Garcia, Colorado Public Records

Law enforcement services for Garcia are provided by the Costilla County Sheriff's Office. This agency is responsible for responding to calls, conducting investigations, and enforcing the law within the unincorporated community and throughout the county. The Sheriff's Office is headquartered at 354 Main Street in San Luis and can be contacted for any public safety concerns or to request information about local arrests and incident reports.

Garcia voters are served by the Costilla County Clerk and Recorder, which administers elections for the county. The office is located at 400 Gasper Street, Suite 4, San Luis, CO 81152, and can be reached at (719) 672-3681. The Clerk and Recorder maintains voter registration rolls, processes absentee ballots, manages polling locations, counts votes, and certifies election results. Garcia residents can register to vote online through the Colorado Secretary of State's website at www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/verifyNewVoter.xhtml. Voter registration in Colorado requires providing a valid Colorado driver's license or ID card number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. The deadline to register is 8 days before any election for online or mail registration; same-day registration is available at voter service and polling centers through Election Day. Colorado requires voters to provide identification when voting in person for the first time; acceptable IDs include driver's license, passport, utility bill, bank statement, or government check showing name and address. As an unincorporated community, Garcia does not hold municipal elections for mayor or city council, as no city government exists. All elections affecting Garcia residents are county, state, and federal races. Costilla County typically holds county commissioner elections, county clerk elections, sheriff elections, assessor elections, and other county offices on a rotating schedule. Garcia voters participate in Colorado state legislative elections for State Senate District 35 and State House District 47. To find their assigned polling location, Garcia residents can use the Colorado Polling Place Locator at www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/findPollingPlace.xhtml by entering their name and date of birth or residential address. In the November 2024 presidential election, Costilla County reported approximately 1,800 total votes cast, with voter turnout around 65-70% of registered voters, consistent with rural Colorado counties. Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 general election, Garcia and Costilla County voters will decide several important races. Colorado's Class II U.S. Senate seat is not up in 2026 (next election 2028), but voters will elect the Governor of Colorado, as gubernatorial elections occur every four years (2022, 2026, 2030). State legislative races for both State Senate and State House will appear on the ballot. County-level races may include Costilla County Commissioner seats (three commissioners serve staggered four-year terms), County Clerk and Recorder, Sheriff, Treasurer, Assessor, Coroner, and Surveyor, depending on which terms expire. Colorado uses a vote-by-mail system; all active registered voters automatically receive a ballot in the mail approximately 18-22 days before each election. Ballots can be returned by mail (must be postmarked by Election Day) or dropped off at 24-hour ballot drop boxes located throughout the county, or at voter service and polling centers on Election Day. Colorado election records that are public include voter registration lists (available for purchase for political purposes), campaign finance reports (searchable at www.sos.state.co.us/campaign), candidate filings and statements, precinct-level election results, and ballot measure language. Individual voter history (which elections a person voted in, but not how they voted) is also public record in Colorado.