United States – Colorado (Primary Election, 30 June 2026)

Wildfires in Colorado

A severe wildfire outbreak occurred in Colorado in late June 2026. Five major fires burned across the state, thought to be driven by hot, dry and windy conditions which were exacerbated by record-low levels of snowpack through the winter (Mackoy 2026; Brash 2026). The fires forced evacuations in several communities, damaged homes and other structures, and prompted emergency declarations as firefighters struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes (Mitchell 2026). 

Tuesday, 30 June was Colorado’s primary election day. The statewide wildfires prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents. The fires also forced the closures of roads, and hence disrupted transportation routes to the polling places and ballot drop boxes (Brash 2026). 

Despite the threat of wildfires, only one ballot drop box in Beulah, Pueblo County closed, only as a result of a mandatory evacuation order. Another 436 drop boxes and 127 voting centers remained open across the state, according to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (Brash 2026). 

Voters who lost access to their ballots could request replacements from a local voting center, of which none had closed statewide. In addition to this, voters could request emergency ballots should they have been confined to a hospital, restricted to their home or evacuated due to wildfires. Once approved, voters could upload their ballot online or authorize a representative to deliver the ballot (Brash 2026). 

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said that her office was working with county-level officials to dispatch teams to the firefighters themselves to assist them with casting their votes (Parkins 2026). 

Author: Sam Scowen