Senate gives preliminary approval to Colorado primary change

Tuesday, the Colorado Senate gave initial approval to a bill that changes election dates to help ensure that military families serving locally and abroad get to vote. Senate Bill 189, sponsored by Senator Rollie Heath (D-Boulder), moves the dates for Colorado primary elections and precinct caucuses in even-year elections to earlier in the year and adjusts various election deadlines to comply with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.

Under Senate Bill 189, the date by which mail-in ballots must be delivered or mailed to uniformed and overseas citizens will change from 30 days before the election to 45 days before the election, to ensure they have time to vote and return their ballots. The bill addresses several other changes to Colorado's election administration schedule to accommodate the adjusted mail-in ballot delivery date.