Election season is here again, though voters are in for a quieter year compared to last. 

Voters in Colorado won’t be weighing in on any national races — control of Congress will be decided during next year’s midterm elections. But they will vote on two statewide ballot initiatives, along with any local races, like city council and school board, that are going on in their jurisdictions. 

Ballots began hitting registered voters’ mailboxes late last week, but Coloradans will have until 7 p.m. on Election Day to register to vote and cast a ballot. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. 

Here’s what to know about voting in this year’s election: 

What to do with your ballot

If you’ve received your ballot, you’ll have until 7 p.m. on Election Day to drop it off. You can do so at an official drop-off box or at an in-person voting site. 

Early in-person voting sites will open on Oct. 27 — 15 days before the election. There will also be Election Day-only sites. 

Go to ColoradoSOS.gov/pubs/elections/VIP.html to enter your address and find either a drop-off box or voting site near you. 

Ballots can also be mailed in to your county’s clerk and recorder’s office, but must be received before 7 p.m. on Election Day. A postmarked date won’t suffice. Voters are encouraged to mail in their ballots no later than Oct. 27 to ensure they arrive on time.

What to do if you haven’t registered 

If you still need to register to vote in Colorado, you can do so by going to GoVoteColorado.com. 

You must be a U.S. citizen and have been a Colorado resident for at least 22 days before the election to register to vote in Colorado. You must also be at least 18 years old and not currently imprisoned for a felony conviction. 

To register, you’ll need to have either your Colorado driver’s license or ID card number, the last four digits of your social security number, or another acceptable form of ID. Go to ColoradoSOS.gov/pubs/elections/vote/acceptableFormsOfID.html to see the full list of acceptable IDs. 

Voters can also update their voter registration online if they have moved to a different jurisdiction. You must register with your current address. 

There’s time to register and receive a ballot in the mail before Oct. 27. After that date, Coloradans should visit an in-person voting center to register and receive a ballot. You can do so up until 7 p.m. on Election Day. 

The same is true if you have not received a ballot or need a replacement ballot. You must provide a valid form of ID if voting in person. If you are voting by mail for the first time, you may also be asked to provide a photocopy of your ID. 

What to know about this year’s issues 

There are just two statewide ballot questions on voters’ ballots this year, Propositions MM and LL. 

Both have to do with increasing funding for the state’s Healthy School Meals for all Program, which was created by voters in November 2022 under Proposition FF. The program provides free school breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of their household income. 

The program was initially expected to cost up to $80 million a year, but higher-than-expected demand and inflation have pushed the true cost to at least $150 million. 

Proposition MM would raise income taxes on households making over $300,000 or more by limiting standard and itemized tax deductions. That would raise as much as $95 million more every year for the free meals program. 

The tax increase would impact about 6% of Colorado households that file taxes, and translates to an average annual increase of $327 for single filers and $574 increase for joint filers.

Proposition LL would allow the state to keep and spend excess revenue for the school meals program. Under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, when programs take in more tax revenue than was initially projected, the state must ask voters if it can keep that excess revenue.