On May 3, the Colorado legislature passed HB 1303, which, if signed, will make Colorado the third state to use postal voting. Counties would be required to open offices at which voters could register to vote, obtain a ballot, and cast a ballot; this is important for individuals who don’t have a secure place to receive postal mail.

Only Washington and Oregon now use universal postal balloting. Colorado’s bill differs somewhat from Washington and Oregon by providing not only for universal postal balloting, but by permitting unregistered voters to register at the county voting centers as late as election day.

The bill had been introduced on April 10, and moved swiftly through the legislature. The House had passed it on April 19; the Senate had passed it on May 2; and the House had concurred with Senate amendments on May 3. Governor John Hickenlooper is expected to sign it. Here is a copy of the bill. To keep the list of voter addresses up-to-date, the bill requires the Secretary of State to conduct monthly change-of-address searchs using the postal data base. The Colorado Association of County Clerks wrote the bill, and former Republican Secretary of State Donetta Davidson supports the bill, but the current Republican Secretary of State, Scott Gessler, vehemently opposes the bill, as did Republicans in the state legislature.