Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced a program Wednesday that will allow voters to fix signature discrepancies using a smartphone in the upcoming general election.

The program, TXT2Cure, is intended to decrease the number of ballots rejected as a result of missing signatures or signature discrepancies.

“I am dedicated to doing everything in my power to make sure that every vote counts,” Griswold said. “Mail ballots have increased participation tremendously in Colorado … TXTt2Cure will help ensure more Colorado voices are heard.”

Griswold said though Colorado has low ballot rejection rates, young voters’ ballots are disproportionately rejected for signature discrepancies because of changing signatures and fewer signatures on file.

In the 2018 general election, 0.52% of ballots cast were rejected because of signature discrepancy. The percentage increased to more than 1.8% for voters between 18 and 19 years old.

The program will allow voters notified of signature discrepancies to fix it via smartphone instead of by mail. 

Once notified, voters can text “Colorado” to 2VOTE (28638) and click the link sent to them. Voter information must be sent to the county clerk for processing before midnight on Nov. 12.

To use the program, voters must enter the voter ID number on their rejection notice, affirm they submitted a ballot for the election, sign the affidavit on their phone and provide a photo of a valid form of ID.

“Voters face disenfranchisement, and their very right to vote is at stake, when they are not given a meaningful and immediate chance to cure their ballot in the case of signature discrepancy,” said Rosemary Lytle, state president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

“TXT2Cure is a real-world, real-time solution and the NAACP commends the Office of the Secretary of State for moving toward this voting innovation.”

Voting participation rates have increased by 9% since Colorado adopted vote-by-mail for all. That includes a 13% increase for Black voters, 10% for Latino voters and 16% for voters 30 years old and younger.

Colorado has the lowest signature rejection rate of any state with vote-by-mail for all and rejection rates have decreased with each election, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Colorado law requires both members of a bipartisan team of election judges to agree that a ballot signature does not match the voter’s file to reject the ballot. The ballot is not opened or counted.

County clerks must notify the voter via U.S. mail within three days of the rejection and no later than two days after Election Day.

Once notified, the voter can sign the sent affidavit and send it to their county election office with a photocopy of their ID. Now, the notification will also include instructions on using the TXT2Cure system.

“(TXT2Cure) will make signature verification and ballot curing options more accessible to young people, who often do not have the printers, scanners and mailing supplies to cure their ballots in the traditional way and are voting for the first time,” said Nicole Hensel, executive director of New Era Colorado.

The Secretary of State’s Office was previously considering using TXT2Cure pending a cyber test, which has since been passed.

Three Colorado counties have used TXT2Cure in previous elections and 16 others piloted the program in the June primary election.

All 64 Colorado counties will use TXT2Cure during the 2020 general election.