Election officials started mailing ballots Monday to registered El Paso County voters for the June 30 primary.

The primary will decide the Democratic and Republican candidates for major statewide and federal elections, as well as a bevy of local races. Selected candidates will face off in the Nov. 3 general election.

For the county, major contests include the Democratic primary for the 5th Congressional District, which encompasses central El Paso County and Colorado Springs. Jessica Killin and Joe Reagan are running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Jeff Crank.

It’s a major turnover year for state House and Senate races – all 65 Colorado House of Representative seats are up for election, including nine in El Paso County. There are three county Colorado State Senate seats up for election.

Every major state‑level office — the governor’s seat, notably — is on the ballot, while Colorado’s 8th Congressional District remains one of the most competitive U.S. House seats in the country.

The Colorado General Assembly also has an unusually high number of open seats this year in both chambers — 21 in the Senate and 65 in the House.

County clerks must mail all ballots by June 12 for the primary election.

Among the shakeups is House District 16, where Republican Rep. Rebecca Keltie won the closest state election in 2024 by just three votes. With Keltie not returning, Jill Haffley and Jamie Koch are hoping for the GOP nomination. The Republican candidate will face off in November against former Democratic Rep. Steph Vigil, who held the seat from 2022 to 2024.

Republican incumbent Sen. Lynda Zamora Wilson, who was a vacancy appointment to Colorado’s 9th Senate District, will face a primary challenge from former State Rep. Terri Carver. Other contested GOP primaries include House District 14 and House District 21.

In House District 17, Chauncey Johnson and Regina English are competing for the Democratic nomination to face Republican candidate Laura Martin.

Two El Paso County Commissioner Districts are up for election this year. Incumbent Lauren Nelson will face former El Paso County GOP chair Vickie Tonkins in the Republican primary for District 5, while former Colorado Springs City Councilwoman Yolanda Avila and Christian Seale are on the Democratic primary ballot.

In District 1, Lindsay Moore and Ryan Graham are hoping for the Republican nomination to replace term-limited Commissioner Holly Williams. The Democratic challenger is Gavin Rainey.

Three congressional districts on the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents are up for election this year, but only one in El Paso County. Republicans Joan Poston and Paul Mueller are running for the GOP nomination to face Democrat Karla Esser.

Governor’s race

The top race on the ballot is the open governor’s seat, with Jared Polis unable to run again because of term limits.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer is running against state Rep. Scott Bottoms and Victor Marx, a political newcomer with a background in ministry work in Colorado Springs.

Colorado has only elected one Republican governor in the last 50 years.

How to vote

The last date to register to vote and still receive a ballot by mail is June 22, but the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office recommends returning a ballot by mail no later than that date to ensure it arrives in time.

Unaffiliated voters will again play a big role in who gets elected, making up slightly over half of all registered voters in El Paso County. They can vote in the primary and will receive ballots for all parties but must return only one to be counted, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

Ballots can be dropped at dozens of 24-hour drop-box locations in the county. The ballot boxes are monitored by constant video surveillance, which can be viewed by the public online. For in-person voters, the Citizen Service Center opened as a Voter Service and Polling Center on Monday. Seven other VSPCs will open closer to election day. Voters can access other services at VSPCs, including help with replacement ballots.

On Election Day, ballots must be received by 7 p.m. For mailed ballots, postmarks don’t count. Residents can track the status of their ballot, from sent to counted, through the BallotTrax system.

For more information and VSPC hours, visit epcvotes.com. Residents can also contact the county directly about elections at 719-575-8683 or elections@elpasoco.com.