As ballots for the Nov. 8 general election hit mailboxes this week, El Paso County residents who receive a ballot intended for someone who is deceased or who no longer lives at their address should return it through the mail, clerk and recorder’s officials say.

Residents who receive such ballots should simply check off the appropriate box on the back of the ballot packet, write “return to sender” on the front of the ballot packet and return it through the U.S. Postal Service, Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

How El Paso, Teller county voters can cast ballots in November’s general election

Do not place the ballot in a ballot drop-off box.

Broerman said it was important ballots are marked “return to sender” through the post office to ensure the voter can cancel their registration or update their address, if needed. 

When the Clerk and Recorder’s Office receives undeliverable mail from USPS, the release said, the voter is made inactive. The clerk’s office then mails the voter a confirmation card so they can cancel their registration or update their address. Inactive voters don’t receive ballots until they’ve updated their registration, Broerman said in the release.

Inactive voter records can lawfully be canceled after a voter has missed two federal elections, he said.

The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office has “several resources that provide voter data on a daily basis,” Broerman said, adding that the county’s voter rolls are “near pristine.”

Colorado Democrats once more dominate fundraising in competitive state House races

Some of those resources ensuring “only eligible voters are in the voter registration database” include the National Change of Address; the Electronic Registration Information Center, which checks other participating states’ voter rolls; the Department of Homeland Security; the Colorado Department of Corrections; the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; and the Social Security Administration, according to the release.

“However, when necessary, we rely on citizens to get involved in the democratic election process and return those ballot packets as undeliverable,” Broerman said.

El Paso County residents can also help maintain local voter rolls by being proactive, such as notifying the Clerk and Recorder’s Office when a family member dies, he said.

Residents who move and change addresses can update their voter information online at govotecolorado.gov. 

For more information on the Nov. 8 general election in El Paso County, visit epcvotes.com.

Stick with gazette.com for ongoing election coverage, including on election night.

Michael Bloomberg, outside groups pour in $15 million in Colorado

Committees backing ballot measure take receives millions ahead of final election push