Westcliffe, Colorado Public Records

The Custer County Clerk and Recorder is an elected position responsible for all voter registration, election administration, vital records, and official document recording. Since the community is unincorporated with no city government, there is no separate municipal election office, and residents should contact the Custer County office for all election information. Residents can register to vote through multiple methods: (1) Online registration through the Colorado Secretary of State website at https://sos.colorado.gov/voter, available 24/7; (2) In person at the Custer County Clerk's Office at the address above; (3) By mail using a voter registration form available from the Clerk's Office or the Secretary of State website. Colorado allows same-day voter registration, meaning residents can register and vote on Election Day, though registering before Election Day is encouraged. Voter registration deadline for mail-in registration is 8 days before Election Day. For online registration, the deadline is also 8 days before Election Day. Same-day registration at the polling place or county office is available through Election Day. To register, Colorado residents must provide their name, date of birth, Colorado address, driver's license number or last four digits of Social Security number, and citizenship confirmation. No voter ID is required at the time of registration; however, a photo ID (driver's license, passport, or military ID) is required when voting in person or may be required when requesting an absentee ballot. Voters without photo ID may sign an affidavit at the polling place and cast a regular ballot. Because the community is unincorporated and has no municipal government structure, there are no local mayoral or city council elections. Residents elect only county and state officials. Custer County holds county elections for County Commissioners, County Clerk and Recorder, County Assessor, County Treasurer, County Sheriff, and County Coroner in even-numbered years. Custer County typically holds these elections in odd-numbered years for some offices and even years for others - voters should check with the Clerk's Office for the current schedule. State elections occur in even years: 2024 for presidential/U.S. House/state legislature, 2026 for U.S. Senate/Governor/state legislature, 2028 for presidential, etc. For information on which county offices are on the ballot in upcoming elections, contact the Custer County Clerk's Office or visit the Colorado Secretary of State website. To find your assigned polling place, use the Colorado Secretary of State's Voter Information Portal at https://sos.colorado.gov/pocketveto or call the Custer County Clerk's Office at 719-783-2056. You will need to provide your name and date of birth. Polling places for local voters may include schools, community centers, or county facilities; specific locations vary by precinct and election year. Mail-in voting is strongly encouraged in Colorado, and all registered voters are mailed a ballot 15 days before Election Day; you can mail your ballot back, drop it in a ballot box, or vote in person at an early voting location. Colorado maintains several election records as public information under the Colorado Open Records Act: (1) Voter registration lists (voter names, addresses, party affiliation) are available to the public for legitimate purposes; (2) Precinct-level election results (how many votes each candidate or issue received in each precinct) are published publicly on the Secretary of State website; (3) Campaign finance reports showing donations to and spending by candidates and committees are public record and available through the Secretary of State's online database at https://sos.colorado.gov/ccb/candidates-ballot; (4) Candidate filings and declaration of intent to run are public records. However, some information is protected: voter Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and telephone numbers are not public, and voters have the option to be listed as "inactive" or "exempt" from certain mailings. To request election records, contact the Custer County Clerk's Office. Local voters, as part of Custer County, participated in the 2024 presidential election, voting for U.S. President, U.S. Representative (Colorado's 3rd Congressional District), Colorado state legislature (House and Senate seats serving the area), and various Custer County offices and ballot measures. For November 2026, area voters will decide: (1) U.S. Senate sefor Colorado, incumbent U.S.Current federal, state, and local election schedules, ballot contests, candidate filings, and certified results for Westcliffe voters are published by the Colorado Secretary of State (https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/). Specific races and ballot measures will be determined in the months before the 2026 election; voters should register early and monitor the Colorado Secretary of State website and Custer County Clerk's Office for 2026 candidate filings and ballot issue information. To obtain an absentee/mail-in ballot in Colorado, all registered voters are automatically mailed a ballot 15 days before each election. The ballot is mailed to the address on file with your voter registration. If you do not receive your ballot, move after registering, or need to request a replacement ballot, contact the Custer County Clerk's Office at 719-783-2056. Mail-in ballots can be returned by: (1) U.S. Mail (must be postmarked by Election Day); (2) Ballot drop boxes located throughout Custer County (boxes are locked after 7 p.m. On Election Day); (3) In person at the Custer County office or early voting location before or on Election Day. To vote early in person, Custer County typically opens the Clerk's Office for in-person voting 15 days before Election Day; hours and locations will be announced by the Clerk's Office. On Election Day (first Tuesday after the first Monday in November), polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. To 7:00 p.m. Colorado law prohibits mail ballots from being counted if they are received after 7 p.m. On Election Day, so it is safest to return ballots by mail several days early or drop them in a ballot box before Election Day.