Voting Information for Grand County Residents

VOTER REGISTRATION    |    VOTING PROCEDURES    |    GET OUT THE VOTE

Voter Registration

Voter registration is a simple process that each citizen should initiate after moving to a new location. In Colorado we have an e-file online voter registration form that you can fill out and submit online. Once submitted after 72 hours, one can go down to the Grand County Clerk’s office in Hot Sulphur Springs to verify your registration is completed and verified by the Colorado Dept. of State. You can also do direct registration in person at the County Clerk’s office. Since you are only allowed to vote once in each scheduled election, you should ensure that any previous voter registration that you may have had has been cancelled or transferred with your new registration into Grand County. The County Clerk can assist with this action as well. If one is to question the citizenship of a voter or a requirement to show a voter ID, this is taken care of at the time the registration form is provided to the County Clerk.  The state e-file voter registration form is available at https://govotecolorado.gov.

Voting Procedures

Voting procedures in Colorado have been undergoing changes, mainly due to COVID, which have resulted in the Colorado Secretary of State declaring in 2020 that Colorado is now a 100% mail-in ballot state. This means that most Voting and Service Polling Centers (VSPCs) throughout the state have been closed down; however, for the 2022 election cycle, Grand County will have 3 VSPCs open on election day from 7AM to 7PM at the County building in Hot Sulphur Springs, the Town Hall in Granby, and the Rec Center in Fraser. Also, for two weeks before election day, Grand County will have the VSPC in Hot Sulpher Springs, open  8:30AM – 5:00PM. Otherwise, all local, county, and state voting will be conducted via mail-in ballots. The Colorado mail-in ballot system relies on only mailing out ballots to registered voters, so this makes it even more critical that voting registration rolls in each county are accurate and up-to-date. And to cast a ballot YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED VOTER! so you can receive a mail-in ballot in the mail. Another aspect of all this is that a registered voter must have provided both a residence address (to provide precinct location) and a mailing address (which in the rural areas and mountains is a P.O. Box) so you can receive your ballot in a timely manner. In Colorado mail-in ballots are mailed out as much as three weeks in advance of election day. So in effect, early voting is recognized and allowed throughout Colorado and in Grand County, and there are five controlled drop-box locations in the county, including  the county buildings in Hot Sulphur Springs. For up-to-date information on these mail-in drop box locations, you may call the Grand County Clerk’s office at 970-725-3065.

If the county clerk has not updated the county registration rolls on a regular and frequent basis before an upcoming election, then mail-in ballots are being mailed out to people who may have moved or have died since the last election cycle. And if new citizens have moved into the county and have not registered to vote, then THEY WILL BE UNABLE TO VOTE BECAUSE THEY CANNOT RECEIVE A MAIL-IN BALLOT! Unlike some states, in Colorado, you cannot just go up to the County Clerk’s office to get a blank mail-in ballot without registering first. But depending on the county clerk’s workload, same day registration may be allowed; however, smart voters will plan to register at least one to two weeks before election day, to ensure they can receive a ballot in the mail or directly from the Grand County Clerk.

To assist the voter in properly and accurately filling out the mail-in ballot they have received, the State of Colorado produces and mails out an official State Ballot Information Booklet (commonly called the Blue Book) to all registered voters. This booklet not only provides information on election candidates, officials and judges, but it also provides pro/con information on proposed changes to state legislative laws, new proposed laws, and propositions before the state legislature. If you do not receive one of these Blue Books in the mail before the election date, you can usually pick one up at the Grand County Clerk’s office, or you can click on the link below for the 2022 Colorado State Blue Book.

Get Out the Vote

The Grand County GOP through our website and with coordination into other Republican organizations in the county, such as the High Country Conservatives (HCCI), the Grand County Republican Central Committee (GCRCC), and the Rotary Club and American Legion, our stated primary goals are to identify and support candidates running for election or reelection to ensure they are properly vetted and then given county visibility to enhance their election opportunities. In the 2022 election cycle, a listing of Grand County and State GOP candidates is provided on our home page (use the “Meet the Candidates” button below).  A second goal is to sponsor events and town hall meetings to give each Republican candidate visibility into the county voter environment. A third goal is to then mount an active campaign of visible signage, phone calls, and door-knocking to ensure the word is getting out to encourage all registered voters to “GET OUT & VOTE.” For further information on the subject go to: govotecolorado.gov.