Ballots for the June 25 primary election are going out to voters in El Paso and Teller counties beginning Monday.

This year voters will choose Democratic and Republican representatives from a slew of federal, state and county offices to face each other in the Nov. 5 general election.

Big races include the El Paso County-based 5th Congressional District. Congressional hopefuls seeking to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican, include Republicans Jeff Crank and Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams, and Democrats River Gassen and Joe Reagan.

In the race for the solidly Republican, Colorado Springs-based Senate District 10, incumbent Republican Sen. Larry Liston faces challenges from activist Dave Stiver and Rex Tonkins, the husband of El Paso County Republican Party Chairwoman Vickie Tonkins, for the GOP’s nomination.

Liston and Tonkins have clashed before; the state GOP formally censured Liston last year for pursuing criminal charges against Rex Tonkins after an alleged altercation at a county party meeting presided over by Vicki Tonkins. A jury acquitted Rex Tonkins on misdemeanor harassment charges last summer.

El Paso County voters will choose from several candidates in commissioner districts 2, 3 and 4, many who currently serve or previously served as state lawmakers and/or councilmembers in Colorado Springs, Fountain and Monument. Each of the El Paso County commissioner districts up for grabs this year has one Democratic candidate, who in November will face off against the victors of the Republican primary races.

El Paso County’s District 3 is, on average, the most politically competitive of all five of the county districts after officials completed redistricting in 2023. El Paso County has not elected a Democrat to its Board of County Commissioners in about 50 years.

In Teller County, incumbent Republican Commissioners Dan Williams and Erik Stone are running unopposed for reelection in districts 1 and 3, respectively. Incumbent Treasurer Krystal Brown, a Republican, is also running unopposed.

Voters in both counties too will select their candidates for the 4th Judicial District Attorney. In the primary, incumbent Michael Allen, a Republican, faces Republican challenger David Willson, a court-appointed attorney. This fall, either Allen or Willson will face the only Democrat in the race, Jeremy Dowell, an attorney who represents Colorado Springs-area children in the juvenile justice system.

In primary elections, unaffiliated voters receive a ballot packet containing a Republican candidate ballot and a Democratic candidate ballot. However, unaffiliated voters may only vote and return one ballot; they should destroy and discard the other ballot, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker’s office said in a news release Monday.

If unaffiliated voters return both ballots voted, neither ballot will be counted.

How to vote

Eligible Coloradans can register to vote and update their voter registration through June 17, and still receive a ballot in the mail, at govotecolorado.gov.

Residents can register to vote, update their voter registration, receive a ballot, drop off a ballot, and vote in person at a voting center until 7 p.m. on Election Day, June 25.

Voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail by June 12 should contact the El Paso County Elections Department at 719-575-8683.

To track the status of your ballot, sign up for BallotTrax at ballottrax.coloradosos.gov/voter.

There are 39 secure 24-hour ballot drop-box locations throughout El Paso County. Each drop box is under 24/7 camera surveillance that was upgraded last year, and the public can view motion-triggered events at any of the ballot boxes online at epcvotes.com. Click on the “Election Security and Ballot Box Camera” section on the webpage.

Voters can also return primary ballots in the mail, taking care to affix adequate postage onto the return envelope. If voting by mail, the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office webpage encourages residents to return their completed primary ballots no later than June 17 to ensure the Clerk and Recorder’s Office receives it by 7 p.m. June 25.

Ballots received after 7 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted, regardless of postmark.

Voters who need replacement ballots or other in-person services can visit a Voter Service and Polling Center beginning Monday.

The voter service center at the Citizens Service Center, 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Road in Colorado Springs, is now open. Additional Voter Service and Polling Centers in El Paso County will open June 10, June 17 and June 24. A full list of locations and hours of operations is online at clerkandrecorder.elpasoco.com/elections/ballot-drop-boxes-vspc-locations.

For more elections information, visit epcvotes.com or contact the El Paso County Elections Department at 719-575-8683 or by email at elections@elpasoco.com.

Voters in Teller County who wish to register to vote by form can download voter registration forms from the Teller County elections website at tellercounty.gov/Elections. Residents can also pick up the forms at either of the Teller County Clerk and Recorder’s offices, at 101 W. Bennett Ave. in Cripple Creek or at 800 Research Drive, Suite 200 in Woodland Park.

For more information about elections in Teller County, contact the Teller County Elections Department at tellercounty.gov/Elections, 719-689-2951 or email elections@co.teller.co.us.