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The Colorado County Election Office will be sending a mass mail out to all voters over the age of 75 who do not have permanent jury exemption. We do this mass mail out every odd numbered year. We also send individual jury exemptions when the court clerk identifies an individual who has indicated they are wanting to be permanently exempt from being called to jury duty. You are not required to sign and return if you still want to be part of the jury process.
This process helps not only with keeping the jury roaster up to date, but our voter registration records clean. A voter is put into “suspense” when any mailing that was sent to the voter was returned as non-deliverable. What does that mean? Suspense means that the registrar is not certain of your residential address. If the registrar has reason to believe that a voter’s current residence is different from that indicated on the registration records the voter is sent a Notice of Address Confirmation (and an individual is placed on suspense) when: • The voter’s registration certificate has been returned as non-deliverable.
• A jury summons is returned as non-deliverable; or
• The voter registrar has received information indicating the voter no longer resides at the address on the voter’s record.
These registered voters are still eligible to vote; however, the status allows election workers to know that the voter needs to update the voter registration records.
One important way we maintain accurate voter rolls is by identifying individuals who may be deceased but remain listed. We have multiple methods for removing deceased voters, including information from personal knowledge, obituaries, death certificates, probate notices, the Social Security Administration, and the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Since government agencies often take time to provide official notices, and families don’t always inform the voter registrar’s office, it’s crucial to identify out-of-county and out-of-state deaths as quickly as possible. A good start to this process is a returned piece of mail and the suspense status. If a voter has been on “suspense” status for 2 years, has not updated their address, and has not voted; they will be cancelled.
Maintaining jury pools with actively eligible individuals is crucial for an effective judicial process. Jurors are selected based on identification numbers from the Department of Public Safety (such as driver’s licenses) and voter registration records. However, if someone moves without updating their driver’s license, they may be summoned for jury duty in a county where they are no longer eligible to serve. Court clerks can issue summonses to as many as 300 potential jurors, but due to unforeseen qualifying exemptions, only about 125 may be eligible to participate.
Maintaining accurate voter registration records is crucial for election integrity and efficiency. Accurate voter registration records are the foundation for any election.
What can you do to help?
• Change your driver’s license and voter registration
address if you move.
• If you received summons or voter information in the mail and that person, no longer lives at that address return to sender.
• Notify the election department if a resident of Colorado County died outside of the county.
• If you are permanently exempt for jury duty and you wish to claim exemption do so before a summons.
Jury rosters and voter rolls work together to help county offices maintain accurate records. By cross-referencing these databases, officials ensure that jury pools consist of eligible individuals while also keeping voter registration information up to date. This coordination plays a key role in preserving the integrity of both the judicial process and electoral system.
