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Filed 6:00 a.m.
06.23.2022
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Out on Parole in Colorado? You Can Vote.

This explainer tells you how.

This explainer is also available for download as a PDF.

Anthony Kent spent nearly five years in jail and prison in the state. He knew he wanted to vote after he got out, but he didn't know he could or how to do it.

Felony Re-enfranchisement
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Anthony’s mom, Teri Quintana, picked up a packet with basic information he would need for life after prison. After digging around, Teri realized the packet's two voter forms wrongly said people on parole in Colorado were not allowed to vote.

After seeing the forms, Anthony mistakenly believed that he was not allowed to vote. The series of outdated and incorrect forms almost kept him, and likely others, from voting.

The number of formerly incarcerated people in Colorado has grown to nearly 30,000 since 2019. While 4 in 5 eligible voters are registered statewide, only 1 in 3 eligible formerly incarcerated people are registered.

People on parole CAN register to vote. They should receive the correct forms from a parole officer. They can register to vote up until the day of an election — June 28 for the midterm primary elections this year — with U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor and other state and county races on the ballot — or Nov. 8 for the midterm general elections. Next year, Denver will have city elections for mayor and city council.

HERE’S HOW TO SIGN UP TO VOTE IF YOU ARE ON PAROLE

1) Have a valid driver’s license OR Colorado state ID and Social Security card ready.

2) Register online at govotecolorado.gov OR register in-person at one of the 300 voter registration agencies in the state, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, Health and Human Services or County Clerks’ offices.

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Bo-Won Keum Email is a designer, researcher and critic based in Brooklyn, New York. She is also the co-editor and designer of "Dear Books to Prisoners," a book compiling incarcerated people’s writings on access to books in prison.

Celina Fang Twitter Email is the senior multimedia editor. Previously, she was a photo editor for the National and Metro sections of The New York Times. Her work as an editor has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, the Society for News Design and the Loeb Awards.

Andrew Rodriguez Calderón Twitter Email is a computational journalist at The Marshall Project. He previously worked with the Columbia Journalism School’s Cross Borders Data Investigations team, looking into illegal political finance and nonprofits across Central and South America. He uses computer programming and data visualization to report on criminal justice and immigration, and has collaborated on national award-winning stories, including Detained, Think Debtor’s Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mississippi and More Immigrants Are Giving Up Court Fights and Leaving the U.S..

Alexandra Arriaga Twitter Email is a former engagement reporter at The Marshall Project. At City Bureau in Chicago, she used surveys, translation and targeted outreach to report on civic participation in immigrant communities. Previously, at the Chicago Sun-Times, she investigated informal labor agencies and restaurants in the Midwest that relied on trafficking undocumented migrants primarily from Mexico and Central America. At Wisconsin Watch, Alex surveyed incarcerated people as part of an investigation into the use of solitary confinement.

Liset Cruz Twitter Email is a freelance data research reporter at The Marshall Project. She is also an investigative Stabile fellow at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she is currently pursuing her Master’s degree.

Tags: →Felony Re-enfranchisement →Colorado →voting rights →Voting →Voting Rights for Felons →Parole →Colorado Voting Rights

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