Special District Ballot Errors Confuse Colorado Voters

Some Colorado property owners and residents received special district ballots they were not eligible to vote on, prompting calls to county election offices.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in City Hall

Special District Ballot Errors Confuse Colorado Voters

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Voters across Colorado received special district ballots, including a Colorado Springs resident who got a Jefferson County ballot containing only a West Metro Fire District tax increase measure. Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez reports receiving many calls about the ballots.

Why it matters

Special districts fund services such as firefighting, sanitation and utilities through voter-approved taxes, and their ballots can use different eligibility rules than regular elections. Errors in building voter lists have sent ballots to people outside the district statewide.

Approximately 800,000 Colorado voters received a ballot with a question on a tax increase for a Front Range passenger rail system spanning 13 counties. The Secretary of State's Office has issued guidance to affected counties on tabulating votes to distinguish eligible voters, and the total number of misdirected special district ballots statewide has not been reported.

The players

Amanda Gonzalez

Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder who reports receiving many calls from residents about special district ballots.

Colorado Secretary of State's Office

The state office that issued guidance to affected counties on tabulating votes to distinguish eligible voters.

The details

Special district voter lists are created by the district itself, while county clerk and recorder offices distribute and count the ballots. The rail district error stemmed from miscommunication about updated boundaries, and Pueblo County issued extra ballots to some special district residents after property records were not vetted against voter lists.

This year: Issues with special district elections, including the rail district ballot error, arose.
The day after Election Day: Metro Front Range officials perform a ballot swap so ballots match their corresponding counties.

Political Context

Special district ballots follow eligibility rules that differ from regular elections, and Pueblo County's extra ballots show what happens when district voter lists are not checked against property records. Election officials and the Secretary of State's Office are now responding with counting protocols that include some hand-counting.

Property owners outside a special district who receive a ballot can return it using a secure drop box in any Colorado county. Residents who receive a special district ballot they are not eligible for should contact their county clerk and recorder's office before voting.

The takeaway

Check any special district ballot against your property address before voting, since eligibility rules for these elections can differ from regular ballots.