1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

As a first-time voter here in Colorado, I was genuinely excited to cast my ballot by mail. Voting from home felt empowering and accessible — a system that helps more people participate in our democracy. It’s one of the best ways to make civic engagement easy and inclusive. However, I was surprised and disappointed to discover that Colorado requires a stamp to return a mail-in ballot. When I lived in New York, ballots were postage-paid, and I never had to worry about whether I had stamps on hand just to exercise my right to vote. Something as fundamental as voting should never depend on access to postage. Requiring voters to pay for their ballot return — even a small amount — creates an unnecessary barrier that especially impacts low-income, disabled, or rural voters. I believe Colorado can do better. Please take action to ensure that all mail-in ballots in Colorado are postage-paid and that returning a ballot is always free, simple, and equitable. Our democracy is stronger when participation is effortless for everyone.