Every eligible Coloradan registered. Every ballot delivered. Every valid vote counted.
Defend Our Ballots works across the whole life of a mail ballot: getting voters registered correctly, making sure ballots reach the right address, helping voters fix signature problems after Election Day, and taking Colorado's vote-by-mail model to other states. This fall, that also means stopping Amendment 84.
Where we work
Six steps from voter to vote count — and what we do at each one
Colorado's mail ballot system is one of the best in the country. Keeping it that way takes steady, unglamorous work at every stage, long before and long after Election Day.
1
Register
Voters register, update their address after a move, and keep their record active.
Registration drives and record checks
2
Mail
Counties mail a ballot to every active voter at the address on file.
Tracking delivery and flagging returned mail
3
Return
Voters return ballots by mail, drop box, or at a voter service center.
Drop-box access and return reminders
4
Verify
Bipartisan teams compare each envelope signature with the voter's record.
Trained observers and fair review standards
5
Cure
Voters with a missing or mismatched signature get a notice and a deadline to fix it.
Post-election cure outreach
6
Count
Valid ballots are counted, audited, and certified.
Election protection and accurate public information
Our programs
Ballot integrity means making sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and have it counted, and that the system stays secure while doing it. These are the programs that do that work.
Flagship project
The Expanding Vote By Mail Project
Colorado has mailed a ballot to every active voter since 2013, with high turnout, strong security, and support from both parties. We document what makes the model work and share it with advocates, election officials, and lawmakers in states looking to expand mail voting, ballot tracking, and fair cure processes, while defending existing programs against rollbacks.
A practical playbook on ballot tracking, signature verification, and cure
Research and testimony for states weighing mail voting changes
Connections between Colorado election experts and advocates elsewhere
Registration accuracy
Registration drives, address-update reminders for voters who've moved, and help getting voters back to active status so a ballot is mailed to them.
Ballot delivery & tracking
Getting voters signed up for ballot tracking, following up when ballots come back undeliverable, and flagging delivery problems to counties.
Ballot curing
After Election Day, volunteers call, text, and knock on doors to help voters fix signature problems before the cure deadline.
Voter access & education
Plain-language guides to drop boxes, voter service centers, language access, and accessible voting options.
Election protection
Trained observers, rapid response when voters hit problems, and accurate information when false claims spread.
On your ballot
Vote no on Amendment 84
Amendment 84 would require every mail voter to write the last four digits of their Social Security number or Colorado driver's license or REAL ID number on their ballot envelope, and bar clerks from counting any ballot until a missing or mismatched number is fixed. Because it amends the state constitution, it needs 55% to pass — which means a determined majority can stop it.
55%Approval required to pass a constitutional amendment
$2.5MEstimated first-year cost to county clerks, per nonpartisan legislative staff
$4.2MRaised for Amendment 84 through Sept. 21 — $2.25M from an Ohio group that doesn't disclose donors
Colorado consistently ranks among the top states for overall election performance (MIT Election Lab)
~94%
Of ballots in recent Colorado elections were cast by mail — the country's most-used universal mail system
<0.001%
Estimated mail ballot fraud rate per peer-reviewed research — vanishingly rare and well documented
Who we are
Defending every Coloradan's right to vote
Defend Our Ballots is a nonpartisan Colorado 501(c)(4) coalition of voters, civil rights advocates, and election experts. We protect the mail ballot system Coloradans already trust, help every eligible voter use it, and share what works with the rest of the country.
Real election integrity isn't about making voting harder. It's about making sure every eligible voter is registered, every ballot reaches them, and every valid vote is counted.
Our work
Ballot integrity means every valid vote gets counted
Most lost votes aren't lost to fraud. They're lost to outdated addresses, ballots that never arrive, and signature problems nobody followed up on. Our programs close those gaps.
The Expanding Vote By Mail Project
Beyond Colorado
Why it matters
Colorado built its universal mail ballot system in 2013 with bipartisan support. More than a decade later, about 94% of ballots are cast by mail, turnout is consistently among the nation's highest, and fraud remains vanishingly rare. Many states still make voters request a mail ballot each election, or are moving to restrict mail voting.
What we do
Document how Colorado's model works in practice: ballot tracking, signature verification, cure notices, and drop boxes
Share that playbook with advocates, election officials, and lawmakers in other states
Provide testimony and research when states consider expanding — or rolling back — mail voting
Defend Colorado's own system against measures like Amendment 84
Registration accuracy
Step 1 · Register
The gap
A ballot can only go where the voter record says. Voters who move, change their name, or have mail returned to the county can end up with an outdated record — or marked inactive and stop receiving ballots until they update it.
What we do
Registration drives on campuses and at community events
Reminders for recent movers to update their address at GoVoteColorado.gov
Help for voters moving from inactive back to active status
Pre-registration outreach to 16- and 17-year-olds
Ballot delivery & tracking
Steps 2–3 · Mail & return
The gap
Counties mail ballots to every active voter, but mail goes astray, ballots get returned undeliverable, and some voters don't realize theirs never arrived until it's too late to get a replacement.
What we do
Sign voters up for BallotTrax, Colorado's free text and email ballot tracking
Follow up with voters whose ballots come back undeliverable
Report delivery problems to county clerks and the Postal Service
Promote drop-box and voter service center locations so returns arrive on time
Ballot curing
Step 5 · After Election Day
The gap
When a signature is missing or doesn't match the voter's record, the county sends a notice. The voter then has until eight days after Election Day — Nov. 11 this year — to fix it. Many voters miss the letter or don't know they can cure by text. Every uncured ballot is a valid vote that doesn't count.
What we do
Post-election cure teams that call, text, and knock on doors
Walk voters through TXT2Cure or the paper affidavit, step by step
Help first-time voters who still need to submit ID
Track cure rates by county to find where voters need more help
Voter access & education
All steps
The gap
Older voters, rural voters, voters with disabilities, and voters with limited English proficiency rely most on mail ballots — and are most likely to be tripped up by confusing rules or missing information.
What we do
Plain-language voter guides, including in Spanish
Drop-box and voter service center finders shared through community partners
Information on accessible voting options for voters with disabilities
Reminders for students and other voters away from home
Election protection
Steps 4 & 6 · Verify & count
The gap
Voters who hit a problem need fast, accurate help. And when false claims about mail voting spread, they can discourage eligible voters or fuel efforts to restrict the vote.
What we do
Train volunteers to observe signature verification and ballot processing
Connect voters with the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE
Respond quickly to reported problems at drop boxes and voter centers
Correct misinformation with sourced facts about how Colorado's system works
Defeating Amendment 84
On the Nov. 3 ballot
Amendment 84 would add a new ID-number requirement to every mail ballot envelope, on top of signature verification. It would add a new way for valid ballots to go uncounted and put part of a sensitive ID number on the outside of every envelope.
Colorado's system by the numbers
Metric
Colorado
Context
Overall election performance
Top 3 nationally
MIT Election Data & Science Lab — Elections Performance Index
Share of ballots cast by mail
~94% of ballots
Universal mail since 2013 — among the highest rates in the country
Estimated mail ballot fraud rate
<0.001% of ballots
Vanishingly rare nationally per peer-reviewed research
Signature verification standard
Bipartisan review
CO statute requires bipartisan agreement before rejecting any ballot
Voter participation
Consistently top 5
High turnout closely tracks accessible mail voting
Ballot cure process
Yes — notice and time to fix
Counties contact voters; cure deadline is 8 days after Election Day
ID verification at registration
SSN last 4 or DL, verified
Checked against DMV and Social Security records when you register
Voter help
Make sure your ballot counts
Five steps, most of them under five minutes. Do them now, while there's still time to fix a problem.
Check your registration
Confirm your address is current and your status is active. If you moved, update it — your ballot goes to the address on file. You can register or update online through Oct. 26 and still be mailed a ballot, and you can register in person at a voter service and polling center through Election Day.
Ballots go out Oct. 2–9. If yours hasn't arrived by mid-October, contact your county clerk for a replacement, or vote in person at a voter service and polling center.
Sign your envelope and return it on time
Sign the envelope yourself — that signature is how the county verifies your ballot. Mail it by Oct. 26, or drop it at any drop box or voter service center by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Postmarks don't count.
Got a cure letter? Fix it by Nov. 11
If your signature is missing or doesn't match, your county will contact you. Respond by eight days after Election Day — Nov. 11, 2026. In most cases you can cure by phone using TXT2Cure: text the word Colorado to 2VOTE (28683), or return the affidavit your county sends.
Key dates for voters
Date
What happens
Oct. 2–9
County clerks mail ballots to every active voter
Oct. 12
Minimum required drop boxes must be open
Oct. 19
Minimum required voter centers must be open
Oct. 26
Last day to register and still be mailed a ballot; last suggested day to return your ballot by mail
Oct. 27
Not returned yet? Deliver your signed ballot to a drop box or voter center, or vote in person
Nov. 3
Election Day — be in line or have your ballot submitted by 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 11
Deadline to cure a ballot with a missing or mismatched signature (8 days after Election Day)
When your mail ballot comes back, county staff compare the signature on your envelope to the signatures in your voter record — the same record where Colorado already verified your SSN or driver's license number when you registered.
If anything looks off, a bipartisan team of election judges must agree before a ballot is set aside. No single reviewer can reject a ballot alone.
If your signature is flagged, the county must notify you so you can cure the ballot before the deadline. Most voters resolve it well before results are certified.
The result is a check tied to you alone — your handwriting — plus bipartisan review and a real chance to fix honest mistakes.
Common questions
Not automatically. Update your address at GoVoteColorado.gov as soon as you can. If you update by Oct. 26, your county can mail a ballot to your new address. After that, you can still vote in person at a voter service and polling center.
It can be. Election judges compare your envelope signature to the ones on file. If yours has changed — from age, injury, or just habit — you can update your signature with your county clerk. And if a ballot is flagged, you'll get a notice and a chance to cure it.
Yes. In Colorado, a person you choose can deliver your sealed, signed ballot to a drop box or voter center for you, with a limit on how many ballots one person may deliver. Never give your ballot to someone you don't trust.
Some first-time voters who registered by mail need to include a copy of an acceptable ID with their ballot. Check the instructions that come with your ballot. If ID is needed and missing, your county will contact you with a deadline to provide it.
Start with your county clerk and recorder's office. For help with problems at a drop box or voter center, call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
Amendment 84 · On the Nov. 3 ballot
What Amendment 84 would do
Certified for the November 3, 2026 ballot — a constitutional amendment that adds a risky, unnecessary new barrier to a mail voting process Coloradans have relied on for over a decade.
Amendment 84, in plain language
It qualified on Aug. 26, 2026. The Colorado Secretary of State's office announced that backers of Amendment 84 (filed as Initiative 362) submitted enough valid voter signatures to place the measure on this year's ballot. It is one of 14 statewide measures on the November ballot.
Amendment 84 would add a new section to the Colorado constitution. Mail voters would still have to sign their ballot envelope — and would also have to write the last four digits of their Social Security number, or of their Colorado driver's license or REAL ID number, on it. If the number is missing, or an election judge can't match it to the voter's registration record, the county clerk must notify the voter and is barred from counting the ballot until the problem is fixed. Signatures are already required today, and already checked against a state database — this adds a second hurdle on top.
Under the measure's text, a voter whose number is missing or doesn't match could fix it by giving the county a copy of an acceptable ID — a driver's license, passport, military ID, or tribal photo ID — in person or digitally. But a cure process is not a safety net: it depends on a voter being reached in time, understanding the notice, and returning paperwork before the deadline. Every extra step is a place where a valid vote gets lost — and the voters most likely to be tripped up are the ones who rely on mail ballots most.
Supporters say it ensures people vote only their own ballots. Suzanne Taheri, a filer of the measure and a former deputy secretary of state, calls it "basically a two-factor authentication." But Colorado already collects and verifies this exact information at registration, and signature verification is already among the most rigorous in the country. Amendment 84 targets a problem the record does not show to be widespread — and creates several real ones. (Colorado Public Radio)
It would be locked into the constitution. The League of Women Voters of Colorado argues that's the wrong place for it, because it would limit lawmakers' ability to adjust the rules later; changing a constitutional provision means going back to voters.
It has a price tag. Nonpartisan legislative staff estimate the measure would cost county clerks $2.5 million in its first year and up to $1.2 million a year afterward — for extra election-judge hours, a cure process, and redesigned ballot envelopes — with added costs for the Secretary of State's office too. (Colorado Newsline)
Other states offer a warning. In Texas, a similar requirement led to a spike in rejected ballots in 2022, as voters left the number blank or entered the wrong one. Supporters say Colorado's systems are better equipped to avoid that. Clerks are still working out how the measure would affect groups such as college students, who may not have a Colorado license or know their Social Security number. (Colorado Public Radio; Colorado Newsline)
The detail they leave out
Colorado voters already provide this exact information — SSN or driver's license number — when they register, and the state already verifies it against DMV and Social Security records. Writing part of it again on an envelope adds nothing the state doesn't already have on file. It only adds new risk: voter error, ballot rejection, and identity theft.
Why this is dangerous
🗳 Suppression Risk
Forget the number, miscopy a digit, or skip the field — and your county clerk is barred from counting your ballot until you fix it. Elderly, disabled, and first-time voters are most exposed: every added step and deadline is another chance for a valid vote to go uncounted.
🔓 Identity Theft Exposure
Return envelopes pass through hundreds of hands — postal carriers, sorting facilities, ballot-processing teams. Writing part of your Social Security or driver's license number on an envelope clearly marked as a ballot hands identity thieves a starting point — the last four digits of an SSN are widely used to verify identity. Discarded envelopes only widen the risk.
👵 Disproportionate Harm
Older voters, rural voters, low-income voters, and voters with limited English proficiency rely most on mail ballots — and are most likely to be tripped up by a new, surprise requirement. College students may not have a Colorado license or know their Social Security number. The result: lower participation, with no security gain.
♻ Pure Redundancy
You already provided your SSN or driver's license number when you registered. The state already verified it. Colorado then checks every returned ballot with a signature match — a biometric tied to you alone. Writing a number on the envelope adds nothing but error and exposure.
Who Is Behind Amendment 84?
The measure was filed by Chuck Broerman, a Republican and El Paso County's former chief elections official, and Suzanne Taheri, a Republican attorney at a conservative Colorado law firm who previously served as deputy secretary of state.
The signatures that put it on the ballot were not gathered by volunteers. A state issue committee called the Colorado Voter Trust Initiative paid circulators using $2.2 million from the Coalition for American Prosperity and Growth — a group registered to a Colorado Springs shipping store that rents mailboxes, which The Denver Post describes as an Ohio-based dark-money group, and whose own funding source is not disclosed. Colorado Politics reports the committee had raised $4.2 million through Sept. 21, including $2.25 million from that group and $1 million each from two Virginia-based groups, A Public Voice and the American Jobs and Growth Fund. Coloradans are being asked to rewrite their constitution by a campaign funded by out-of-state groups — one of which won't say who is paying.
Yes. On Aug. 26, 2026, the Colorado Secretary of State's office announced that backers of Amendment 84 had turned in a sufficient number of valid voter signatures to place the question on this year's ballot. Coloradans vote on it Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Because it would amend the state constitution, it requires at least 55% approval to take effect — a higher bar than a simple majority. It is one of 14 statewide measures on the ballot this year, so check your blue book and read down the whole ballot. County clerks begin mailing ballots Oct. 2. Reported by The Colorado Sun →
Yes — and it's the most important fact in this debate. To register in Colorado, you provide either the last four of your Social Security number or your driver's license number, and the state verifies it against DMV and SSA records. The number is already tied to your voter record. Writing part of it again on an envelope adds nothing the state doesn't already have on file. It creates two new risks: voters making an honest mistake that voids their ballot, and identity thieves harvesting sensitive data from discarded envelopes.
No. Documented mail ballot fraud in Colorado is extraordinarily rare — far below 0.001% of ballots cast. Peer-reviewed research from the MIT Election Data & Science Lab, the Brennan Center, and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission consistently shows mail ballot fraud is vanishingly rare nationally and rarer still in states with rigorous signature verification. Isolated cases do occur — in 2024, a postal worker and another person in Mesa County were prosecuted for stealing and submitting 16 ballots with forged signatures — but they were caught and prosecuted under the system Colorado already has. There is no evidence of a widespread problem that Amendment 84 would solve. (Colorado Public Radio)
No, say the League of Women Voters of Colorado, Common Cause Colorado, and other voting-rights groups: writing a number on an envelope adds no meaningful security. Supporters, including the measure's filers, call it a second verification factor — but the information is already on file and verified at registration. A bad actor who's intercepted a ballot can simply copy a number off the envelope. And signature verification is a far stronger biometric check than a written digit. The only thing Amendment 84 reliably produces is higher rejection rates — especially among elderly, rural, and first-time voters — plus new identity-theft exposure for every mail voter in the state.
Under Amendment 84, the county clerk is barred from counting a ballot that is missing the number — or whose number doesn't match the voter's registration record — until it is fixed. A voter could fix it by providing a copy of an acceptable ID, in person or digitally — but curing depends on the county reaching you, you understanding the notice, and you returning it before the deadline. That's particularly risky for older voters who may not remember which number they used at registration, voters who've changed their driver's license, voters who move or travel near Election Day, and voters with disabilities who may struggle to write clearly on a small envelope field. Colorado's cure process works well as a backstop for rare signature questions; it was never designed to absorb a brand-new error that every one of the state's mail voters could make.
Return envelopes pass through many hands — postal carriers, sorting facilities, county offices, and high-volume processing operations. An envelope clearly marked as a ballot with the last four digits of an SSN or DL number on the outside is a target for identity thieves. Even discarded envelopes in recycling or trash can expose the data. Colorado shouldn't force voters to choose between casting a ballot and protecting their identity.
Organizations on the record against Amendment 84 include the League of Women Voters of Colorado, Mi Familia Vota, Common Cause Colorado, and the Colorado Democratic Party, along with the Boulder County Board of Commissioners. Two issue committees have registered to oppose it. The Colorado County Clerks Association is staying neutral — some clerks support the measure and others oppose it — and says it is still working out the cost and logistics. (Colorado Newsline)
Supporters call it "two-factor" verification. They say adding a number would let officials rely less on subjective signature matching, which could reduce signature-mismatch rejections, and they point to the 2024 Mesa County case. The Independence Institute argues it would protect voters when ballots are mailed to outdated addresses. The response: that Mesa County case was caught and prosecuted under the current system; Texas saw a spike in rejected ballots after a similar rule in 2022; and nonpartisan staff estimate the measure would cost county clerks $2.5 million in its first year. Colorado's voter database and cure process, supporters argue, would keep rejections lower here — voters will have to weigh that. (Colorado Public Radio; Colorado Newsline)
Take action
Help every vote count
Help voters register, track down ballots that need a fix, watch the process, and vote no on Amendment 84. Most steps take under five minutes.
✅
Check your own ballot
Confirm your registration, sign up for ballot tracking, and know the deadlines. It takes two minutes.
📬
Join a cure team
From Nov. 3 to Nov. 11, call, text, and knock doors to help voters fix signature problems before the deadline.
📝
Register voters
Staff a table on campus or at a community event, and help neighbors register or update their address.
👀
Protect the process
Get trained to observe signature verification and ballot processing, or help voters who run into problems.
✍️
Sign the Amendment 84 petition
Add your name to tell elected officials and the measure's backers that Coloradans will defend their mail ballots in November.
📣
Spread the word
Share voter deadlines and the facts about Amendment 84 with your network, or contact your state legislators.
Tell Colorado's elected officials: we stand with our proven mail ballot system. Vote no on Amendment 84.
How we use your information: Your name, ZIP, and personal statement may be shared with Colorado media and elected officials to demonstrate public opposition to Amendment 84. We will not sell or share your email address. Defend Our Ballots is a Colorado 501(c)(4); see our Privacy Policy for full details.
Volunteer With Us
Registration drives, cure teams, election protection, phone banks, and canvassing. Pick the closest option below — choose "Multiple — tell me more" for cure teams or election protection — and we'll be in touch within 48 hours.
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About us
Who we are
A Colorado 501(c)(4) coalition — voters, civil rights advocates, and election experts — working to make sure every eligible Coloradan can vote by mail and have that vote counted.
Our mission
Defend Our Ballots protects and strengthens Colorado's mail ballot system — from registration to delivery to cure to count — and works to expand vote by mail beyond Colorado, while opposing efforts that suppress participation without improving security.
Our story
Defend Our Ballots was founded in 2026 by Colorado voters, civil rights attorneys, and civic groups who recognized a coordinated pattern: ballot initiatives and bills designed to make voting harder, framed as "integrity" measures but unsupported by evidence of an actual problem.
We also saw that defending the system wasn't enough. Real integrity means making sure eligible voters are registered at the right address, that their ballots arrive, and that honest mistakes get fixed before the deadline. That's why our work now runs across the full life of a mail ballot — and why we're sharing Colorado's model with other states.
Colorado's universal mail ballot system, built since 2013 through bipartisan stewardship, produces some of the highest turnout in the country and serves voters from Denver to the Western Slope to the San Luis Valley. That record deserves to be defended — and expanded.
We are nonpartisan. Voters across the political spectrum benefit from Colorado's mail system.
Leadership
Our leadership team includes civil rights litigators, civic organizers, and community advocates with deep roots across Colorado. Board and staff information is available on request — contact us at the press address below.
What we work on
The Expanding Vote By Mail Project
Registration accuracy
Ballot delivery & tracking
Post-election ballot curing
Voter access & education
Election protection
Defeating Amendment 84
Press & Media Contact
For press inquiries, interview requests, or expert sourcing:
Communications Director
Defend Our Ballots / Coalition for Voter Access Media Inquiry Form →
Defend Our Ballots is organized as a Colorado 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Contributions are not tax-deductible as charitable donations. We are not affiliated with any political party or candidate committee.
Donate
Fund the defense of Colorado's ballot
Registration drives, cure teams, voter education, election protection, and the fight against Amendment 84 all run on grassroots support.
Every dollar goes directly to protecting Colorado voters: registering eligible voters, helping voters fix ballot problems before the cure deadline, voter education, election protection, and defeating Amendment 84. Timing matters. The cure window closes eight days after Election Day — your gift today funds the work happening right now.
Choose your level of support
$25
Voter
Prints and mails voter-education pieces — deadlines, drop boxes, how to cure — to rural households that may not have reliable internet access.
Employer Matching Many Colorado employers match civic and advocacy donations. Check with your HR department — your gift may go twice as far.
Recurring Monthly Giving A monthly gift — even $10 or $20 — keeps registration and cure programs running between elections, not just in the weeks before one.
In-Kind Support We welcome in-kind help: printing, event space, graphic design, translation, and pro bono legal support from Colorado professionals.
Legal Disclosure: Defend Our Ballots is a Colorado 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Contributions from foreign nationals are prohibited. By donating, you confirm you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Colorado law may require disclosure of contributions above certain thresholds; contributors will be notified if disclosure is required. Paid for by Defend Our Ballots / Coalition for Voter Access. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Press & Media
Media Inquiry
For interview requests, expert sourcing, statements, or background on Colorado's mail ballot system, please complete the form below. Our communications team responds promptly to working press.
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