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

1-4-902. Form of petition

Overview of Statute

To place a candidate on the ballot, a petition must contain the signatures of a required number of eligible voters not on any other petition for the office. The top of each page must also contain a warning concerning applicable law printed in bold-faced type.

Statute

(1) The signatures to a petition need not all be appended to one paper, but no petition is legal that does not contain the requisite number of names of eligible electors whose names do not appear on any other petition previously filed for the same office under this section.

(2) At the top of each page shall be printed, in bold-faced type, the following:


WARNING: IT IS AGAINST THE LAW:

For anyone to sign this petition with any name other than one’s own or to knowingly sign one’s name more than once for the same candidate or to knowingly sign the petition when not a registered elector.

Do not sign this petition unless you are an eligible elector. To be an eligible elector you must be registered to vote and eligible to vote in (name of political subdivision) elections.Do not sign this petition unless you have read or have had read to you the proposed nomination petition in its entirety and understand its meaning.

(3) Directly following the warning in subsection (2) of this section shall be printed in bold-faced type the following:

Petition to nominate (name of person sought to be elected to) the office of (title of office).

 

Source: L. 92: Entire part R&RE, p. 687, § 7, effective January 1, 1993.L. 93: (3) amended, p. 1766, § 4, effective June 6.L. 95: (2) and (3) amended, p. 831, § 33, effective July 1.L. 2014: (1) amended, (SB 14-158), ch. 170, p. 622, § 12, effective May 9.

Editor’s note: Subsection (1) is similar to former § 1-4-801 (1)(d) as it existed prior to 1992.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 14-158, see section 1 of chapter 170, Session Laws of Colorado 2014.
Definition [Political subdivision]

A governing subdivision of the state, including counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.

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 [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.

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