Colorado just started sending out ballots, but the FOX31 Problem Solvers are already getting lots of questions. We are getting answers for a few viewers in several counties who say they got multiple ballots. Election authorities are weighing in about what those voters need to do next.
County clerks are reminding you that only one of your votes counts.
A couple in Arapahoe County already voted in person but still got ballots in the mail. So, we reached out to the county elections office for answers.
“Only vote once. It is against the law to vote more than once. So, we want everyone to vote one time,” said Peg Perl, Arapahoe County’s elections director. “For somebody who maybe came into a county clerk’s office or voted in-person last week before the mail ballot got to their house, the system will accept, obviously, the vote that came first- which was last week. Then that mail ballot that arrived at their house afterwards is void.”
The couple also wanted to know what they should do with the extras.
“You can go ahead and shred that or throw it away, whatever makes you feel comfortable. But it is voided in the system and can’t be counted twice,” said Perl.
One voter in Douglas County said she and her husband both got their ballots in the mail as expected. They also received another ballot for someone else who they do not know but could have previously lived there and forgot to update their address.
Douglas County Elections officials told us the couple should write “Not at this address” on the front of the envelope and place that ballot in a county drop box when they turn in their correct ballots.
Denver Elections recommends you surrender any incorrect ballots to their office or a designated vote center.
The Secretary of State’s Office recommends you check in with your county clerk’s office if you get any ballots other than your own. They are confident the signature verification process would catch any fraudulent votes that are cast.