Considering candidacy for an elected office? You’ll find the information included here useful, but be sure to refer to the website of the Office of the Secretary of State and Colorado Revised Statutes and election rules for comprehensive information regarding election procedures and consult with legal counsel.
Verify that your voter registration, date of registration, and party affiliation are accurate and up to date by visiting GoVoteColorado.gov and selecting Find My Registration. Your party affiliation and registration date may impact your candidacy options: “No person is eligible for designation by assembly as a candidate for nomination at any primary election unless the person was affiliated with the political party holding the assembly, as shown in the statewide voter registration system, no later than the 1st business day of the January immediately preceding the primary election, unless otherwise provided by party rules.” (C.R.S. 1-4-601 (4)(A))
County office candidates, including Assessor, Clerk, Commissioner, Coroner, Sheriff, and Surveyor must meet qualifications outlined in General Qualifications for County Office.
Candidates must meet citizenship and residency qualifications, outlined on the Secretary of State website.
Candidates should contact their municipal offices and review information available on their websites:
Special District election candidates should contact their district offices for information.
Candidates will find guidelines on the Secretary of State School District Information web page, and by contacting the Designated Election Official at the Douglas County School District. School board, as well as municipal and special district elections, are non-partisan with unique nomination processes.
Federal, state, and county office elections are partisan, and candidates are generally selected through political party processes. However, there are various ways in which a candidate for county office may access the ballot. They are summarized here:
Candidates seeking party nomination should contact their respective political parties. For major and minor political party contact information, please visit our Partner Agencies information page. Some considerations: Unless party rules state otherwise, candidates for nomination by assembly of that party must be registered as affiliated with the party no later than the first business day of January of the election year. To be certified as a candidate at a party assembly, a candidate must receive at least 30% of the votes cast by delegates at the assembly.
The certification of Designation by Assembly must be filed by the political party with the designated election official no later than four days after the adjournment of the assembly. Certificates of Designation may be transmitted by fax; however, the original certificate must also be filed and postmarked no later than ten days after the adjournment of the assembly.
Detailed nomination information, including timelines and minimum vote thresholds, is available in Colorado Revised Statutes, C.R.S 1-4-601, “Political Party Designation for Primary Election.” This section of the statutes is available on the Secretary of State website.
To be nominated by petition, a candidate circulates petitions to registered voters who share their party affiliation to obtain signatures in support of their candidacy.
Petitions for county offices must be filed with and reviewed by the County Clerk and Recorder:
Sheri Davis
Douglas County Clerk and Recorder
301 Wilcox Street
Castle Rock, CO 80104
303-660-7469
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Major party candidates pursuing access by petition should review C.R.S. 1-4-801, “Designation of party candidates by petition”; minor party and unaffiliated candidates should review 1-4-802, “Petitions for nominating minor political party and unaffiliated candidates for a partisan office” on the Secretary of State website.
Write-in candidates’ names do not appear on the ballot, but voters may support them for office by writing in their names. Write-in candidates must file an “Affidavit of Intent” with the County Clerk and Recorder. Review C.R.S. 1-4-1101, “Write-in Candidates,” and contact the County Clerk and Recorder for additional information.
Comprehensive campaign finance information is available on the Colorado Secretary of State website. The website contains detailed information about all aspects of campaign finance and disclosure, including two useful links:
