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Election FAQs

If you have a Colorado Driver’s License or ID card you may go to www.GoVoteColorado.gov and complete the voter registration application online.

Go to www.GoVoteColorado.gov and complete the verify/update form online.

  • Be a U.S. Citizen
  • Be 16 years of age, but you must be at least 17 to vote in a primary election if you will be 18 on or before the next general election. You must be 18 to vote in any other election.
  • Reside in Colorado for at least 22 days before the election at which you intend to vote.
  • Are not serving a term of imprisonment for a felony conviction.

A person may register to vote in person at a county voter registration office or Voter and Service Polling Center at any time, including on Election Day. Other deadlines apply if you are not registering in person.

Forms can be obtained at:  Note: Due to our current public health crisis, many offices may be closed to the public.  Call 719-530-5604 or email elections@chaffeecounty.org to request that a form be mailed to you.

  • Chaffee County Clerks’ Offices in Salida and Buena Vista
  • Salida and Buena Vista Public Libraries
  • Salida City Clerk’s Office, Town Halls of Buena Vista and Poncha Springs
  • Drivers License Office, Salida
  • Salida, Poncha Springs, Buena Vista and Nathrop Post Offices

Or, register at www.GoVoteColorado.gov.

Go to www.GoVoteColorado.gov and change your mailing address to where you want your Mail Ballot delivered, if it is different than your residential address.

Go to www.GoVoteColorado.gov and change your ballot address to where you want your Mail Ballot delivered, if it is different than your residential address. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact our office and we will send you a form to fill out.

  1. Return your mail ballot in the mail. (Postage requirements vary by county.)
  2. Drop it off at a Ballot Drop-Off Location.
  3. Vote in person at a Voter Service Center.

Call the Chaffee County Election Office and request a replacement ballot 719-530-5604. One will be mailed to you provided the request is received with sufficient time for mailing. Otherwise, you may pick up a replacement ballot in person at one of our Voter Service Centers.

Ballots are mailed approximately two weeks prior to the election. If you have not received your ballot a week before the election, contact the election office at 719-530-5604.

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is a federal law that ensures military and citizens living oversees are able to register and vote in federal elections. UOCAVA voters have an extended time frame and convenient options to receive and return a ballot.

You should register as a UOCAVA voter if you are a U.S. citizen, age 18 years of age or older by the next election, and one of the following:

Military Electors

  • A service member in any branch of the uniformed services and their spouses and/or dependents who are absent from the state because of a service member’s active duty.
  • Active and reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, active components of the National Guard, as well as the Merchant Marines.
  • Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service.

Overseas Electors

  • U.S. Citizens who are living overseas, and whose last residence before leaving the country was in Colorado.
  • U.S. Citizens who were born outside the U.S. whose parent or legal guardian is eligible to register and vote in Colorado.

Ballots are sent to UOCAVA voters 45 days before an election so that they have ample time to receive and return their ballot from out-of-state. (Meanwhile, ballots are sent to voters inside Colorado 22 days before an election.)

UOCAVA voters also enjoy the option to receive and return their ballot by mail, email or fax in county, state and federal elections. (Please note: there is no option to vote by email in municipal elections.) Meanwhile, voters inside Colorado may only return a ballot by mail or to a ballot box, or vote in-person.

UOCAVA voters must mail or transmit a ballot by 7 p.m. MST on Election Day, and if mailed, the ballot must be received by the County Clerk by the close of business (5 p.m. MST) on the eighth day after Election Day in order to be counted.

Complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) online or download and print the fillable PDF version and return it to the Chaffee County Clerk to register as a UOCAVA voter. We encourage overseas and military voters to submit a new FPCA every year and when they move. Return the form by mail, fax or email to:

Chaffee County Clerk and Recorder
Attn: Elections
PO Box 699
Salida, CO 81201
Fax: 719-539-8588
Email: elections@chaffeecounty.org

UOCAVA voters may receive and return a ballot by mail, fax or email. We will count only the first ballot that we receive from a voter.

Mail Ballot: Chaffee County mails a ballot to every eligible UOCAVA voter at their registered mailing address. If you vote and return your mail ballot, it must be mailed by Election Day and received by the County Clerk’s Office no later than the eighth day after the election to be counted.

Email Ballot: If you request an email ballot when you register to vote, you will receive an email from our Elections Department with a secure and unique link to your ballot. Download and print the ballot on 8.5 x 11-inch paper. Vote the ballot and return it by mail, fax or email. To return a ballot by email, scan it as a PDF and attach it to an email to the County. (Email is not available for municipal elections.)

Fax Ballot: If you would like to receive a ballot by fax, be sure to provide a complete fax number, including the international prefix and country code on your Federal Post Card Application. Your ballot will be faxed to you with a cover sheet and unique coded ballot on 8.5 x 11-inch paper. Vote the ballot and return it by mail, fax or email.Note: If you choose to return your voted ballot by fax or email, you must voluntarily waive your right to a secret ballot.

If you have not received a ballot two weeks before an election, please contact us at 719-539-4004 or elections@chaffeecounty.org to determine the status of your ballot and request a replacement if necessary.

Q: I am registered as unaffiliated. Will I be able to vote in the primary election?

Yes. Unaffiliated voters are eligible to vote in the primary election, but you may only vote one party’s ballot.