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Colorado Change Political Candidate Ballot Access Requirements Initiative (2020)
| Colorado Change Political Candidate Ballot Access Requirements Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Elections and campaigns | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Colorado Change Political Candidate Ballot Access Requirements Initiative (#316-318) was not on the ballot in Colorado as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2020.
The initiative would have repealed political party assemblies as a method of candidate nomination and change candidate petition signature requirements.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Initiative 316 is below:[1]
| “ | Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the process by which candidates for elected office are placed on the ballot, and, in connection therewith, repealing the role of the political party caucuses and assemblies in placing candidates on election ballots so that candidates are placed on ballots by petition; and changing the required number of valid signatures necessary to place candidates on ballots?[2] | ” |
The ballot title for Initiative 317 is below:[1]
| “ | Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the process by which candidates for elected office are placed on the ballot, and, in connection therewith, repealing the role of the political party caucuses and assemblies in placing candidates on election ballots so that candidates are placed on ballots by petition; and changing the required number of valid signatures necessary to place candidates on ballots?[2] | ” |
The ballot title for Initiative 318 is below:[1]
| “ | Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the process by which candidates for elected office are placed on the ballot, and, in connection therewith, repealing the role of the political party caucuses and assemblies in placing candidates on election ballots so that candidates are placed on ballots by petition?[2] | ” |
Full text
Background
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.[3][4][5]
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.[4][6]
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.[3][4][7][8]
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.[3][9]
The nominating petition must be signed by eligible electors who have been registered with the candidate's political party for at least 29 days and 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:[3][9]
| 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.[3][10][11]
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.[3][11]
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.[10]
| 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, or 2 percent of the total votes cast for that office in the last general election, whichever is less |
| Member of the United States House of Representatives | 800, or 2 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 | 600, or 2 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 | 400, or 2 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that house district in the last general election, whichever is less |
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Colorado, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated state statute for the ballot is equal to 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for the office of Colorado secretary of state in the preceding general election. State law provides that petitioners have six months to collect signatures after the ballot language and title are finalized. State statutes require a completed signature petition to be filed three months and three weeks before the election at which the measure would appear on the ballot. The Constitution, however, states that the petition must be filed three months before the election at which the measure would appear. The secretary of state generally lists a date that is three months before the election as the filing deadline.
The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 124,632 valid signatures
- Deadline: August 3, 2020[12]
The secretary of state is responsible for signature verification. Verification is conducted through a review of petitions regarding correct form and then a 5 percent random sampling verification. If the sampling projects between 90 percent and 110 percent of required valid signatures, a full check of all signatures is required. If the sampling projects more than 110 percent of the required signatures, the initiative is certified. If less than 90 percent, the initiative fails.
Details about this initiative
- Hattie Lou Reed and Mike Melanson filed the initiative on April 3, 2020. A ballot title was set for it on April 15, 2020.[1]
- Proponents did not submit signatures by the deadline on August 3, 2020.[1]
See also
External links
- Colorado Secretary of State: Initiative Filings, Agendas & Results
- Initiatives filed with the Legislative Council Staff
- Initiative 316 full text
- Initiative 317 full text
- Initiative 318 full text
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Colorado Secretary of State, "2019-2020 Initiative Filings, Agendas & Results," accessed April 17, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Colorado Secretary of State, "How to Run for Office: Candidate Information Guide," accessed January 29, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 601," accessed January 29, 2014
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State Website, "Major Political Parties FAQs," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 602," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia phone call with Colorado Secretary of State Office, September 9, 2013
- ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 604," accessed January 29, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 801," accessed January 29, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 802," accessed January 29, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Article 4, Section 1304," accessed January 29, 2014
- ↑ On May 17, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed Executive Order D 2020 065, which temporarily suspended the state law requiring signatures to be submitted six months after ballot language finalization. Under the order, signatures for 2020 Colorado initiatives were due by August 3, 2020.
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