On Oct. 7, the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder’s office held a voter registration and voting information event at All Roads Shelter.
Mircalla Wozniak, with the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, said this is the first time the office has partnered with All Roads.
“We reached out to them for the first time this year to try this pilot event to come in and work with their community and members,” she said.
Wozniak said for many people at the shelter, registering to vote may not be a top priority, which is why the event is being hosted.
“We understand that if you have housing insecurity, that if you're in housing transition unhoused, that voting may not be top of mind,” she said. “You may not realize that you still have the right to vote if you are in between spaces. Or not know how to go about it, or be embarrassed to ask those questions. So we want to make ourselves available.”
Spencer Downing, chief shelter program officer at All Roads, said the event also serves as a reminder that people experiencing homelessness have a stake in society.
“Part of the experience of being homeless in America right now is feeling so removed from the rest of society and feeling so excluded, and so for many people, remembering that you are a citizen and that you have rights can often be one of the most difficult things,” Downing said.
Voters in Boulder are deciding on Ballot Measure 1B, which would create a new sales and use tax to fund mental and behavioral health and addiction services. In addition, there are four open seats on the city council. Downing said those ballot questions have a direct impact on the people who rely on the shelter’s services.
“It's really important that they understand that their participation matters and that their voice matters, and that when they weigh in, they have as much right as anybody with a lot more resources and a lot more financial resources that aren't necessarily tied to your rights as a citizen,” he said.
“And so that's one of the things we hope that people will recognize even as we want them to vote, however they believe they ought to vote.”
About an hour into the voter registration drive at All Roads, a handful of people had checked their registration and a couple more had registered. One of them is Todd Halderman, a client of All Roads.
“What I love about the outreach that Boulder's doing is really not discriminating against the homeless population or, you know, judging anybody that has been put in this situation,” he said.
Halderman said he appreciates having the option to vote by mail but prefers to cast his ballot in person.
“I just kind of like that process, you know.”
Wozniak said, however people choose to vote, she wants them to know help is available.
“Don't be afraid to pick up the phone, call your local Clerk and Recorder elections office. They're there to help you or stop into their vote center,” she said.
“All our election judges, staff, everyone is really here for the same purpose, which is to make sure everyone that is eligible to vote and wants to vote is able to.”
All Colorado voters can check their voter registration online.
Copyright 2025 Rocky Mountain Community Radio. This story was shared via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, including Aspen Public Radio.
