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Brian Cotter recall, Pueblo County, Colorado (2025)
| Brian Cotter recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Colorado Colorado recall laws County official recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter ended with his resignation on August 28, 2025.[2] The recall effort was launched by David Jiron, Paulette Anaya, and Annette Garcia on August 26, 2025.[3]
Recall supporters
The recall petition was filed in response to a criminal investigation into Cotter. The investigation began after 24 decomposing bodies, numerous boxes of bones, and suspected human tissue were discovered at Cotter's private mortuary.[4]
After the criminal investigation began, numerous elected officials in Colorado called on Cotter to resign. In an August 23 press release, "Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham, six members of Pueblo City Council, all members of the Pueblo Board of County Commissioners, and the county's assessor, treasurer, and clerk and recorder, called on Cotter to resign."[5] Colorado Governor Jared Polis said the following during an August 22 press conference: "Currently, there is a petition and recall process (that's) costly time-wise, money-wise. There needs to be some way where, in conjunction, the commissioners, the state, the governor, can act when needed to make sure that you have continuity of services for a very basic function that people rely on during life events."[1]
Recall opponents
As of September 2025, Ballotpedia had not identified a response from Cotter.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Colorado
No specific grounds are required for recall in Colorado. The number of signatures required for a recall to qualify for the ballot in Colorado depends on the office type.[6][7] After the petition is approved by the relevant election office, petitioners have 60 days to gather signatures.[8]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Pueblo County, Colorado
- Recall campaigns in Colorado
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- County official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Pueblo Chieftain, "Recall petition seeks to remove Pueblo coroner from office amid criminal investigation," August 26, 2025
- ↑ KKTV11, "Pueblo County Coroner files letter of resignation," August 28, 2025
- ↑ Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder, "Notice of Intent to Circulate Recall Petition Received by County Clerk’s Office," August 26, 2025
- ↑ The Pueblo Chieftain, "24 bodies, 'multiple' boxes of bones, human tissue removed from Pueblo coroner's mortuary," August 26, 2025
- ↑ The Pueblo Chieftain, "Amid criminal investigation, Pueblo leaders call on embattled coroner Cotter to resign," August 23, 2025
- ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Section 1-12-105 - Signatures required for school district officers," accessed March 11, 2024
- ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Section 1-12-104 - Signatures required for state and county officers," accessed March 11, 2024
- ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Section 1-12-108 - Petition requirements - approval as to form - determination of sufficiency - protest - offenses," accessed October 13, 2023
