Calhan, Colorado Public Records

Law enforcement in Calhan is primarily handled by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which serves the entire county, including the city of Calhan. The Sheriff's Office maintains records related to arrests, incident reports, and other law enforcement activities within the community. Residents can contact the Sheriff's Office to request access to these public records, subject to applicable privacy and confidentiality laws.

Calhan voters are served by the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office, which administers all elections in the county including federal, state, county, and municipal races. The Elections Division is located at 1675 West Garden of the Gods Road, Suite 2000, Colorado Springs, CO 80907 (phone: 719-520-6200, website: www.elpasoco.com/clerk-and-recorder/elections). This office handles voter registration, ballot preparation, polling place operations, mail ballot processing, and official canvassing of election results for Calhan and all other El Paso County communities.

Colorado residents can register to vote online through the Colorado Secretary of State's website at www.govotecolorado.gov, which provides a secure voter registration portal. Voters must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old by election day, and residents of Colorado for at least 22 days before the election. Colorado allows Election Day registration, meaning eligible residents can register and vote on the same day during early voting or on Election Day itself. No party affiliation is required to register, and voters may choose to affiliate with a political party or remain unaffiliated. A valid Colorado driver's license or ID card number is required for online registration, or the last four digits of a Social Security number for those without Colorado identification.

The Town of Calhan holds municipal elections for mayor and town trustees (town council members). Calhan's municipal elections are typically held in April of odd-numbered years, coordinated by the El Paso County Elections Division under contract with the town. The next regular municipal election for Calhan is scheduled for April 2025, when voters will decide contested races for mayor and town council seats. Candidate filings, local ballot measures, and sample ballots specific to Calhan become available approximately 60 days before the election through the County Elections website and at Town Hall. Municipal election results and turnout data for previous Calhan elections are maintained by both the Town Clerk and the County Elections office.

Calhan residents can find their assigned polling place by visiting www.govotecolorado.gov and using the "Find My Polling Location" tool, which requires entering a residential address. The site displays the voter's registration status, precinct number, polling place address with a map, and ballot information for upcoming elections. However, Colorado is a universal mail ballot state, meaning every registered active voter automatically receives a mail ballot for all elections approximately 18-22 days before Election Day. Voters may return mail ballots by U.S. mail (no postage required), or deposit them in official 24-hour ballot drop boxes located throughout El Paso County, including locations in or near Calhan. Voters who prefer to vote in person may do so at designated Vote Centers during the early voting period or on Election Day, though the specific locations and dates are announced for each election.

In the November 2024 presidential election, El Paso County recorded significant voter turnout with approximately 297,000 ballots cast out of roughly 425,000 registered voters, representing a turnout rate of approximately 70%. El Paso County, which includes Calhan, has historically leaned Republican in most statewide and federal elections, though the county has become more competitive in recent cycles as the Colorado Springs area has grown and diversified.

Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 general election, Calhan and El Paso County voters will decide several important races. Colorado will hold elections for Governor (the current term expires in 2026), Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, and all seats in the Colorado General Assembly (State Senate and State House of Representatives). At the federal level, one of Colorado's U.S. Senate seats will be contested in 2026 (Senator Michael Bennet's seat is up for election), and Colorado's 5th Congressional District seat, which includes Calhan and eastern El Paso County, will be on the ballot. El Paso County voters will also elect county commissioners for certain districts, the Sheriff, County Clerk and Recorder, County Assessor, County Treasurer, and other county offices depending on the election cycle schedule. Any local ballot measures or town-specific questions for Calhan will be determined closer to the election date as the town council places measures on the ballot.

Colorado's election records are largely public under state law. Voter registration lists are available for purchase by campaigns, political parties, and the general public through the Secretary of State's office, though individual voter history (which elections a person voted in, but not how they voted) is part of the public record. Campaign finance reports for candidates and political committees are filed with the Colorado Secretary of State and searchable online at www.sos.state.co.us/campaign-finance. Candidate filings, including statements of designation and acceptance, are public records available through the County Clerk for local races and the Secretary of State for state and federal races. Election results by precinct are published by the County Clerk after certification and are available at www.elpasoco.com/clerk-and-recorder/elections, providing detailed breakdowns of how Calhan-area precincts voted in each race and on each ballot measure.