 1701 Wynkoop St. | Great Hall
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