As we seniors are starting to turn 18, we should all start considering registering to vote for the state of Colorado. Voting is all about having the right for your voice to be heard. As you start to get closer to turning 18, students should really consider registering.

Young voters have notoriously neglected the importance of voting. It’s important for the younger generation to have their voices heard. Voting is just one of the ways to accomplish this. It is crucial for people in that age group to become informed voters and participate in elections because major issues in every election increasingly connect to the worries of professionals and students between the ages of 18 and 29.

“Some 64% of citizens aged 65 and older voted in the November 2018 election, the best turnout of any age group. More than half of those ages 45 to 64 also cast a ballot. People under the age of 45 are much less likely to vote. Just 37% of 25- to 34-year-olds made it to the polls in November 2018. And not even a third of the youngest citizens—ages 18 to 24—entered a voting booth in 2018.”

If the younger generation started to vote more often, it would be great because young voters account for half of the voting population, making their generation a very powerful political force. Colorado is one of the sixteen states that permits pre-registration for voting beginning at 16 years old. “Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, upon satisfactory proof of age, every person who is otherwise qualified to register and is sixteen years of age or older but will not have reached eighteen years of age by the date of the next election may preregister and update his or her preregistered information by any means authorized in this article for persons eighteen years of age or older. Upon reaching eighteen years of age, the person is automatically registered.”

How do I register to vote in the state of Colorado?

In Colorado, you may register online at https://www.govotecolorado.gov/ if you have your valid Colorado driver’s license or a state-issued ID card that you got from the Colorado Department of Revenue. You are also able to register by providing the last four digits of your social security number.

There are also printable voter registration forms that are going to be available online on the Secretary of State’s website, the county clerk and recorder’s office, and/or any federal post office that provides voter registration applications. If neither option works for you, you can also register to vote in person. This may be done at a physical office.

As new voters, do not be stressed about the voter registration deadline. Voters can still register through Election Day. But note that how you register to vote will also impact how you receive your ballot.

To receive your ballot in the mail:

• Register to vote online at www.GoVoteColorado.gov through the 8th day before Election Day.
• Submit an application through the mail, at a voter registration agency, or at a local driver’s license examination facility through the 8th day before Election Day; or
• Submit an application through a voter registration drive no later than 22 days before Election Day.

Furthermore, as we seniors turn 18 and are thinking about our after-high school plans, and as some of us will be going out of state college, this might raise the topic: if you got out of state, should you wait to register there or remain registered in Colorado? In this case, it is 100% up to you. You may keep your registration in your hometown and vote by mail, or if you are attending a college or university out of state and you would like to register to vote there, you should check that state’s voter registration rules for more information.

Voting is a huge aspect of many people’s lives. But being able to get more information on how to vote and how to register to vote for the younger generation is very important, as they are the voices we need to hear. Especially as we seniors are getting to that age to register to vote, we should all really take into consideration whether or not we would like to register to participate in our first real election.