Federal, state, and county office elections are partisan, and candidates are generally selected through political party processes. However, there are various ways in which a candidate for county office may access the ballot. They are summarized here:
- Nomination by assembly of a major or minor political party
- Petition as a major or minor political party candidate
- Petition as an unaffiliated candidate
- Write-in affidavit
Nomination
Candidates seeking party nomination should contact their respective political parties. For major and minor political party contact information, please visit our Partner Agencies information page. Some considerations: Unless party rules state otherwise, candidates for nomination by assembly of that party must be registered as affiliated with the party no later than the first business day of January of the election year. To be certified as a candidate at a party assembly, a candidate must receive at least 30% of the votes cast by delegates at the assembly.
- Major party candidates nominated by party assembly are placed on the Primary Election ballot.
- Minor party candidates nominated by assembly are placed on the general election ballot unless there is more than one candidate for that office nominated by assembly and/or petition; then the candidates are placed on the Primary Election ballot.
The certification of Designation by Assembly must be filed by the political party with the designated election official no later than four days after the adjournment of the assembly. Certificates of Designation may be transmitted by fax; however, the original certificate must also be filed and postmarked no later than ten days after the adjournment of the assembly.
Detailed nomination information, including timelines and minimum vote thresholds, is available in Colorado Revised Statutes, C.R.S 1-4-601, “Political Party Designation for Primary Election.” This section of the statutes is available on the Secretary of State website.
Petition
To be nominated by petition, a candidate circulates petitions to registered voters who share their party affiliation to obtain signatures in support of their candidacy.
- Unaffiliated candidates access the ballot through the petition process. Unaffiliated candidates nominated by petition are placed directly on the General Election ballot; there is no primary election for unaffiliated candidates. An unaffiliated candidate must be registered as unaffiliated no later than the first business day of the specific election year to petition for office.
- Affiliated candidates (in a major or minor party) may use the petition option when they do not have sufficient support from their party to get on the Primary or General Election ballot through their party’s assembly process, or if they choose not to pursue the assembly process. However, if a candidate has attempted to be nominated through the assembly process but has failed to receive at least 10% of the votes for the same office, he/she may not petition for that office.
Petitions for county offices must be filed with and reviewed by the County Clerk and Recorder:
Sheri Davis
Douglas County Clerk and Recorder
301 Wilcox Street
Castle Rock, CO 80104
303-660-7469
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Major party candidates pursuing access by petition should review C.R.S. 1-4-801, “Designation of party candidates by petition”; minor party and unaffiliated candidates should review 1-4-802, “Petitions for nominating minor political party and unaffiliated candidates for a partisan office” on the Secretary of State website.
Write-in Candidacy
Write-in candidates’ names do not appear on the ballot, but voters may support them for office by writing in their names. Write-in candidates must file an “Affidavit of Intent” with the County Clerk and Recorder. Review C.R.S. 1-4-1101, “Write-in Candidates,” and contact the County Clerk and Recorder for additional information.