(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office has mailed more than 450,000 ballots to voters for the March 5 Presidential Primary.

According to El Paso County, all eligible and active registered Democratic, Republican and Unaffiliated voters will receive a Primary ballot.

El Paso County cautioned voters to keep up to date on the current candidates for the political parties. Names of some candidates may appear on the ballot; however, they have ended their campaigns. Due to legal requirements and deadlines, the Secretary of State could not remove those candidate names from the ballot. If you vote for a person who is no longer a viable candidate, your vote will not count.

How to vote if you are registered unaffiliated

Because this is a Primary Election, unaffiliated voters will receive a ballot packet containing two ballots: a Republican candidate ballot and a Democratic candidate ballot. It is essential the unaffiliated voter only votes and returns one ballot. They should destroy and discard the other ballot. El Paso County reminds unaffiliated voters that if they returns both ballots voted, neither will be counted. The voter needs to vote only one ballot.

How to return your ballot

Drop off: Voters can return their ballots to any drop off location, and the county said 99% of the population lives within a 15 minute drive of their nearest location. Every ballot box is under 24/7 camera surveillance that was upgraded in 2023 and gives the public access to view each box. By visiting www.epcvotes.com you can view motion triggered events at any of the ballot boxes.

Mail in: You can also mail your ballot back through the U.S. Postal Service with proper postage on the envelope. The Clerk’s Office recommends that voters return their voted ballot by mail before Feb. 26 to ensure it arrives to be counted on time.  All voted ballots must be returned to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, March 5, to be counted. Postmarked ballots received after the deadline cannot be counted.

What to do if you experience issues with your ballot

If you do not receive your ballot by Feb. 22, contact our Elections Department at 719-575-VOTE (8683). To track the status of your mail ballot, sign up for BallotTrax.

Should you need a replacement ballot, or other in-person services, you can visit the Citizens Service Center at 1675 West Garden of the Gods Road. Additional Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) will open Feb. 26 and March 4. A full list of locations along with hours of operation can be viewed here.

“We encourage voters to exercise our cherished democratic right and vote their mail ballot,” said Clerk Steve Schleiker. “For the 2020 Presidential Primary the turnout was 42.97% in El Paso County. We can do better! Let’s make our voices heard and raise our voter turnout rate.”