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Voting Q&A: What prevents me or anyone from voting twice — in person and by mail?

By Sandra Fish
Colorado News Collaborative


First, ballots have barcodes unique to the individual. When ballots are received by clerks, they are scanned in and poll books are updated to show that the person has voted. So if someone sent in their mail ballot and it was processed, and then they showed up to vote at a polling place, the poll worker checking them in would be able to see that they had already voted. Or, if the person votes early at a polling place, then also cast their mail ballot, their mail ballot would not be accepted for counting.

It is illegal to vote more than once. If someone votes in person and by mail, county clerks are required to provide that information to the district attorney or state attorney general for prosecution.

Editor’s note: This information is brought to you by COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative, a nonprofit bringing together more than 50 newsrooms across Colorado working together to better serve the public. Learn more at CoLabNews.co.


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