About Us

A photo of the Denver Elections Division headquarters

Welcome to the Denver Clerk and Recorder's Office!

The Denver Clerk and Recorder (DCR), an independently elected office held by the Honorable Paul D. Lopez, performs the legally mandated duties of a clerk and recorder in Colorado, encompassing the City Clerk, County Recorder, Public Trustee, and Chief Elections Official functions.

The Clerk has three appointees: a Deputy Clerk and Recorder/Chief of Staff, a Senior Strategic Advisor and a Senior Policy Advisor.

By City Charter, the office of the Denver Clerk & Recorder is composed of the City Clerk, County Recorder, Public Trustee, and Chief Elections Official.

The Clerk is also:

  • A member of the Citywide Records Management Committee
  • Attester to the signature of the mayor
  • Co-signer of all city ordinances and contracts
  • Custodian of the City Seal

The Denver Clerk & Recorder is unique in Colorado. Unlike the clerks and recorders in other Colorado counties, the Denver Clerk & Recorder:

  • Does not administer vehicle registrations (this responsibility resides in the Department of Finance)
  • Does administer foreclosures and perform other Public Trustee functions (this is a county treasurer function in many other Colorado counties)

Get to know Denver's Elected Clerk, the Honorable Paul D. López

 

Read Clerk Paul D. López's Bio

Headshot of Clerk Lopez

Clerk Paul D. López is a dedicated public servant and proud Denver native, committed to ensuring that government is accessible, equitable, and transparent for all residents of the City and County of Denver. As the elected Clerk and Recorder, he brings a lifelong passion for civic engagement and public service to the role.

Before becoming Denver’s third elected Clerk and Recorder, Clerk López served three terms on Denver City Council, representing District 3 on the city’s west side. He made history as the youngest person ever elected to Council and led transformative efforts to revitalize West Denver—improving streets, parks, sidewalks, and public spaces, while supporting local artists by turning graffiti-covered areas into vibrant urban murals. His work also prioritized healthier communities, helping bring grocery stores, health clinics, libraries, and recreation centers to underserved neighborhoods.

A graduate of Denver Public Schools and the University of Colorado Denver, Clerk López worked multiple jobs to put himself through college. During that time, he advocated for low-income and first-generation students and later served as a community and labor organizer, fighting for affordable housing, access to public healthcare, and better working conditions for thousands of Denver-area janitors.

Clerk López has led numerous grassroots voter registration efforts focused on communities with historically low turnout. His commitment to civic participation extended to national leadership as a board member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), where he helped build pathways to public service and civic leadership. He also chaired Denver’s 2010 Census Complete Count Committee and led the City Council’s redistricting process.

Over the years, Clerk López has been recognized for his leadership with numerous honors, including the Wellington E. Webb Political Award from the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, the Vale la Pena Award from the Boy Scouts of America, and recognition from President Barack Obama’s White House as an emerging national leader.

Today, Clerk López continues to serve Denver with a clear focus on ensuring elections, campaign finance, public records, and marriage licensing are fair, accessible, and secure. He lives in Denver’s Villa Park neighborhood and is the proud father of his daughter, Nayeli.


Read the Vision, Mission, and Values of the Denver Clerk and Recorder

Vision

We envision a Denver where democratic participation, marriage equality, accessible records, and fair processes are fundamental rights for all.  

Mission

To serve the people of Denver by providing accessible, reliable and secure civic services. 

Values

Across all departments, the City and County of Denver collaborated to design new citywide values for 2024.

Listen - Respectful Inclusivity
Employees will demonstrate active listening and continuous learning when engaging with others, collaboration with city coworkers, Denver residents, and the broader community to achieve shared goals and positive outcomes, a championing a culture of inclusivity and respect; and a striving to find solutions across departments and teams. 

Dare - Drive Innovation
Employees will dare to be bold and creative, driven to deliver breakthrough solutions with speed and efficiency, and actively contribute to a culture that embraces continuous improvement.

Deliver - Accountable
Employees will take initiative, identify problems and solutions, rise to meet challenges, and adapt to change. Employees will follow through on commitments and take responsibility for results and timely completion of tasks. Employees will exceed the needs and expectations of those we serve. 


Clerk López in the Community

Clerk López believes that democracy works best when it’s personal, accessible, and rooted in community. He is deeply committed to staying connected with the people of Denver—listening, learning, and sharing how our office serves residents every day.

If you’d like Clerk López or a representative from our office to speak at your event, organization, or community gathering, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the request form below, and let’s continue building a more engaged and informed Denver — together.

Invite Clerk López to Speak at your Event


What We Do

The Denver Clerk and Recorder manages and safeguards the city’s vital processes, including administering elections, managing access to marriage licenses and civil union partnerships, manage public records, recording documents, overseeing property foreclosures, managing Campaign Finance, and preserving the city's permanent records

Denver Elections

Visit the Denver Elections homepage here

Contact The Elections Division
R. Todd Davidson, Elections Director
200 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204
720-913-VOTE
elections@denvergov.org

Ballot Services Unit – This unit focuses on election integrity, creation of ballot materials, overseeing mail ballot voting processes, managing ballot verification and processing, and petition verification.

Elections IT Services Unit – This unit is responsible for the comprehensive management and support of election technology systems, encompassing development, maintenance, and security. This involves conducting systems fit-gap analyses and managing technology requests for proposals, designing and maintaining robust data security systems and policies, providing cybersecurity research and education, offering business intelligence, asset management, and desktop support (including for hundreds of temporary election judges), and managing data architecture and analytics to ensure the integrity and efficiency of election systems.

Elections Personnel and Training Unit – This unit is responsible for the management of hundreds of temporary workers hired to ensure adequate and qualified staffing for each election, including recruitment, hiring, onboarding, placement, training, payroll, and offboarding, as well as coordination of specialized programs to recruit City employees and students as election judges.

Voting Infrastructure and Logistics Unit – This unit is central to the operational execution of elections, including managing ballot production, voting site logistics, managing election supplies, overseeing voting systems management and administration, maintaining address libraries and performing geospatial analysis, providing logistical field support, preparing reports and maps, and coordinating the critical canvassing, tabulation and compilation of election results.

Voter Services – This unit is responsible for all aspects of customer relations for voters, including voter registration, managing Denver’s interactions with the statewide voter registration system (SCORE), operating the Election Call Center, coordinating voter correspondence, auditing and supporting Voter Service and Polling Centers, overseeing Early Voting and out-of-county ballot transfers, overseeing jail and group residential voting programs, serving voters with disabilities and voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

Recording

Visit the Recording homepage here

Contact the Recording Division
Cassandra Sale, Director of Recordings
201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80202
720-913-1311
recording@denvergov.org

City Clerk – This unit oversees City functions, including oversight of campaign finance, lobbying and ethics reporting, management of the Fair Elections Fund, maintaining Citywide legislative and legal records (such as city codes, ordinances and contracts), managing publication of notices for the city, acting as DCR’s records custodian.

Public Trustee – This unit holds property titles in trust when a borrower uses that property as collateral for a loan. The Public Trustee’s two primary responsibilities are to 1) administer foreclosures according to law, selling homes at auction when necessary, and 2) executing the release of deeds of trust to remove mortgage liens from a property.

Recording Unit – This unit provides two primary services: recording and maintaining real estate transactions that provide proof of land ownership (including title transfers, deeds, etc.), and issuing and recording marriage and civil union licenses and certificates. Both services operate under the authority of Colorado law and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Operations Division

Contact the Operations Division
David Hughes, Chief Operating Officer
201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80202
720-913-1311

Administrative Support Unit – This unit provides administrative support of all DCR staff, including employee on- and off-boarding, orientation, development and certification, ordering of office supplies, facility scheduling and management, procurement assistance, continuity of operations, and emergency and contingency planning.

Finance and Accounting Unit – This unit is responsible for all aspects of DCR’s budget and fiscal operations management, monitoring and oversight, including forecasting, compliance, accounting, personnel, grants, contracts, procurement/purchasing, and financial audits.

Information Technology Services Unit – This unit provides all non-elections technology services for DCR, including systems, desktop support, data security, privacy, and general operational support.

Executive Functions

In addition to DCR’s three divisions, the appointed Executive Office oversees three additional units:

Policy and Compliance Unit – This unit leads DCR’s legislative, policy and regulatory compliance efforts, including tracking, drafting and advising on municipal, state and federal legislation and administrative rules. The unit oversees campaign finance violation complaints, working with independent hearing officers, noticing hearings, providing evidence and drafting reports. The unit also reviews, coordinates and maintains DCR’s policies and procedures.

Contact the Policy and Compliance Unit
Ben Schler, Senior Policy Advisor
200 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204
crcompliance@denvergov.org

Community Engagement Unit – This unit engages directly with the public to provide information and updates on agency services and resources, develops partnerships that advance civic education priorities, facilitates training and community conversations, and gathers public feedback to inform DCR's work. These strategies are focused in under-resourced and under-represented Denver communities. The team also manages key programs like the State-mandated High School Deputy Registrar and City Charter-mandated ACCESO Spanish-language advisory board.

Contact the Community Engagement Unit
Sonya Ulibarri, Senior Strategic Advisor
200 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204
OCREngagement@denvergov.org

Communications Unit – This unit supports DCR with internal and external communications, including content and messaging development, graphic design, photography and videography, media relations, website and social media management, and newsletter production. They inform constituents, counter misinformation, and enhance user experience across DCR functions.

Contact the Communications Unit
Mikayla Ortega, Communications Manager
200 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204
Media Line: 720-413-4796
DCR Media Email: clerkandrecordermedia@denvergov.org
Elections Media Email:electionscomm@denvergov.org


Plans and Reports

2025-2027 Strategic Plan

Coming Soon!

2024 General Election Report

We are excited to share our first comprehensive Voter Turnout Report, an important step toward increasing transparency, demonstrating accountability, and providing insights into voter behavior and trends.

Read our 2024 General Election Report(PDF, 10MB)

 

 

 

 


Contact Us

 


Searching for motor vehicle title and registration information? The Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder does not process license plates or license plate renewals. Please visit Denver Motor Vehicle.