VerificationOfficial record
How are mail ballots verified today?
Colorado verifies mail ballots by comparing the signature on the reply envelope with the signature the voter left on file. Two election judges of different political parties review the signature, and a voter whose identity cannot be confirmed within eight days has the ballot rejected unless they cure it. In 2024, 92 percent of Colorado ballots were cast by mail.
Our explanation · Sources checked October 6, 2026
The evidence
4 excerpts“Colorado currently uses signature verification to determine that mail ballots come from eligible voters”
Page 25, current signature verification
Colorado Legislative Council Staff
2026 Blue Book: Amendment 84“the signature is then reviewed by two election judges of different political parties”
Page 25, two election judges review
Colorado Legislative Council Staff
2026 Blue Book: Amendment 84“two election judges of different political party affiliations agreed that the signature on your reply envelope was either missing or did not match your signature on file with the County Clerk and Recorder”
Rejected-ballot FAQ, why a ballot is rejected
Colorado Secretary of State
Rejected ballot questions: how a voter fixes a problem“In 2024, 92 percent of all ballots cast in Colorado were mail ballots”
Page 25, mail-ballot share in 2024
Colorado Legislative Council Staff
2026 Blue Book: Amendment 84How to read this
This is the process that exists before the measure. Both the Blue Book and the Secretary of State’s rejected-ballot guidance describe the two-judge signature review and the cure letter. Amendment 84 would add an identification check on top of this same process.
What to keep in mind
The current process uses a signature on file, not an identification number. These facts describe how verification works now; they are the baseline the measure would build on, not a description of the post-measure process.