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Colorado > Colorado Electoral Code > Certificates of Election And Election Contests

1-11-101. Tie votes at partisan elections

Overview of Statute

Two houses of the general assembly using a joint ballot will resolve any tie in votes in the general election for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, and attorney general. Ties in votes for presidential electors, United States senators, representatives in congress, regents of the university of Colorado, members of the state board of education, state senators, state representatives, and district attorneys will be decided by the secretary of state with notice given to the candidates approximating the timeframe for a decision. The candidates themselves must determine a process for deciding the winner of any primary election within a party that results in a tie. Should the candidates fail to decide on a procedure within five days, the secretary of state must instead determine a proper process to use. Lastly, the canvass board will decide the winner of any election for county office that results in a tie, with notice given to the candidates that includes an expected timeframe for a decision.

Statute

(1) If at any general or congressional vacancy election, after all recounts have been completed, any two or more pairs of joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor or if two or more candidates for the offices of secretary of state, state treasurer, or attorney general tie for the highest number of votes for the same office, one of the pairs or one of the individual candidates shall be chosen by the two houses of the general assembly on a joint ballot.

(2) If at any general or congressional vacancy election, after all recounts have been completed, any two or more persons tie for the highest number of votes for presidential electors, for United States senator, for representative in congress, for regent of the university of Colorado, for member of the state board of education, for state senator or state representative, or for district attorney, the secretary of state shall proceed to determine by lot which of the candidates shall be declared elected. Reasonable notice shall be given to the candidates of the time when the election will be determined.

(3) If at any primary election, after all recounts have been completed, any two or more candidates for an office other than a county office of the same political party tie for the highest number of votes for the same office, the tie shall be resolved in a manner agreed upon by the tying candidates. In case the candidates fail to agree on the method of resolution within five days after the canvass is complete, the tie shall be resolved by lot to be cast as the secretary of state may determine.

(4) If at any primary election involving a county office, after all recounts have been completed, two or more candidates of the same political party tie for the highest number of votes for the same office, the canvass board shall determine by lot the person who shall be elected. The canvass board shall provide the candidates affected by the tie vote reasonable notice of the time when the election will be determined.

 

 

Source: L. 92: Entire article R&RE, p. 783, § 14, effective January 1, 1993.L. 99: Entire section amended, p. 488, § 14, effective July 1

 

Editor’s note: Articles 1 to 13 were numbered as articles 1, 3, 4, 9 to 19, and 21 of chapter 49, C.R.S. 1963. The substantive provisions of these articles were repealed and reenacted in 1980, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to these articles prior to 1980, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume. Former C.R.S. numbers prior to 1980 are shown in editor’s notes following those sections that were relocated. For a detailed comparison of these articles for 1980, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.

Cross references: For school elections, see articles 30, 31, and 42 of title 22; for elections for removal of county seats, see article 8 of title 30; for municipal elections, see article 10 of title 31; for special district elections, see part 8 of article 1 of title 32; for exemption of certain statutory proceedings from the rules of civil procedure, see C.R.C.P. 81; for recall from office, see article XXI of the state constitution; for recall of state and county officers, see part 1 of article 12 of this title; for recall of municipal officers, see part 5 of article 4 of title 31; for recall of directors of special districts, see § § 32-1-906, 32-1-907.


Editor’s note: Articles 1 to 13 were repealed and reenacted in 1980, and this article was subsequently repealed and reenacted in 1992, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to this article prior to 1992, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume and the editor’s note following the title heading. Former C.R.S. section numbers are shown in editor’s notes following those sections that were relocated in 1992. For a detailed comparison of this article for 1980 and 1992, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.

Editor’s note: Subsection (2) is similar to former § 1-10-104 (3)(a), and subsection (3) is similar to former § 1-10-104 (3)(b), as they existed prior to 1992.

Cross references: For appointment of the original county board of canvassers, see § 1-10-101 (1)(a).

Definition [United States]

Used in the territorial sense, means the several states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.

Definition [Political party]

Any group of registered electors who, by petition or assembly, nominate candidates for the official general election ballot. “Political party” includes affiliated party organizations at the state, county, and election district levels, and all such affiliates are considered to be a single entity for the purposes of this article, except as otherwise provided in section 7. Section 2(13) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Definition [State]

A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.

Definition [Title]

A brief statement that fairly and accurately represents the true intent and meaning of the proposed text of the initiative.

Definition [Ballot]

(a) A federal write-in absentee ballot;

(b) A ballot specifically prepared or distributed for use by a covered voter in accordance with this article; or

(c) A ballot cast by a covered voter in accordance with this article.

(2) “Covered voter” means:

(a) A uniformed-service voter defined in paragraph (a) of subsection (9) of this section who is a resident of this state but who is absent from this state by reason of active duty and who otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements;

(b) An overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, was last eligible to vote in this state and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements;

(c) An overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, would have been last eligible to vote in this state had the voter then been of voting age and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements; or

(d) An overseas voter who was born outside the United States, is not described in paragraph (b) or (c) of this subsection (2), and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements if the last place where a parent, legal guardian, spouse, or civil union partner of the voter was, or under this article would have been, eligible to vote before leaving the United States is within this state.

C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.

Definition [Person]

Any natural person, partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization, political party, or other organization or group of persons. Section 2(11) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Definition [Section]

A bound compilation of initiative forms approved by the secretary of state, which shall include pages that contain the warning required by section 1-40-110 (1), the ballot title, the abstract required by section 1-40-110 (3), and a copy of the proposed measure; succeeding pages that contain the warning, the ballot title, and ruled lines numbered consecutively for registered electors’ signatures; and a final page that contains the affidavit required by section 1-40-111 (2). Each section shall be consecutively prenumbered by the petitioner prior to circulation.

Definition [Election]

Any election under the “Uniform Election Code of 1992” or the “Colorado Municipal Election Code of 1965”, article 10 of title 31, C.R.S. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.

Definition [Secretary]

The Colorado secretary of state. C.R.S. § 1-1.5-102.

Definition [Candidate]

Any person who seeks nomination or election to any state or local public office that is to be voted on in this state at any primary election, general election, school district election, special district election, or municipal election. “Candidate” also includes a judge or justice of any court of record who seeks to be retained in office pursuant to the provisions of section 25 of article VI. A person is a candidate for election if the person has publicly announced an intention to seek election to public office or retention of a judicial office and thereafter has received a contribution or made an expenditure in support of the candidacy. A person remains a candidate for purposes of this article so long as the candidate maintains a registered candidate committee. A person who maintains a candidate committee after an election cycle, but who has not publicly announced an intention to seek election to public office in the next or any subsequent election cycle, is a candidate for purposes of this article. Section 2(2) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Cases

Colorado Cases

Case Name: Nicholls v. Barrick

Citation: 62 P. 202 (Colo. 1900)

Year: 1900

Case Summary: Holding that the intention of the voter for a fusion candidate, despite any confusion caused by the ballot, determined the allocation of the vote.

Out-of-State Cases

Federal Cases