DENVER (KDVR) — The conversation surrounding voting laws is front and center after the MLB moved the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Coors Field.
So what’s the big difference between voting in Georgia and voting in Colorado? The Problem Solvers asked Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
Colorado has long been praised for having safe and secure elections. The fact that the state sends absentee ballots to every registered voter plays a big part in that. Georgia on the other hand, requires voters to request a ballot and have it sent to them as late as 11 days before a general election. On top of the quick turnaround, voters must include their driver’s license or state ID number on the ballot application.
In Colorado, you can register with other forms of identification, like a student ID card or even a bill with your name on it.
“We also have same-day voter registration and automatic voter registration, so we believe that registration be accessible just like voting should,” Griswold said.
Colorado voters have the flexibility to turn those ballots in to a drop box before 7 p.m. on election day.
In Georgia, drop boxes will now be found inside early voting locations, where they can be monitored by an election official or law enforcement. The state’s new law also significantly reduces the number of drop boxes found in the state; While every county is required to have at least one, the total amount of drop boxes will be capped at one box per 100,000 voters.
Here in Colorado, the state had around 390 ballot boxes available for the public to use.
“We increased the number of drop boxes required in 2019 in the Colorado Votes Act. We also increased the number of voting centers and for the first time, guaranteed a drop box or voting center on all public universities and tribal lands,” Griswold said.
A big point of disapproval for many with Georgia’s new law was the criminalizing of giving voters food and drinks within 150 feet of polling places. Something Griswold says will not be an issue here.
“We don’t have 12-hour long lines in Colorado. I don’t think Coloradans would like that,” said Griswold. “We do have a rule about electioneering, where you can’t wear apparel from the campaign you like within 100 feet of the polls, but apart from that, you are allowed to give people water and food.”
After this high-profile move, Colorado’s secretary of state is hoping other states take notice and make their elections more accessible.