Election officials in Colorado assure voters that mail-in balloting will continue after Supreme Court ruling

The midterm elections are coming up in less than three months, and voters across Colorado will start getting their ballots in the mail sooner than that. However, a Monday ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court is leading to some confusion in the state.

The Supreme Court is opening a path for the possible implementation of President Trump's executive order which would restrict mail-in voting. The president's order calls on his administration to create lists of eligible voters and orders the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots to only the people on that list. This order could still be challenged in the future, as the Supreme Court didn't weigh in on the legality, just the ability to challenge the order.

As far as the general election in November goes, election officials in Colorado say that while some people may have concerns, there's nothing to worry about.

"Nothing is changing about the way you vote this November, but that doesn't mean that every voter is going to see that or understand that, and so that is one of my fears: ... that there will just be so much confusion that people will stay home," said Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzales.

Gonzales said many residents have reached out to her office since the SCOTUS ruling.

"The number of text messages that I have gotten saying like 'What level of freakout should I be at?'" she said.  

Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopez also said he doesn't expect any changes for voters in the city.

"We're going to mail you your ballot, and you're going to vote as normal, and you can do that easy as pie," said Lopez.

President Trump has railed against voting by mail for years, claiming without evidence that the method is rife with fraud and even saying voting by mail should be banned.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold is among those who say the federal government should not be interfering with something that the states are already handling. She issued a statement saying "Make no mistake: when the federal government attempts to implement this unlawful Executive Order, Colorado and other states across the country will fight back."

The Department of Justice sued Colorado when Secretary Griswold refused to turn over sensitive voter information to the department, and a federal judge dismissed the suit.

While President Trump's executive order aims to make a federal voter registry list, county clerks here in Colorado say they already have their own voter registration lists, which they constantly keep up to date to make sure that people who are eligible to vote do have access to that mail-in ballot.

Lopez said the situation "tries to create an environment of fear, tries to cast doubt on the American electoral system."

Gonzales agreed. "It's highly concerning that we are even talking about jeopardizing a system that helps voters have their voices heard," she said.