The staff at the Denver Elections Division received a handwritten letter in the mail this week.
A woman named Kathy had decided to write in about her mother, Charlotte, and the note is truly short and sweet.
Kathy's letter, penned on flowery purple stationary, explains that her mother felt passionate about her right to vote, but Charlotte needs to be removed from the list of registered voters. She just passed away:
Denver Elections Div.
This note is to let you know that Denver voter Charlotte [last name] has passed away. Please remove her name from your rolls.
Just a note - Charlotte was almost 101 and never missed voting in any election since she was old enough to exercise that privilege. Thank you!
-Kathy (Daughter)
In case you're wondering, like we were, Next checked in with Denver Elections to ask if a letter is enough to pull someone off the voter registry.
The answer is no. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment updates a database that catalogs deceased people - which Denver Elections can access - every month.
If one of those names matches a name in the Denver Elections database, they'll cross-check the death records with information they have to see if it's the same person. Details from three official records - including a social security number, address or driver's license number, for example - have to match to confirm a person's identity.
Then, the elections office will remove the name from its list of registered voters.
While a nice note like this isn't necessary, Denver Elections tells Next they can start checking the name right away, so it will speed up the removal process.
Denver Elections tells us they received Charlotte's primary ballot in the mail on June 18. She died four days later. Her 101st birthday would have been June 26 - primary election day.
