Colorado Secretary of State Griswold warns voters of election disinformation

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office recently issued the following press release on election disinformation:

Ballots for the 2023 Coordinated Election will be sent to all eligible voters between Monday, October 16 and Friday, October 20. Ballots were sent to all eligible UOCAVA voters by September 23, 2023. Secretary of State Jena Griswold is reminding voters to always use trusted sources when looking for election information and encouraging voters to remain alert to election disinformation.

“The 2023 Coordinated election is already underway! It is important that Coloradans know how to find trusted and accurate election information,” said Secretary Griswold. “I encourage all Coloradans to use trusted sources like GoVoteColorado.gov or your County Clerk’s website to get trusted information on Colorado’s upcoming election.”

Coloradans should always use trusted sources when searching for information on elections. Information from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is distributed via www.ColoradoSOS.gov or www.GoVoteColorado.gov.

Remember: websites ending in “.gov” are government websites. The Secretary of State’s Office transferred all services to www.ColoradoSOS.gov in 2021, and www.GoVoteColorado.gov was launched to host election information in Colorado in 2019. Not all Colorado counties use a .gov domain at this time, but voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov and select “Contact my County Clerk” to ensure they are only visiting legitimate Colorado Clerk websites. 

As the election nears, Colorado voters should also be aware of election disinformation efforts perpetrated by bad actors such as scams online, via email, robocall, and text message. As noted by the FBI and CISA (PDF), voters should:

• rely on state and local government election officials for information about registering to vote, voting, and election results.
• be aware that sensational content can be created or shared with the intent to incite anger, mobilize, and to promote amplification of false information.
• critically evaluate the information they share and verify it with trusted sources. If the information is not from a credible source, consider not sharing it as you may be inadvertently amplifying bad information. 
• be wary of social media posts, phone calls or emails from unfamiliar callers and senders that make suspicious claims about the elections process.
• be cautious with websites not affiliated with local or state government that solicit voting information, like voter registration information.
• report potential election crimes — such as intentional disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting — to your local FBI Field Office.

Colorado voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov to:

• register to vote or update their voter registration.
• find their local County Clerk.
• find their closest drop box or voting center.
• sign up to track their ballot using BallotTrax.
• learn about Colorado’s secure election processes.
• find accurate election information.

Important upcoming dates for the 2023 Coordinated Election in Colorado:

• October 16 – First day ballots can be mailed to registered Colorado voters, except for military and overseas voters.
• October 20 – Deadline for mail ballots to be sent to each registered eligible voter for the 2023 Coordinated Election.
• October 30 – The minimum number of required VSPCs must be open for the 2023 Coordinated Election.
• October 30 – Deadline to submit an application to register to vote in order to receive a ballot by mail for the 2023 Coordinated Election.
• October 30 – Last suggested day to return ballots by mail.
• October 31 – The minimum number of required drop boxes must be open to accept mail ballots for the 2023 Coordinated Election statewide.
• November 7 – Election Day. Eligible voters can register to vote and cast a ballot. Eligible voters must submit their ballot or be in line to vote by 7 p.m. Ballots cast by military and overseas voters must be sent no later than 7 p.m. MT on Election Day and received by close of business on the 8th day after the election (November 15).