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

1-4-903. Approval of petition

Overview of Statute

Only petitions whose form has been approved as satisfying this title’s requirements may be circulated. Officials who certify a petition will mail written notice of the action taken to the person who submitted the petition on the day the action is taken.

Statute

No petition shall be circulated until it has been approved as meeting the requirements of this section as to form. The secretary of state or the official with whom the petitions are to be filed shall approve or disapprove a petition as to form by the close of the second business day following submission of the proposed petition.

The secretary of state or official, as applicable, shall mail written notice of the action taken to the person who submitted the petition on the day the action is taken.

 

Source: L. 92: Entire part R&RE, p. 688, § 7, effective January 1, 1993.L. 95: Entire section amended, p. 832, § 34, effective July 1.L. 96: Entire section amended, p. 1740, § 25, effective July 1.

Cross references: For filing a certificate of designation, see § 1-4-604; for convention nominations, see § 1-4-701.
 
ANNOTATIONS

Annotator’s note. The following annotations are taken from a case decided under a former provision similar to this section.

Holding that the “vacancy” section must be construed in the light of the two-pronged framework for the designation and nomination of candidates either by the party assembly or by petition. Anderson v. Mullaney, 166 Colo. 533, 444 P.2d 878 (1968).

Holding that a vacancy comes into being when a party assembly fails to designate any candidate for nomination to a particular office. Anderson v. Mullaney, 166 Colo. 533, 444 P.2d 878 (1968).

Holding that such a “vacancy” continues to exist until it is filled by the party central committee or the time for filing it expires by the term of the statute. Anderson v. Mullaney, 166 Colo. 533, 444 P.2d 878 (1968).

Holding that the “vacancy” created by the party assembly’s failure to designate a candidate for nomination may be filled by the subsequent action of the appropriate party central committee. Anderson v. Mullaney, 166 Colo. 533, 444 P.2d 878 (1968).

Holding that even though a candidate for party nomination has in the interim between the assembly and the action of the central committee been placed on the primary ballot by petition. Anderson v. Mullaney, 166 Colo. 533, 444 P.2d 878 (1968).

Definition [Circulated]

Presented to an elector for the collection of a signature and other information required by this article. 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 [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 [Secretary]

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

Definition [Committee]

The committee of signers described in section 1-12-108(2). C.R.S. § 1-12-100.5.

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: Anderson v. Mullaney

Citation: 444 P.2d 878 (Colo. 1968)

Year: 1968

Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/8b66c712c877153ebfb30a600f65546f

Case Summary: Holding that petitioner, who had been designated by a vacancy committee of the party county central committee as a candidate of county assembly, was entitled to have his name placed on ballot as the assembly candidate even though another party successfully challenged petitioner’s right to have his name appear on the primary ballot.

Out-of-State Cases

Federal Cases

Regulations & Guidance