The countdown to Colorado's Super Tuesday presidential primary is on. Are you prepared?
Super Tuesday is next week.
Here is what you need to know about your vote in Colorado's presidential primary election:
When is Super Tuesday 2024? What about other Colorado elections this year?
Tuesday, March 5 (Super Tuesday): Presidential preference primary.
Tuesday, June 25: Statewide primary election to decide political parties' nominees for statewide and local offices.
Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day.
Can I still register to vote in Colorado?
You can register to vote the same day as the election at any of the in-person locations in Colorado. Visit govotecolorado.gov to learn more.
You can also register online, but you won't receive a mail-in ballot for Super Tuesday. To register online, go to govotecolorado.gov and click on "Yes, register online" under the Register to Vote header. On the same website, you can download a form to fill out to send to your county clerk's office (again, it's too late to do this for Super Tuesday). Colorado residents are also able to register to vote anytime of the year when you obtain your Colorado driver's license at a DMV.
What do I need to take to the polls?
If you vote in person, you can either bring the ballot that was mailed to you or fill out a ballot at your in-person location. Anyone who votes in person has to provide identification, such as your Colorado driver's license or ID.
What do I need to know about absentee voting?
Absentee ballot registration was recommended to be sent by Feb. 26, so if you haven't done this yet, it might be too late for Super Tuesday. If you're a service member and need additional options, visit https://www.fvap.gov/military-voter/services.
You can still register for future elections, though.
To register as an absentee voter, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old and absent from your voting residence.
The absentee voting process applies to you if you are an active-duty member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine absent from your voting residence, an eligible spouse or family member of an active-duty member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine, or a U.S. citizen residing outside the country.
More: Your guide to the 2024 elections
What are the deadlines for absentee voting?
If you're registered as an absentee voter, ballots must be received by the eighth day after the election.
March 13: Last day for county clerks to receive absentee ballots for the March 5 presidential primary.
July 3: Last day for county clerks to receive absentee ballots for the June 25 state primary.
Nov. 13: Last day for county clerks to receive absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 general election.
Where do I turn my ballot in?
If you received a ballot by mail, you can return your completed ballot in person or at a ballot collection box.
Find locations at www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/VIP.html.
Can unaffiliated voters cast ballots on Super Tuesday in Colorado?
Unaffiliated voters receive both Republican and Democratic party ballots for primary elections in Colorado. However, you can only fill out one of those ballots in order for your vote to count.
How do I know my vote is counted in Colorado?
You can sign up for BallotTrax, a free service through the state that will update you on the status of your ballot. Visit BallotTrax.coloradosos.gov to sign up.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold wants voters to be assured that voting is taken seriously in Colorado.
"We were the first state in the country to have a law on insider threats, we included more security at the polls, cameras at every ballot box, more access, and more ballot tracking statewide so Coloradoans can see with their own eyes that their ballot was received, verified and counted," Griswold told the Coloradoan previously.
"So, those transparency tools help Coloradoans stray from any misinformation."
From USA TODAY: Which states vote on Super Tuesday? What to know ahead of the presidential primaries
Who is on my ballot for the March 5 election?
Several candidates have publicly suspended their campaigns since the ballot was certified on Jan. 5. However, at the time of the ballot publication, the Secretary of State's Office stated that no candidates filed paperwork to formally withdraw their names from the ballot.
Votes for those candidates will be counted unless withdrawal paperwork is filed with the Colorado Department of State.
Democratic candidates on Colorado's ballot:
Jason Michael Palmer
Gabriel Cornejo
Frankie Lozada
Dean Philips
Stephen P. Lyons
Marianne Williamson
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato
Noncommitted delegate
Republican candidates on Colorado's ballot:
Vivek Ramaswamy
Asa Hutchinson
Nikki Haley
Ron DeSantis
Chris Christie
Ryan L. Binkley
Donald J. Trump
What is a noncommitted delegate?
The Colorado Democratic Party submitted a request for a "noncommitted delegate" to appear on the 2024 Presidential Primary Ballot under the provisions of a statute.
The statute allows for political parties to allot a space to vote for a noncommitted delegate that provides "a place on the primary ballot for electors who have no presidential candidate preference to register a vote to send a noncommitted delegate to the political party’s national convention."
Will primary votes for former President Donald Trump count?
The case under review by the United States Supreme Court, Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson, which concerns whether Donald Trump is eligible to appear on Colorado's presidential primary ballot, has not yet been decided.
If there is no decision by the U.S. Supreme Court by the time primary election results start to be reported on Election Day, votes for Trump will count and be reported.
If the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump ahead of Election Day, votes will be counted. If the U.S. Supreme Court rules against Trump ahead of election results reporting, votes will not be counted.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: When is Super Tuesday 2024? Colorado presidential primary almost here
