DENVER (KDVR) — Voters who turn their ballots in late or without a proper signature could be at risk of having their ballot rejected, but some people may be permitted to fix some mistakes before it’s too late.
“It’s important to me that every ballot is counted, and every voice is heard,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
Data provided by the Secretary of State’s Office shows the state of Colorado accepted 2,650,744 ballots in the 2016 Presidential election but rejected 24,189 ballots for various reasons including lateness and signature discrepancies.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers found 2,014 people turned in their ballots after the polls closed at 7:00 p.m. in 2016, and 44% of the stragglers were voters in the combined counties of Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson.
While signature problems impact only a fraction of a percentage of ballots, between 0.52% and 0.66%, Griswold said the issue disproportionately affects younger voters because they have fewer signatures on file with the state that will help verify their ballot signature.
On average, said Griswold, the state has about 7.8 signatures per Colorado resident on file. The state collects and stores signatures when Colorado residents visit places like the DMV.
“Most Coloradans will never encounter this issue, but we are confident that we have processes set up, so Coloradans can fix this if necessary,” said Griswold. “If you do run into an issue, you county clerk will contact you.”
Griswold said voters with curable ballot issues will be contacted within in several days of receiving and processing the ballots. Voters have up to eight days to fix certain issues, including a signature discrepancy.
She explained a new program, called TXT2CURE, which allows a voter who has been notified of a signature discrepancy to fix the problem by using their cell phone.
“All they have to do is text ‘Colorado’ to 2VOTE (28638) and click on the link they receive as a reply. They will then enter their voter ID number printed in the top right-hand corner of the rejection notice they receive from their county election office, affirm they returned a ballot for the election, sign the affidavit on their phone, and take a photo of an acceptable form of ID, and select ‘Submit’. The voter’s information is then electronically transmitted to their county clerk, for processing during business hours,” according to a signature verification briefing document obtained by the Problem Solvers.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers found 1,880 people in Denver County turned in ballots with either no signature or a signature discrepancy in 2016. In Jefferson County, 2,401 had the same issues.
“It’s just really important that we have accessible ways to fix a signature,” said Griswold.