Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-13.5-1009
If the self-affirmation on the envelope containing an absentee voter's ballot is properly sworn to, one of the election judges shall tear open the voter's identification envelope in the presence of a majority of the judges without defacing the self-affirmation printed thereon or mutilating the enclosed ballot. One of the election judges shall verify the name of the eligible elector and ballot number issued to such elector and carefully remove the stub from the ballot. The ballot must then be cast and counted in the same manner as if the absentee voter had been present in person; except that one of the judges shall deposit the ballot in the ballot box without unfolding it. The absentee vote must be counted and certified separately from the votes of the polling place where it is counted.
C.R.S. § 1-13.5-1009