ELECTION NEWS:

Election Information:  November 2, 2021 Coordinated Election

ATTENTION:  The Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder’s Office strongly encourages all voters to return their ballots to a county-controlled 24-hour drop box or by mail.  November 2, 2021, Coordinated Election will be an all-mail ballot delivery. Ballots will be mailed to all active eligible registered electors the week of October 11, 2021.

• IMPORTANT: If you do not live in one of the participating entity boundaries you will not receive a ballot for the November 2, 2021, Coordinated Election.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2021 COORDINATED ELECTION:

• October 11 – 15, 2021: Ballots will be mailed to all active eligible electors.
• October 11, 2021: Last day to submit an application to register to vote through a voter registration drive. (no later than 22 days before the election)
• October 26, 2021: Last day for an individual to submit a voter registration application and still receive a ballot in the mail for the 2021 Coordinated Election. (Through the 8^th day before an election)
• October 25, 2021, Monday – November 2, 2021, Tuesday: Voters can register to vote, obtain a replacement ballot or drop off their mail-in ballots in person at the Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 140 W. Main Street, Suite 1, Cortez, CO 81321

Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office Election Department will be open on Saturday, October 30th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for ballot drop off, replacement ballots.
24-hour drop box will be available for ballot drop off from October 11, 2021, to November 2, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. at the following addresses:

Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder, 140 W. Main St Suite #1 Cortez Co. 81321
Dolores Town Hall, 420 Central Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
Mancos Town Hall, 117 N Main St, Mancos, CO 81328
Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Complex, 124 Mike Wash Road Towaoc Co. 81334
Cortez City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave. Cortez Co. 81321
Cox Corners, 18794 US-491, Lewis, CO 81327

• November 2, 2021: ELECTION DAY
  Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office is open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  at 140 W. Main St. Suite #1 Cortez Co. 81321.

Election Information:  

Frequently asked questions:  FAQs

Notice of 2021 Coordinated Election: The 2021 Coordinated Election will be held in Montezuma County, Colorado, on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. All active registered voters may participate.

Mail Ballots: Beginning on October 11, 2021, the Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder will send a mail ballot to every active voter.  To be counted, mail ballots must be returned to and in the hands of the Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder no later than 7:00 pm on Election Day, November 2, 2021.  Postmarks do not count.

Polling Locations: Until 7:00 pm on Election Day, eligible individuals may also visit a Voter Service and Polling Center and register to vote for the first time, update their existing voter registration records, request the issuance of original or replacement mail ballot, or vote in-person on accessible voting devices, at the following location;

• Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 140 W. Main St., Ste. 1 Cortez, CO 81321. October 25, 2021, Monday -Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Open Saturdays, October 30th, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Drop-off Locations: Eligible voters may also return their voted mail ballots no later than 7 pm on Election Day November 2, 2021, by depositing them in a 24hr drop-box at any of the following locations:

• Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder 140 W. Main St Suite #1 Cortez Co. 81321
• Dolores Town Hall 420 Central Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
• Mancos Town Hall 117 N Main St, Mancos, CO 81328
• Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Complex, 124 Mike Wash Road Towaoc Co. 81334
• Cortez City Hall 123 Roger Smith Ave. Cortez Co. 81321
• Cox Corners 18794 US-491, Lewis, CO 81327

Election Offenses:

C.R.S. 1-13-106 Forgery– Any person who falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any ballot before or after it has been cast, or who forges any name of a person as a signer or witness to a petition or nomination paper, or who forges any letter of acceptance, declination, or withdrawal, or who forges the name of a registered elector to a voter’s mail-in or mail ballot commits forgery which is a class five 5 felony.

C.R.S. 1-13-112 Offenses relating to mail ballots – Any person who, by use of force or other means, unduly influences an elector to vote in any particular manner or to refrain from voting, or who falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any mail ballot before or after it has been cast, or who destroys, defaces, mutilates, or tampers with such a ballot shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than eighteen months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

QUALIFICATIONS TO VOTE

• You must be a citizen of the United States by birth or naturalization.
• You must be eighteen years of age or older on the date of the next ensuing election.
• You must have resided in the state and the precinct 22 days immediately prior to the election at which you intend to vote.
• Voter registration is allowed up to and on Election Day (same-day registration) and all registered voters will receive mail-in ballots (no need to apply for one).
• Each elector registering shall sign his/her name on the registration record or, if unable to write, shall make a personal mark or be provided assistance by the county clerk or any person authorized by the clerk or the elector.
• No person can register another or make any changes to the voter registration record except the voter themselves.

MAIL BALLOTS

The ballot you receive in the mail is your official ballot and the ballot you need to vote and return to our office for processing. Ballots are mailed to all Active Eligible Voters. As soon as you receive your ballot you may vote the ballot with your choices and then return it to the Clerk & Recorder’s Office during office hours or by mail.

Remember to allow enough time for the ballot to reach our office! Postmarks do not count! Mail-in ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day

TIPS FOR MAIL BALLOTS:

1. You will receive the ballot, secrecy sleeve and return envelope.
2. Select candidates and questions you wish to vote on.
3. Use a blue or black pen that will not bleed through the paper to vote your ballot. Completely fill in the oval next to the selection you want to vote for.
4. If you do not want to vote the entire ballot, simply mark your selections and leave the rest blank.
5. Place your ballot in the secrecy sleeve that came with your ballot.
6. Place the ballot inside of the secrecy sleeve in your return envelope addressed to Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 140 W. Main Street, Suite 1 Cortez, CO 81321.
7. Before sealing the envelope, please sign the signature affidavit located on the back of the envelope. This is required in order for your ballot to be processed. We must compare every signature to make sure that the intended voter was the one who signed the envelope.

8. We highly recommend that you: Drop your ballot off at any of the convenient 24 hour drop boxes listed below:

Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder, 140 W. Main St Suite #1 Cortez Co. 81321
Dolores Town Hall, 420 Central Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
Mancos Town Hall, 117 N Main St, Mancos, CO 81328
Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Complex, 124 Mike Wash Road Towaoc Co. 81334
Cortez City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave. Cortez Co. 81321
Cox Corners, 18794 US-491, Lewis, CO 81327

1. • You may also mail your ballot using the envelope provided. (Adequate postage will be required)

QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT:

What if my ballot does not arrive? If your General Election ballot does not arrive.  Please come to the Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 140 W. Main Street, Suite 1 Cortez, CO 81321to obtain a replacement ballot.

I spoiled my ballot, now what do I do? Please call the Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 565-3728 or stop by our office. You may obtain a replacement ballot during normal business hours; from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

What do I do with my mail-in ballot? You can vote your ballot any time after you receive the ballot. You can either mail it back with a first-class stamp or bring it to the Montezuma County Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 140 W. Main Street, Suite 1 Cortez, CO 81321. Or drop it in the 24/7 Drive-up Drop box. All ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. election day in order to be counted.