Ballots for the June 28 primary elections in Colorado will be mailed to voters the week of June 6. That means now is the time for you to start preparing to cast a meaningful vote in those elections.

By a meaningful vote, we mean a vote that will actually help to decide who will represent you in elected offices in the future. As we will show, not all votes cast are meaningful votes. Many are cast in elections with predetermined outcomes.

We are talking about the state Legislature, seats that have just been redistricted. Redistricting officials divided the Senate and House legislative districts, into what they considered to be three categories: safe-Democratic, safe-Republican and competitive, which could be won by either political party.

To vote effectively, you are going to need to know which of the three types of districts you live in, both House districts and Senate districts.

Yes, this newspaper column requires some civic homework.

Go online and search “Find Your Legislator/Colorado General Assembly.” That will take you to the state government’s interactive maps to find which Senate and  House districts you live in. Move the map around with your cursor until it is roughly over your city or county. Then enlarge the map using the plus and minus tabs in the upper lefthand corner of the screen. Street and road names are a little difficult to read, but stick with it, and you will eventually find your district numbers.

Then search for “Bob Loevy home page” and click on A6, Legislative Races-2022. Using your newly discovered  district numbers, you can easily find out whether your Senate and House districts are considered safe-Democratic (color-coded blue), safe-Republican (red) or competitive (white).

If your Senate or House district is safe-Democratic: You may not have a meaningful legislative vote to cast in the general election. More than 90% of the time, the seat will always go Democratic in the general election. No matter how the mood of the voters may be shifting from one party to another, there is a high probability this particular seat will always be Democratic.

Your interest, then, should shift to the June 28 Democratic primary. If there are two or more contenders for the Democratic nomination, that will be an election in which you can cast a meaningful vote, provided you are either a registered Democrat or a registered unaffiliated voter.

If you are a registered Republican living in a safe-Democratic seat, it is unlikely there will be a Republican primary due to the great difficulty of the GOP nominee winning the general election in November.

If your district is safe-Republican: The same rules apply. Your vote in the general election in November may not be meaningful, because the Republican candidate will win almost all the time. That should shift your major voting interest to the Republican primary next month. If you are a registered Republican or a registered unaffiliated voter, you can cast a meaningful vote in the primary and have a real impact.

Tough luck if you are a registered Democrat living in a safe-Republican district. Your vote in the general election may be meaningless (the Republican candidate always wins). You will not be able to vote in the Republican primary (which will be the meaningful and determining election).

As a result of the 2022 redistricting in Colorado, 73 of the 100 seats in the Senate and House have been drawn either safe-Democratic or safe-Republican. Put another way, 73% of Colorado voters will not be casting a meaningful vote in the legislative general election next fall.

If your state Senate and state House seat is competitive: The 2022 redistricting put 27% of Colorado voters in competitive legislative districts. These are districts drawn in such a way that either the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate can win them.

This limited number of voters will be able to cast meaningful votes for the legislature in the general election. In fact, these are the voters who will determine whether the Democratic or Republican party gains majority control of the Senate and House from 2022 through 2030.

Competitive district voters should take their enhanced  powers seriously. They should make an extra effort to get out to vote. They should learn about the various party candidates running and their qualifications for serving in the legislature.

Competitive district voters also can participate in the upcoming party primary elections in June. Good judgment there will be as important as in the general elections next November.

Things to keep in mind: Remember to get the district numbers for both your Senate and House seats.

State senators serve four-year terms, so only half of them come up for election every two years. Your senator may be a holdover who does not come up for reelection until 2024.

Sometimes there is no party primary because only one candidate has filed for the Senate or House seat. This often happens when a popular incumbent runs for reelection.

Do your homework. Take the time to inform yourself about elections. You’ll be a more effective voter if you know whether you live in a safe-Democratic, safe-Republican, or competitive district.