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Colorado > Colorado Electoral Code > Elections - Access To Ballot By Candidates

1-4-1101. Write-in candidate affidavit of intent

Overview of Statute

Write-in candidates must file affidavits of intent stating that they desire and are qualified for the office with the secretary of state for statewide races, congress, general assembly, district attorney, or a district office of state concern. They must file the affidavits of intent to run for county office with the county clerk and recorder, and for local office, with the designated election official. Write-in candidates for governor must designate their choices for lieutenant governor.

No write-in vote will be counted unless the affidavits are timely filed with the proper office.

Statute

(1) A person who wishes to be a write-in candidate for an office in an election shall file an affidavit of intent stating that he or she desires the office and is qualified to assume its duties if elected. A write-in candidate for governor shall designate in the affidavit a write-in candidate for lieutenant governor. The affidavit shall be filed with the secretary of state if it is for a statewide office, a seat in congress, a seat in the general assembly, the office of district attorney, or any other district office of state concern. The affidavit shall be filed with the county clerk and recorder if it is for a county office and with the designated election official if it is for a local office.

(2) No write-in vote for an office in an election shall be counted unless the person for whom the vote was cast filed the affidavit of intent required by subsection (1) of this section within the time prescribed by section 1-4-1102. No write-in vote for a candidate for governor shall be counted unless the person designated as the write-in candidate for lieutenant governor pursuant to subsection (1) of this section also filed an affidavit of intent within the time prescribed by section 1-4-1102.

 

Source: L. 92: Entire part R&RE, p. 695, § 7, effective January 1, 1993.L. 96: (1) amended, p. 1741, § 27, effective July 1.L. 2007: Entire section amended, p. 1973, § 12, effective August 3.

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 The substantive provisions of these articles were repealed and reenacted in 1980, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter.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. This article was numbered as articles 10 and 11 of chapter 49, C.R.S. 1963. For additional historical information concerning the repeal and reenactment of articles 1 to 13 of this title in 1980, see the editor’s note immediately following the title heading for this title.

Cross references: For election offenses relating to access to ballot by candidates, see part 4 of article 13 of this title.

Law reviews: For article, “Constitutional Law”, which discusses a Tenth Circuit decision dealing with minor party ballot access, see 61 Den. L.J. 217 (1984); for article, “Constitutional Law”, which discusses a Tenth Circuit decision dealing with minor party ballot access, see 62 Den. U. L. Rev. 101 (1985).

Editor’s note: Articles 1 to 13 were repealed and reenacted in 1980, and this part 11 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 part 11 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 articles 1 to 13 for 1980 and of this part 11 for 1992, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.

Editor’s note: This section is similar to former § 1-4-1001 as it existed prior to 1992.
 
ANNOTATION

Holding that this section and § 1-7-309 do not conflict. This section regulates the conduct of write-in candidates and prohibits the write-in candidate who fails to file an affidavit of intent from accumulating votes whereas § 1-7-309 regulates the conduct of voters and rejects ballots showing more names than persons to be elected to an office. Moran v. Carlstrom, 775 P.2d 1176 (Colo. 1989) (decided under former law).
Annotation: June 16, 2016 10:00 pm

According to the rules, “write-in vote” means a vote where the voter physically writes in the name of a qualified write-in candidate in the space reserved on the ballot for write-in votes and properly marks the target area according to voter instructions.

Definition [Designated election official]

The secretary of state, a county clerk and recorder, or other election official as provided by article XXI of the state constitution. C.R.S. § 1-12-100.5.

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: Hanlen v. Gessler

Citation: 333 P.3d 41 (Colo. 2014)

Year: 2014

Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/981336a95d3689adc8b42406ab7bafa6

Case Summary: Holding that Secretary of State acted in excess of his rulemaking authority in making rule that permitted designated election official to determine, after ballots had been printed, that an individual appearing on the ballot was not qualified for office, and directed that votes cast for that individual were invalid.

Out-of-State Cases

Federal Cases

Case Name: Riddle v. Hickenlooper

Citation: 742 F.3d 922 (10th Cir. 2014)

Federal Circuit Court: 10th Circuit Court

Year: 2014

Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/099efed8d517e98a9e9ab6ca7faa5de8?query=742%20F[...]

Case Summary: Holding that disfavored contributors to campaign of unaffiliated write-in candidate were similarly situated to favored contributors supporting her Republican and Democratic opponents; classification in statute violated the fundamental right to contribute as form of political expression; and statutory classification also violated the right to equal protection.

Regulations & Guidance