Big Changes to Colorado Election Rules: Wait Times, Work Absences, and Campus Voting

What This Bill Actually Does

House Bill 26-1113 is what folks at the Capitol call an "omnibus" bill—a comprehensive piece of legislation that bundles dozens of targeted tweaks to the state's Uniform Election Code of 1992 into one package. It isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, but it is trying to address specific logistical bottlenecks so voting goes smoother, especially for students, workers, and local county clerks.

First, let's look at the actual mechanics of Election Day. Under the proposed changes, if a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) experiences a shortage of supplies—like running out of paper ballots—they are strictly prohibited from closing their doors. In fact, they may be required to stay open past the normal 7:00 PM cutoff to ensure everyone gets to vote. The bill also introduces a brand-new accountability metric for long lines: if any VSPC experiences wait times exceeding one hour, the county clerk must formally report it to the state. The Secretary of State (SOS) will then be required to hold a public hearing in coordination with that clerk to address the bottlenecks. Additionally, the bill officially clarifies that voters are allowed to bring printed or written materials of their choice into the voting booth as a resource, and expands the 100-foot "voter interference" buffer zone to explicitly include ballot drop boxes.

Second, the bill heavily focuses on young voters and college campuses. Section 1-2-213.5 mandates that institutions of higher education must email all enrolled students on the 15th day and the final day before an election. These emails must spell out exactly where the campus polling centers are, what hours they operate, and what ID is required. Furthermore, the threshold for requiring a ballot drop box on a campus is lowered from 2,000 enrolled students down to 1,000, and it expands this requirement to include private colleges, not just state schools. At the high school level, the bill changes the title of "deputy registrars" to high school liaisons and explicitly allows them to preregister students as young as 15 years old.

Finally, the bill cleans up several administrative edge-case scenarios. If a presidential or vice-presidential candidate dies or withdraws after being nominated but before the Electoral College meets, the bill clarifies that electoral votes automatically transfer to the successor nominated by the party. It mandates a minimum number of in-person voting hours at county jails and detention centers, scaled to the number of beds available. On the public records front, the bill amends the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) so that election officials no longer have to spend time and taxpayer money redacting voluntary doodles or messages that voters write on their ballots.

What It Means for You

As a Colorado resident, this bill directly impacts how, when, and where you cast your ballot, removing several common friction points from the voting process.

The most immediate change to your daily life involves taking time off work to vote. Under current Colorado law, eligible electors are entitled to a 2-hour absence from work to vote, but this was historically restricted to Election Day itself. This bill expands that protection to any day when VSPCs are open. Since Colorado opens polling centers well before Election Day, you now have a much wider, legally protected window to slip away from work and cast your ballot if your schedule is otherwise packed.

You also get more leverage if things go wrong at your local polling place. If you've ever been frustrated by lines wrapping around the block, this bill gives you a voice. By requiring the Secretary of State to hold public hearings for any polling location with a wait time over an hour, county clerks are now highly incentivized to properly staff and supply your local VSPC. And if you like to do your homework before voting, you can confidently walk into the booth with your own printed voter guides or handwritten notes without worrying about being challenged by an election judge.

If you have kids, the pipeline to getting them registered is starting earlier. High school students can now preregister at age 15. If you have kids in college—even at private universities—they will receive direct, foolproof instructions via email on exactly where and how to vote on campus, and they are much more likely to have a drop box right outside their dorm due to the lowered population thresholds.

• Check your voter affiliation: If there's an error in your party affiliation, you will now go directly to the county clerk to get an affidavit to fix it, rather than dealing with an election judge.
• Testify on the wait-time provision: If you've experienced severe polling delays in past elections, consider submitting written testimony to the State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee sharing your story to support the 1-hour public hearing rule.

What It Means for Your Business

For Colorado business owners, this bill is a mixed bag of new human resources compliance requirements and potential operational headaches, particularly if you run a shift-based business in retail, manufacturing, hospitality, or construction.

The single biggest red flag for employers is the expansion of the 2-hour voting leave. Currently, you only have to accommodate this 2-hour paid absence on Election Day (and only if the employee doesn't have a three-hour window of off-duty time while polls are open). By expanding this entitlement to any day a Voter Service and Polling Center is open, your employees could legally request this time off during the entire early voting period—which in Colorado can stretch up to 15 days before the actual election. This could severely complicate scheduling and shift coverage, as employees could request their voting leave on random Tuesdays or Fridays in the weeks leading up to November.

On the flip side, if you are a government contractor, technology vendor, or staffing agency, this bill opens up new opportunities. Because counties now face mandatory public hearings if wait times exceed one hour, county clerks will be scrambling to optimize their operations. Counties with 1,000 or more active electors are now explicitly allowed to adopt electronic or electromechanical voting systems upon consultation with county commissioners. If your business provides queuing software, temporary administrative staffing, or logistics consulting, local governments are about to become highly motivated buyers.

• Audit your employee handbook: You need to rewrite the "Voting Leave" section of your HR policies immediately to reflect that time off can be requested during the early voting period, not just on Election Day.
• Establish an early voting calendar: Create an internal tracking system for managers to handle voting leave requests over a multi-week period so you aren't caught short-staffed during a busy shift.
• Vendors, prep your pitches: If you sell efficiency solutions or staffing services, start drafting proposals for county clerks emphasizing how your product can help them avoid the new 1-hour wait time penalties.

Follow the Money

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff, the state fiscal impact of HB26-1113 is essentially zero. The bill requires $0 in new state appropriations. The Department of State will see a minimal workload increase to hold the new public hearings regarding long wait times and to review county mail election plans, while the Department of Higher Education will easily absorb the new email requirements into their existing campus communication systems.

For local governments, however, it's a complicated financial picture. County clerks will actually save money in some areas: they no longer have to pay postage to mail physical certificates of acceptance to election judges, and they will save countless staff hours by no longer having to manually redact voluntary doodles or messages that voters leave on their ballots before fulfilling public records requests. However, these savings will likely be offset by new costs. Counties will have to spend more money staffing ballot drop boxes earlier in the cycle, paying overtime to keep polling places open if supplies run low, and dedicating administrative resources to compile wait-time reports for the state.

Where This Bill Stands

HB26-1113 was introduced in the House on February 3, 2026, and is currently assigned to the State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee. It is sponsored by Representatives Emily Sirota and Jenny Willford, along with Senator Katie Wallace.

Because this is an election year, bills that dictate how ballots are cast and counted are usually put on a fast track but are subjected to intense line-by-line scrutiny. Since this bill is largely an administrative cleanup and logistical improvement package rather than a partisan overhaul, it has a strong chance of surviving committee. However, expect robust debate from county clerks and business lobbying groups regarding the unfunded mandates of expanded early voting operations and employee time-off rules. Watch the committee calendar closely for the first public hearing, which should be scheduled within the coming weeks.