NEWS RELEASE
SECRETARY OF STATE
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Colorado voters who receive notice of a signature or ID issue with their 2023 Coordinated Election ballot can fix these issues using a smart phone and the TXT2Cure program.
“Colorado has had more than 25,000 ballots fixed using the TXT2Cure program since 2020, which are votes that otherwise may not have been counted,” said Secretary Griswold. “Colorado elections are the nation’s gold standard because of innovations like TXT2Cure that ensure all voters can have their voices heard.”
TXT2Cure is designed to reduce the number of ballots rejected due to missing or discrepant signatures and is especially geared for younger voters who statistically have more ballots with signature discrepancies. Secretary Jena Griswold first implemented TXT2Cure statewide in 2020.
Under the program, if a voter is notified of a signature discrepancy or ID deficiency, all they have to do is text the word Colorado to 2VOTE (28683) and click on the link they receive as a reply. They will then enter their voter ID number printed on the rejection notice they receive from their county election office, affirm they returned a ballot for the election, sign the affidavit on their phone, 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. Voters completing these steps before the deadline of 11:59 p.m. on November 15th can help ensure their ballot will be counted.
Under Colorado law, if both members of a bipartisan team of election judges agree that the signature on the ballot does not match the signature in the voter’s file, they cannot accept the ballot for counting. The ballot envelope is not opened, and the enclosed ballot is not counted until the discrepancy is resolved. County clerks must notify a voter within three days of discovering the discrepancy, but in no event later than two days after Election Day.
Any voter who has a signature discrepancy or ID deficiency is notified by their county clerk via U.S. mail, as well as email if the voter has one on file. That notification includes an affidavit with instructions on how they can return the signed paper affidavit with a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID to their county election office. The affidavit also contains instructions for voters to use the TXT2Cure system, if they instead prefer to use their smart phones to submit the information necessary to ensure their ballots are counted. Voters who are signed up for BallotTrax will receive a notice through the program if their ballot has a signature discrepancy. The notice has step-by-step instructions on how to cure their ballot using TXT2Cure and lets them know a letter from their County Clerk is on the way.
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