Helpful Resources to Navigate Voting
Written by Kim Tenure, Associate Director of I/DD Policy
There are many Federal and State laws that protect your rights to vote. The United States divides power between different levels of government; this system is called federalism.
One impact of federalism is that states can make laws addressing the specific needs and concerns of their residents. Consequently, elections and important issues may differ state to state.
This means when in moving to a new state, you should make sure to register and understand how to vote in your state. For more information on voting in Colorado, visit: govotecolorado.gov
Here are some other fun facts about voting in Colorado:
- As a person with disability you can use an accessible online ballot, learn more here.
- You can register online or in person up to election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3rd.
- If you have a guardian, you can still register to vote and receive your own ballot
- You can have someone of your choice come with you to help you vote (as long as it’s not an employer or union rep).
- As long as you put one stamp on your ballot, by state and federal law, the USPS delivers those ballots to the counties and the counties will cover any overages – thank you county governments!
- You can vote once you receive your ballot since Colorado participates in early voting
Here are more great resources to learn about your voting rights:
Voting Rights & People with Disabilities
One barrier that exists to voting is knowing your rights. To support our community, we partner with The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas Counties, Arapahoe Libraries, Alliance Colorado, and Disability Law Colorado to make sure people with disabilities understand their rights.
The Director of Elections from Arapahoe County recently joined our panel to answer questions and explain more about the process. Click here to watch the presentation. A few more resources for you:
Voting Rights and People with Disabilities
Weekly Self-Advocate Voter Discussions | Began September 30
For most people, the questions about voting often come after the event, so we’re offering ongoing support with conversations every Wednesday about voting to support you during this election season. We hope you join us!
Every Voter Counts Online Training
We’re honored to provide sponsorship support to The Arc of Aurora’s social enterprise THINK+change, which created the Every Voter Counts online training. This 7-part, self-guided, free training aims to educate the officials, staff, and volunteers running elections on the rights and support for people with disabilities to ensure processes are accessible to and inclusive.
Additional Helpful Resources
- Go Vote Colorado – Secretary of State website
- Accessible voting information
- Just Vote Colorado election protection information
- Sample General Election Ballot [link to PDF]
- 2020 General Election Voting Tips & Important Information (English / Spanish) [link to PDF]
- The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas Counties Voter Resources: https://arc-ad.org/voting-resources/
- CCDC and The Arc of Aurora have a helpful guide with dos and don’ts, but their guide does take some positions on ballot issues: http://www.ccdconline.org/2020/10/02/ballot-guide-2020-the-arc-of-aurora-thinkchange-ccdc/
Contact Kim if you have any questions: k.tenure@dpcolo.org