Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Colorado

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Colorado, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

  1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
  2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
  3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Colorado. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2024 U.S. Congress elections and Colorado elections, 2024

U.S. Senate

For information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Colorado U.S. House Major party 10% of votes cast for the office in the last primary, or 1,500, whichever is less N/A 3/19/2024 Source
Colorado U.S. House Minor party 2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less N/A 4/1/2024 Source
Colorado U.S. House Unaffiliated 2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less N/A 7/11/2024 Source


For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Show more

2022

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2022 U.S. Congress elections and Colorado elections, 2022

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Colorado U.S. Senate Major party 1,500 per congressional district N/A 3/15/2022 Source
Colorado U.S. Senate Minor party 1,000 per congressional district N/A 4/4/2022 Source
Colorado U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 1,000 per congressional district N/A 7/14/2022 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Colorado U.S. House Major party 10% of votes cast for the office in the last primary, or 1,500, whichever is less N/A 3/15/2022 Source
Colorado U.S. House Minor party 2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less N/A 4/4/2022 Source
Colorado U.S. House Unaffiliated 2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less N/A 7/14/2022 Source

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Colorado Governor Major party 1,500 per congressional district N/A 3/15/2022 Source
Colorado Governor Minor party 1,000 per congressional district N/A 4/4/2022 Source
Colorado Governor Unaffiliated 1,000 per congressional district N/A 7/14/2022 Source

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

2020

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2020 U.S. Congress elections and Colorado elections, 2020

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Colorado in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Colorado U.S. Senate Major party 10,500 1,500 per congressional district N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 7,000 1,000 signatures from each congressional district N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Colorado 1st Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 1st Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source
Colorado 2nd Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 2nd Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source
Colorado 3rd Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 3rd Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source
Colorado 4th Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 4th Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source
Colorado 5th Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 5th Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source
Colorado 6th Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 6th Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source
Colorado 7th Congressional District Major party 1,500 1,500 or 10% of votes cast in last primary (whichever is less) N/A N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado 7th Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,500 1,500, or 2.5% of votes cast for office in last election (whichever is less) N/A N/A 7/9/2020 Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Colorado House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Colorado House of Representatives Qualified party 1,000, or 30% of votes cast in the district in the previous primary for the office being sought (whichever is less) N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado House of Representatives Unaffiliated 1,000, or 5% of votes cast in the district in the previous general election for the office being sought (whichever is less) N/A 7/9/2020 Source

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Colorado State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Colorado State Senate Qualified party 1,000, or 30% of votes cast in the district in the previous primary for the office being sought (whichever is less) N/A 3/17/2020 Source
Colorado State Senate Unaffiliated 1,000, or 3.33% of votes cast in the district in the previous general election for the office being sought (whichever is less) N/A 7/9/2020 Source

2018

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2018 U.S. Congress elections and Colorado elections, 2018

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

March 20, 2018

2016

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2016 U.S. Congress elections and Colorado elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important filing deadlines for political candidates in 2016.[1]

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline Event type Event description
April 4, 2016 Ballot access Last day for major/minor party candidates to file candidate petitions for the primary election
April 20, 2016 Ballot access Last day for write-in candidates to file affidavits of intent for the primary election
June 28, 2016 Election date Primary election
July 14, 2016 Ballot access Last day for unaffiliated candidates to file nomination petitions for the general election
July 21, 2016 Ballot access Last day for write-in candidates to file affidavits of intent for the general election
November 8, 2016 Election date General election
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed October 28, 2015

2015


2014

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2014 U.S. Congress elections and Colorado elections, 2014

Process to become a candidate

Seal of Colorado

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 1, Article 4 of the Colorado Revised Statutes

There are different types of candidates in Colorado: major party candidates, minor party candidates, Qualified Political Organization (QPO) candidates, unaffiliated candidates, and write-in candidates. Ballot access methods differ according to the type of candidate.

Requirements for all candidates

There are a number of requirements that all candidates must follow. These include the following:

  1. A candidate for a state office must publicly announce his or her intention to run for office by means of a speech, advertisement, or other communication reported or appearing in public media or in any place accessible to the public. This includes a stated intention to explore the possibility of seeking office.[6]
  2. Each candidate for a state office must submit an audio recording of the correct pronunciation of his or her name.[7] Unaffiliated candidates must submit their audio recordings to the Secretary of State's office within 117 days of a general election.[8]

The qualification of any candidate may be challenged by any eligible elector within five days of the candidate qualifying for the ballot.[9]

Major party candidates

In order to run as a major party candidate, one must have been affiliated with his or her party by the first business day in January of the year of the election, unless party rules say otherwise. The candidate must be nominated in the primary election to move on to the general election as the nominee of the party. There are two methods by which a major party can place candidates on the primary election ballot: nomination by an assembly and nomination by petition.[10][11][12]

Nomination by an assembly

Major parties may hold party assemblies to nominate candidates. At these assemblies, delegates vote on possible candidates and may place up to two candidates per office on the primary ballot. Delegates to party assemblies are chosen at yearly precinct caucuses. The process by which assemblies are held is determined by the individual parties.[13][14]

A major party must hold a nominating assembly no later than 73 days before the primary election. A candidate must receive 30 percent of votes cast by assembly delegates for that office. If no candidate receives 30 percent, a second vote must be taken. If no candidate receives 30 percent at the second vote, the top two vote-getters will be nominated. Within four days of the assembly, a successful candidate must file a written acceptance of candidacy with the presiding officer of the assembly. The presiding officer of the assembly must file a certificate of designation by an assembly, along with the written acceptance of candidacy, with the Colorado Secretary of State. This certificate must state the name of the political party, the name and address of each candidate, and the offices being sought. It must also certify that the candidates have been members of the political party for the required period of time.[11][15][10]

Nomination by petition

A candidate who attempted to be nominated by assembly and failed to receive at least 10 percent of the delegates' votes may not be nominated by petition for that same party.[16]

The nominating petition must be signed by eligible electors who reside in the district the candidate seeks to represent. Candidates who collect the required number of signatures are placed on the primary election ballot. The signature requirements are as follows:[16]

Petition signature requirements for political party candidates
Office sought Number of signatures required
Member of the United States Senate or state executive official 1,500 from each congressional district
Member of the Colorado State Legislature or United States House of Representatives 1,000, or 30 percent of the votes cast in the district in the most recent primary election for the same party and the same office, whichever is less. If there was no primary election, general election numbers should be used.

Minor party candidates

In order to run as a minor party candidate, one must have been affiliated with his or her party by the first business day in January of the year of the election, unless party rules say otherwise. Minor parties nominate their candidates for placement on the general election ballot. If there is more than one candidate nominated for a given office, those candidates are placed on the primary ballot.[17][18]

There are two methods by which minor parties can nominate candidates to be placed on the ballot.

Nomination by assembly

The minor party must hold an assembly no later than 73 days before the primary election. A successful candidate must receive at least 30 percent of the delegates' votes for that office at the assembly.[18]

Nomination by petition

A minor party candidate may be nominated by petition. The petition must be signed by eligible electors in the same district the candidate seeks to represent. The signature requirements are listed in the table below.[17]

Petition signature requirements for minor party candidates
Office sought Number of signatures required
Member of the United States Senate or state executive official 1,000
Member of the United States House of Representatives 1,500, or 2.5 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that congressional district in the last general election, whichever is less
Member of the Colorado State Senate 1,000, or 3.33 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that senate district in the last general election, whichever is less
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives 1,000, or 5 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that house district in the last general election, whichever is less

Qualified Political Organization (QPO) candidates

In order to run as a Qualified Political Organization (QPO) candidate, one must have been affiliated with the QPO for one year. Alternatively, if the organization has not been qualified for one year, the candidate must have been registered as unaffiliated for one year. QPO candidates must petition to be placed on the general election ballot. Each petition must include an affidavit signed under oath by the chairperson and secretary of the QPO and approved by the Colorado Secretary of State. Signature requirements are the same as those for minor party candidates, which are listed above.[17][19][20]

Unaffiliated candidates

In order to run as an unaffiliated candidate, one must be registered as unaffiliated by the first business day in January of the year of the election. An unaffiliated candidate must petition to be placed on the general election ballot. Signature requirements are the same as those for minor party candidates, which are listed above.[17]

Write-in candidates

Write-in candidates are permitted in both the primary and general elections. A write-in candidate must file an affidavit of intent with the Colorado Secretary of State no later than the close of business on the 67th day before a primary election and the 110th day before a general election. No write-in vote will be counted unless the candidate filed an affidavit of intent.[3][21][22]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

In some cases, political parties and/or candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Colorado.

Format requirements

In Colorado, petitions can be used to establish a minor party or to place any type of candidate on the ballot. All petition formats must be approved by the Colorado Secretary of State prior to circulation.[23]

Petitions for candidates may consist of one or more sheets fastened together into one petition section, but each sheet must contain the same heading. Each petition section must contain the sworn affidavit of the circulator. Except for joint candidates, such as governor and lieutenant governor, no petition may contain the name of more than one person for the same office.[24]

Every candidate nominating petition must include the name and address of the candidate, the office being sought, and the name of the major party, minor party, or qualified political organization with which the candidate is affiliated. If the candidate is unaffiliated, that must be designated instead.[25][26]

Signature requirements

Unless physically unable, all signers must include with their signatures their printed names, residence addresses, and the dates on which they signed the petition. Any person, except the circulator, may assist a signer who is physically unable to complete the information on the petition as required by law. On the petition, immediately following the name of the disabled signer, the person providing assistance must sign and also state that assistance was given. If possible, all signatures should be signed in black ink.[27]

Signers of major party candidate petitions must be affiliated with the same party as the candidate. Before signing the petition, they must state to the circulator that they have been affiliated with that party for at least 29 days prior to signing and that they have not signed any other candidate's petition for the same office. Petitions of minor party, qualified political organization, or unaffiliated candidates may be signed by any eligible elector, as long as the signer has not signed any other petition for a candidate running for the same office.[27]

Circulation requirements

Circulator requirements are set forth by Title 1, Article 4, Section 905 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. A petition circulator must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of Colorado. If circulating a petition for a party candidate, the circulator must also be registered as affiliated with the same party as the candidate at the time the petition is circulated.[28]

In order to be accepted by the Colorado Secretary of State, each petition must contain a notarized affidavit, signed and dated by the circulator, that includes the following:[28]

  • the circulator's printed name
  • the circulator's address
  • a statement that the circulator fulfilled all requirements to be a circulator
  • a statement that the circulator circulated the corresponding sections of the petition
  • a statement that every signature on the petition belongs to who it purports to
  • a statement that to the best of the circulator's knowledge and belief, every signer of the petition was an eligible elector at the time of signing
  • a statement that the circulator did not, nor will in the future, pay any signer to sign the petition and that he or she believes no one else did either


Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Colorado can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Colorado County Election Offices

Click here for a list

Secretary of State

1700 Broadway Suite 550
Denver, CO 80290
Phone: 303-894-2200
Fax: 303-869-4861
Email: elections@sos.state.co.us
Website: http://www.sos.state.co.us/

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
Website: https://www.eac.gov



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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.


Term limits

Colorado state executives and legislators are subject to term limits. These limits were established by the Colorado Term Limits Amendment, which voters passed in 1990.

State executives

State Executive Officials
See also: State executives with term limits and States with gubernatorial term limits

The state executive term limits in Colorado are as follows:

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

State legislators in Colorado may serve for eight years in either the Colorado State Senate or the Colorado House of Representatives, meaning senators may serve two four-year terms and representatives four two-year terms.[29]

Congressional partisanship

Portal:Legislative Branch
See also: List of United States Representatives from Colorado and List of United States Senators from Colorado

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Colorado.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Colorado
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 4 6
Republican 0 4 4
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 8 10

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Colorado.

Colorado State Senate

Party As of March 2025
     Democratic Party 23
     Republican Party 12
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Colorado House of Representatives

Party As of March 2025
     Democratic Party 43
     Republican Party 22
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 65

Related legislation

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The table below lists bills related to ballot access requirements for candidates that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Colorado. The following information is included for each bill:

  • State
  • Bill number
  • Official bill name or caption
  • Most recent action date
  • Legislative status
  • Sponsor party
  • Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

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See also

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External links

Official state and federal links

Other information

Footnotes

  1. Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed October 28, 2015
  2. Colorado Secretary of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed February 9, 2015
  3. 3.0 3.1 Ballotpedia phone call with Colorado Secretary of State Office, September 9, 2013
  4. Colorado Secretary of State, "2014 Election Calendar," accessed January 29, 2014
  5. Colorado Secretary of State Website, "2014 State Frequent Filing Calendar," accessed January 30, 2014
  6. Colorado Secretary of State Website, "State Candidates," accessed March 5, 2025
  7. Colorado Secretary of State, "Audio Recording Instructions," accessed March 5, 2025
  8. Colorado Secretary of State, "Unaffiliated Candidate Petition," March 5, 2025
  9. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 501," accessed March 5, 2025
  10. 10.0 10.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Major Party Assembly Designation," accessed March 5, 2025
  11. 11.0 11.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 601," accessed February 5, 2025
  12. Colorado Secretary of State, "Major Political Parties FAQs," accessed March 5, 2025
  13. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named costatute602
  14. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 602," accessed March 5, 2025
  15. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 604," accessed March 5, 2025
  16. 16.0 16.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 801," accessed March 5, 2025
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 802," accessed March 5, 2025
  18. 18.0 18.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 1304," accessed March 5, 2025
  19. Colorado Election Rules, "Rule 3: Rules Concerning Qualified Political Organizations," accessed March 6, 2025
  20. Colorado Secretary of State, "Minor Parties and Qualified Political Organizations FAQs," accessed March 6, 2025
  21. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 1102," accessed March 6, 2025
  22. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 1101," accessed March 6, 2025
  23. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 903," accessed March 6, 2025
  24. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 901," accessed March 6, 2025
  25. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 801," accessed March 6, 2025
  26. Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 802," accessed March 6, 2025
  27. 27.0 27.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 904," accessed March 6, 2025
  28. 28.0 28.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 905," accessed March 6, 2025
  29. Colorado General Assembly, "Colorado General Assembly Overview," accessed March 6, 2025