Secretary of State’s Office to Adopt New Rules to Increase Multilingual Ballot Access, Protect Voter Registration Database, and More

Denver, July 1, 2022 - The Secretary of State’s Office will adopt new rules following a May 24 public rulemaking hearing conducted with in-person and virtual attendance. The rules are necessary to implement House Bills 21-1011 (multilingual ballot access for voters) and 21-1071 (ranked choice voting in nonpartisan elections); a reorganization and re-adoption of current election security rules; and permanent adoption of voting system security rules that were temporarily adopted on February 10, 2022.

 “These rules will further the Department’s goal of delivering secure and accessible elections for Coloradans across the state,” said Secretary Griswold.  “As Secretary of State, I will always ensure every eligible voter, no matter their zip code, political affiliation, or income can make their voice heard in safe and secure elections.”

The rules adopted by the Secretary of State’s Office include:

• Rules to implement the law establishing multilingual ballot access for voters by directing counties to offer access and assistance to a multilingual hotline set-up by the Secretary of State.
• Rules to implement ranked choice voting for municipal elections by creating certification standards for voting systems.
• The reorganization of Rule 20 (security rule) and additional changes to further enhance security for the entire election system. This includes the permanent adoption of rules that were first temporarily adopted in February and additional controls around access to a county’s voting system.
• Clarification of rules concerning election watchers who want to observe the drop off of ballots at a ballot drop box.

A copy of the Notice of Adoption, including the statement of basis, can be found here. Relevant documents and recordings related to this public rulemaking can be found here.

These rules will become permanently effective twenty days after publication in the Colorado Register.

Please contact SoS.Rulemaking@coloradosos.gov if you have any questions relating to the rulemaking.