Youth Programs and Outreach

Photo of Clerk Summer Youth program participants in a meeting
Photo of young election judge
Young voters with
Clerk with summer program participants
Young person registering to vote

Our office is committed to educating and engaging young voters in the electoral process. Our youth programs and engagement efforts provide young people with opportunities to engage on the local level with civic processes from pre-registration through college.

Current Opportunities

Registration and Pre-Registration

Register or pre-register to vote

In Colorado, citizens can pre-register to vote at 16. Pre-registered voters who are 18 years of age or older on an election day may vote in that election.

Deputy Registrars 

Every Colorado high school is required by law to designate a staff member to be trained in Voter Registration.

Colorado Election Law states that every public high school principal must appoint a staff person to help citizens register to vote while on school grounds (this person is the high school deputy registrar). The high school deputy registrar is trained in voter registration basics by their county clerk’s office.

Eliza Pickrell Routt Award

This award, created in 2016, is named after Eliza Pickrell Routt, the first woman registered to vote in Colorado after the state's passage of women's suffrage in 1893. Eliza served as Colorado's first First Lady: her husband John Routt was elected as Colorado's first governor in 1876. In this role, she dedicated herself to equal rights for women and the passage of women's suffrage. Routt helped Colorado become the second state to allow women to vote, the first by popular vote. In honor of her commitment to the passage of women's suffrage, Routt was the first woman registered to vote in Colorado.

This award is given to Colorado high schools that have 85% or more of eligible seniors registered to vote. In its first year of inception in 2016, two Colorado High Schools won the award. With more schools having gained knowledge of the award, they are now creating groups and clubs to work toward the goal of getting at least 85% of seniors registered to vote. As of the end of the 2018-2019 school year, 26 awards have been presented at 17 different schools. If you believe your school has reached 85% (or more) of registered eligible seniors, fill out the application and follow directions on how to submit it. More information is available at the official Secretary of State website.

Student Election Judges

Become an Election Judge and make an impact in your community

Election judges serve an important role in ensuring Denver's elections are safe, secure and accurate. They perform a wide variety of tasks that include assisting voters, verifying information and processing ballots.

Earn income and experience

All assignments are paid between $16 and $20.50 per hour. Election judges receive paid training from the Denver Elections Division and gain a wealth of knowledge about civic engagement and the electoral process.

Engage in a real world service learning opportunity

Working an election is a hands-on way to learn about democracy while earning an income. Students are trained by the Denver Elections Division and work alongside experienced election judges at one of many vote centers across the city or at the division's main office downtown. Both students and teachers benefit.

Student election judges get paid for their time and effort while gaining valuable knowledge and insight on the electoral process. Teachers can support curricula on how democracy depends on citizen participation, election laws, and how votes are processed. Read Denver's Student Election Judge Brochure(PDF, 14MB) for more information.

Internships

The Clerk and Recorder’s Office periodically offers paid collegiate internship opportunities. Check back here for more information on available positions.

University Partners:

  • Auraria: Metro, CU, CCD
  • Regis University
  • University of Denver

Other Programs

Mile High Youth Vote

The mission of this pilot program is to engage and introduce students to the voting process and help kickstart their entry into becoming active, educated voters.  

The aim is to spread this program throughout Denver Public Schools and continue to grow the city's base of active and educated youth voters.

After participating in this program, students will hopefully be inclined and able to discuss the voting process among their peers and homes to foster dialog and civic and community engagement no matter an individual’s or family’s status. 

Participants of the Clerk’s Summer Youth Program began preparations to organize and administer mock elections modeled after Denver’s November 2021 Coordinated Election.

Ballots for the students’ mock election included the same initiatives that appeared on the county’s official ballots. Assisted by the Denver Elections Division, the students designed the ballots, raised awareness about the election, administered the election, then tabulated and shared the results.

Election Day for youth voting was held in October, just as the elections division mailed ballots to more than 460,000 active registered voters in Denver. Our first two pilot schools were DSST: College View and DSST: Conservatory Green. The two schools were in friendly competition with each other for most turnout and the winner received the Inaugural Good Trouble Award.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/mile-high-youth-vote.

Clerk and Recorder Summer Scholars

The Clerk’s Summer Youth Program, a six-course pilot designed to immerse students in the voting process and increase civic engagement, concluded Monday, August 2.

In collaboration with Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) College View and DSST Conservatory Green, the Denver Elections Division taught students all aspects of elections administration, including: voter engagement and communications, operations, data management, ballot design, processing and tabulation, GIS mapping, voter services, election judge recruitment, and budget management.

Students were also introduced to other functions of the Office of the Clerk and Recorder, including Recording, Public Trustee, and City Clerk. If you are interested in becoming a 2022 Clerk and Recorder Scholar please email OCREngagement@denvergov.org.

Ballot Box Art Contest!

High School students are invited to work in teams to paint a ballot box for use in an upcoming election. The winning ballot box will be retired and displayed at the Denver Elections Division. Educators can learn more by emailing OCREngagement@denvergov.org.

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