Colorado Succeeds at Preregistration

Their rate of 45.8% is nearly triple that of California and New York.

Colorado’s voter preregistration rate is the highest of any we have seen across the country. As of September 12, 2023, 45.8% of the state’s for 16- and 17-year-olds were preregistered. That’s nearly triple the rates in California and New York. 

Here are the highlights:

• 19 of the state’s 64 counties had preregistration rates above 50%.

• 30 counties had preregistration rates of 40% or above.

• Only one county had a preregistration rate below 20%.

• In the state’s most populous counties, El Paso, Denver, and Arapahoe, the rates were 44.7%, 39.4%, and 44.9%.

• Roughly 80,000 of the state’s 16- and 17-year-olds have not yet preregistered. 

• Preregistration rates vary widely among counties. Check out our county-by-county Scorecard and map below. 

• Colorado is expected to play a critical role in the 2024 elections. The Cook Political Report lists both the 3d and 8th Congressional Districts in Colorado as tossups. 

• Our estimate of the total number of unregistered 18-year-olds as of September 2023 is 23,085. For county-by-county details on numbers of registered and unregistered 18-year-olds, click here. 

Other states across the country can benefit by looking at and adopting the type of policies Colorado has when it comes to voter registration for young people. Colorado allows young people to preregister to vote at age 16. Michigan and Illinois have recently enacted similar laws, and a similar bill is pending in Pennsylvania. In 2024, we’ll have at least 19 states that allow 16-year-olds to preregister. Read more about how preregistration is sweeping the nation, here.

Colorado also requires every high school to have a deputy registrar on staff, and the schools can compete for a voter registration award. Details on these and other positive practices Colorado uses to encourage high school students to vote as soon as they are old enough are here.

Even with this success, many schools and counties could benefit from additional resources to ensure that every eligible student is registered and able to vote in 2024 and beyond.