TXT2Cure Program Available for Colorado Voters for the 2022 Primary Election
Denver, June 22, 2022 - Today, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced that Colorado voters will again this year be able to fix signature discrepancies using a smart phone.
TXT2Cure, a program which Secretary Griswold implemented in 2020, is designed to reduce the number of ballots rejected due to missing or discrepant signatures and is especially geared for younger voters who statistically have more ballots with signature discrepancies.
“Colorado elections are the nation’s gold standard because of innovations like TXT2Cure which ensure all voters are able to participate in accessible elections. In 2020, over 11,000 ballots that otherwise may not have been counted were fixed using TXT2CURE,” said Secretary Griswold. “As Secretary of State, I will continue to push for programs that make sure that every voice is heard in Colorado elections.”
Under the program, if a voter is notified of a signature discrepancy or ID deficiency, all they have to do is text the word Colorado to 2VOTE (28683) and click on the link they receive as a reply. They will then enter their voter ID number printed on the rejection notice they receive from their county election office, affirm they returned a ballot for the election, sign the affidavit on their phone, take a photo of an acceptable form of ID, and select “Submit”. The voter’s information is then electronically transmitted to their county clerk for processing during business hours. When a voter completes these steps before the deadline of midnight on July 6th, their ballot will be counted.
Under Colorado law, if both members of a bipartisan team of election judges agree that the signature on the ballot does not match the signature in the voter’s file, they cannot accept the ballot for counting. The ballot envelope is not opened, and the enclosed ballot is not counted until the discrepancy is resolved. County clerks must notify a voter within three days of discovering the discrepancy, but in no event later than two days after Election Day.
Any voter who has a signature discrepancy or ID deficiency is notified by their county clerk via U.S. mail. That notification includes an affidavit with instructions on how they can return the signed paper affidavit with a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID to their county election office. The affidavit also contains instructions for voters to use the TXT2Cure system, if they instead prefer to use their smart phones to submit the information necessary to ensure their ballots are counted. Voters who are signed up for BallotTrax will receive a notice through the program if their ballot has a signature discrepancy. The notice has step-by-step instructions on how to cure their ballot using TXT2Cure and lets them know a letter from their County Clerk is on the way.
Typically, younger voters have fewer signatures on file, and have signatures that are evolving. Through leveraging technology familiar to young people, TXT2Cure helps make sure these younger voters have their ballots counted.
For more information, please visit www.GoVoteColorado.gov.
