Why I'm Still Voting in Colorado's Midterm
We’ve made it to October, and we are just weeks from the November 3 midterm election.
Make a vote plan. Learn what's on your ballot. Talk to three people.
This morning my inbox was flooded with articles about election interference, voter suppression, and whether our election systems can hold up. I noticed myself wanting to withdraw.
Which got me wondering: why?
Why does every day bring a new story about how vulnerable our elections are? Why do we keep hearing that mail-in voting is fraud?
Some of it is simply false. In Colorado, every ballot is on paper, every signature is checked, every voter can track their ballot to the count, and audits after each election check the machine count against the paper ballots. Some of it is real reporting on real threats. But the sheer volume of both has the same effect: it sows distrust. And distrust, left long enough, melts into apathy.
My day job is voter education, but at night I'm frozen by the question so many of us are asking: what's actually still in our control? When overwhelm becomes a tool for people in power, focus is an act of hope.
So let's focus.
Nationally, 72% of adults get local news from friends, family, or neighbors at least sometimes. In 2024, 70% said those same people were a source of their local political news. The people you talk to are already shaping what others know about this election. You're a news source, whether you meant to be or not.
So when my ballot arrives, my pen will be ready. My vote alone may not move mountains, but I know the power of sitting down with my brilliant 75-year-old grandmother and the Blue Book to learn what's on the ballot, together. Of meeting my tired, overworked, or job-hunting 20-something friends for coffee and checking our registrations at GoVoteColorado.gov, right there at the table.
We don't have to know everything. We can ask one question, find one reliable source, and have one conversation.
Not sure you're registered? In Colorado, you can register and vote in person through Election Day.
Filling in those small bubbles is an act of hope. Participating reminds you of your power, and that caring gives something back, to you and the people in your life.
When distrust tells us nothing can be trusted, and apathy tells us nothing we do matters, choosing to learn, to talk to each other, and to participate is how we push back – not because everything is fine, but because it isn't. Because we're still here, and we still have a say in what comes next.
So, before November 3:
Make a vote plan. Decide when and how you'll vote. Ballots must be received by 7pm on Election Day, so in the final week, use a drop box instead of the mail.
Learn what's on your ballot. Your Blue Book and GoVoteColorado.gov are good places to start. Rocky Mountain Equality has a Voter Guide for some of the key ballot measures that are on our ballots.
Talk to three people you know. Ask them if they have a plan to make sure they vote. Ask them if they want to talk through your ballots together.
