[Colorado-Talk] Accessible Online Voting Is Now Live in Colorado for the 2026 General Election

[Curtis Chong]

Hello everyone:
 
I thought I would alert everyone on this list that accessible online voting
is now live and available here in Colorado. For your convenience, I am
pasting my original instructions here so that you can start voting right
away. For you veteran online voters who don't need to review these
instructions, the website you want to visit to vote online is
https://myballot.coloradosos.gov/app/home.
 
Kind regards,
 
Curtis Chong
 
  _____  

 

Using Colorado's
Accessible Ballot Delivery and Return System
In the 2026 General Election

By Curtis Chong
 
Note: This document is intended primarily for screen reader users who are
using a Windows computer to mark and/or return the ballot electronically.
While voters using smartphones running a screen reader are not expressly
discouraged from using Colorado's accessible electronic ballot delivery and
return system, please bear in mind that the procedures used to download the
ballot and accessible ballot application files and the steps to upload these
documents differ to some degree from what you would do if you were using a
smartphone running a screen reader such as VoiceOver (iOS) or Talkback
(Android).
 
On Saturday, September 19, 2026, registered Colorado voters who are blind or
have a print disability will be able to use Colorado's accessible electronic
ballot marking and return system to vote in the November 3 General Election.
Rather than making this system available on the same day that ballots are
starting to be mailed out (October 2, 2026), the State of Colorado will be
opening up the system to voters with a disability on the same day (September
19) that it is open to military and overseas voters. I am told that the
reason for this change is because many counties begin working with
Healthcare Facilities on September 19, and in many cases, this involves
providing accessible ballots; allowing voters to use the OmniBallot system
will be a great help to them and to the county staff working with them.
 
 

Critical First Step

 
If you plan to use the electronic ballot return option when voting, there is
a critical first step which you must complete. You need to take a picture of
your Colorado State ID and place it somewhere on your computer or smartphone
where you can easily locate it while electronically returning your ballot.
You do not need to do this if you are able to draw your signature on the
computer or smartphone screen or prefer to use the system simply to mark
your ballot and print the ballot and the ballot application.
 
 

Accessible Voting Procedure

 
1.         Point your browser to https://myballot.coloradosos.gov. You will
be taken to the accessible ballot home page. Find the Vote My Ballot heading
and activate the CONTINUE button which is immediately adjacent to it; this
will take you to the Voter Lookup page.
 
2.         On this Voter Lookup page, you will need to provide your first
and last name, your date of birth, and the county where you are registered
to vote. Once this information has been entered, activate the CONTINUE
button. This will take you to the Ballot Type page.
 
3.         On the Ballot Type page, you will find three radio buttons.

.           I am requesting an emergency ballot
.           I am a voter with a disability and am requesting an accessible
ballot
.           These do not apply

Activate the second radio button (I am a voter with a disability) and then
activate the CONTINUE button to be taken to the "Please confirm you are
eligible to access this system" page.
 
4.         The "Please confirm you are eligible to access this system" page
contains a checkbox which you should activate to affirm that you are a voter
with a disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Check
this box and then activate the CONTINUE button.
 
5.         This next page asks a question which determines if you are a
voter who is blind, has a print disability, or is otherwise unable, through
physical disability, to hold, mark, or manipulate a ballot or to focus or
move the eyes to the extent that would be normally acceptable for reading or
marking a ballot. If you are blind or print-disabled and want to return your
ballot electronically, activate the Yes radio button. If you choose to
return your ballot in the mail and you have access to a printer, you would
respond "No" to this question. Even if you respond "Yes" you can still
return the ballot by mail or in person if you change your mind about
returning your ballot electronically.
 
After activating the appropriate Radio Button, activate the CONTINUE button.
 
6.         On this last voter verification page, you are asked to enter
either your driver's license or Colorado State ID number or the last four
digits of your Social Security number. You do not need to enter both
numbers. If you are entering your state ID number, enter the number without
hyphens. After entering this information, activate the CONTINUE button. You
will be taken to your ballot.
 
7.         All of the contests and questions on the ballot are displayed on
a single page. Each candidate or position is indicated by a checkbox. Use
the space key to check the boxes corresponding to the candidates or
positions for which you want to vote. Once you have completed marking the
ballot, activate the CONTINUE button to go to the Selection Review page.
 
8.         On the Selection Review page, you have the opportunity to check
your ballot for one last time before moving on to the next phase. There is a
Change button for each contest which, when activated, takes you back to the
ballot page. Once you are satisfied that the ballot is as you want it,
activate the CONTINUE button at the bottom of the page. You will be taken to
the Save or Print Your Ballot page.
 
9.         On the "Save or Print Your Ballot" page, you should activate the
SAVE OR PRINT BALLOT button. If you are activating this button from a
Windows computer and if you want to save your ballot instead of printing it,
you should ensure that the printer selected is the one which is labeled Save
as PDF.
 
10.       On the "Accessible Ballot Application" page, you will be able to
review an HTML version of the Ballot Application document that must be
returned alongside your ballot. On this page, you will be able to review or
change your identifying information (first name, last name, middle name,
and/or date of birth). You may also read the Self- Affirmation verifying
your eligibility for an accessible ballot. Further down the page, you will
be asked to sign or mark electronically, or otherwise provide an alternate
form of identification. If you will sign electronically, select the "Click
to Sign" button to enter the electronic signature flow. You may press
"Reset" to start the signature over or "Done" when your signature is
complete. Screen reader users should navigate to the heading which says,
"Acceptable Forms of Identification". A picture of an authorized form of
identification will need to be provided along with your ballot and
application documents if you are not signing electronically. Alternately, if
preferred, the Ballot Materials can be printed, signed with a pen, and then
rescanned to provide an actual signature. Activate "Continue" to proceed.
 
11.       The next page will allow you to review the information from the
previous page before downloading the form. If you need to make edits,
activate "Go Back." If you are ready to proceed, activate "Save or Print
your Form". Windows users will be prompted with a dialog to save a PDF
document. By default, this file will be placed in your Downloads folder (you
might want to verify this and ensure that you can find the downloaded files
before moving to the next step). You will be able to give the file whatever
name works for you.
 
12.       After the file has been printed or downloaded, activate the
CONTINUE button to go to the next step.
 
13.       If you are going to print your ballot and ballot documents instead
of downloading them, you are finished with the online system; you will need
to sign the ballot application document, however, before putting both the
ballot and the application into an envelope. If you downloaded these files
to submit them electronically, you should pay attention to the following
instructions.

"Thank you for voting, but you're not done!"
"Please follow the instructions provided in the previous pages and in your
additional ballot materials to return your ballot and materials to your
local elections office. If you are returning your ballot and materials
electronically, please return them at Colorado's secure ballot return
website by activating the 'return my ballot' link below."

The link to the "return my ballot" page is
https://ballotreturn.coloradosos.gov/form/accessible.
 

Uploading Your Ballot and Ballot Application

 
After you have saved your ballot, your ballot application document, and a
picture of your Colorado State ID, you should direct your browser to the
website https://ballotreturn.coloradosos.gov/form/accessible. You will be
taken to the State of Colorado Secure Ballot Return page. You do not have to
perform this part of the voting process immediately after you have finished
marking your ballot. You already have your documents downloaded to your
system. You can treat this part of the process as something that you can
take up on another day.
 
On the State of Colorado Secure Ballot Return page, screen reader users are
placed on an edit field where you are asked to enter your first name. Before
you enter your identification information, you need to upload your saved
files. Move your focus to the top of the page (CTRL+ HOME in Windows) and
read the information you find there.
 
There are three "browse to attach files" links on the State of Colorado
Secure Ballot Return page. The first browse link should be used to upload
the actual ballot. The second browse link should be used to upload the
accessible ballot application. The third browse link should be used to
upload the picture of your Colorado State ID (or other authorized form of
identification). These links cannot be reached using the TAB key. Windows
screen reader users should arrow down through the page or ask their screen
reader to search for the word "browse."
 
As each file is successfully uploaded, its name will appear just below the
browse link you activated to upload the file. Thus, a careful review of the
page will assure you that all three of the files needed to return your
ballot have been successfully uploaded.
 
After all three files have been uploaded, fill in your name, phone number,
and email address, and only then, activate the Submit button. Failing to
fill in these fields properly makes it impossible for your county to notify
you about any problems or issues with your ballot and accompanying files.
 

Conclusion

 
If all of this sounds exceedingly complicated or, at the very least,
tedious, I am afraid that there are definitely a lot of steps to perform
here. Such is often the way with technology.
 
Voters with disabilities who use this system are urged to contact their
respective county clerks. If history is any guide, you will probably be
referred to the office of Colorado's Secretary of State.
 
If you like, feel free to call me at 515- 306- 1654 or drop me an email at
chong.curtis at gmail.com <mailto:chong.curtis at gmail.com> . I will try to be of
help if I can.
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20260920/8fc21945/attachment.htm>