Colorado Runoff Primary Elections Initiative (2018)

Colorado Runoff Primary Elections Initiative
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic Elections and campaigns
Status Not on the ballot
Type State statute	Origin Citizens
List of Colorado measuresColorado Amendment AColorado Amendment VColorado Amendment WColorado Amendment XColorado Amendment YColorado Amendment ZColorado Amendment 73Colorado Amendment 74Colorado Amendment 75Colorado Proposition 109Colorado Proposition 110Colorado Proposition 111Colorado Proposition 112Submit

The Colorado Runoff Primary Elections Initiative (#175-177) was not on the ballot in Colorado as an initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.

The measure would have required Colorado to use primary runoff elections when no candidate wins a majority in the primary election. It would have also changed the date of the state primary election to the third Tuesday in April of each even-numbered year and the runoff election date would be the third Tuesday in June following the primary election of each even-numbered year. The proponents of the measure submitted three versions: 175, 176, and 177.

• Version #175 concerned candidates for federal congressional offices, statewide offices, district attorney, and county offices.
• Version #176 concerned candidates for governor, secretary of state, treasuer, and attorney general.
• Version #177 concerned candidates federal congressional offices, governor, secreatry of state, treasurer, and attorney general.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot titles for the different versions of the initiative are below:

Initiative 175 ballot title

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning using runoff primary elections when necessary to ensure the selection of political party candidates by majority vote, and, in connection therewith, moving the date of the state primary election to April; requiring a candidate for federal congressional office, state elected office, district attorney, or county office to receive the majority of votes cast in a party’s primary election for that office to win the party’s nomination; and if no candidate receives a majority, requiring a runoff primary election in June between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the April primary election?

Initiative 176 ballot title

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes using runoff primary elections when necessary to ensure the selection of political party candidates by majority vote, and, in connection therewith, moving the date of the state primary election to April; requiring a candidate for federal congressional office, governor, secretary of state, treasurer, or attorney general to receive the majority of votes cast in a party’s primary election for that office to win the party’s nomination; and if no candidate receives a majority, requiring a runoff primary election in June between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the April primary election?

Initiative 177 ballot title

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes using runoff primary elections when necessary to ensure the selection of political party candidates by majority vote, and, in connection therewith, moving the date of the state primary election to April; requiring a candidate for federal congressional office, governor, secretary of state, treasurer, or attorney general to receive the majority of votes cast in a party’s primary election for that office to win the party’s nomination; and if no candidate receives a majority, requiring a runoff primary election in June between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the April primary election?

Full text

• The full text of Initiative #175 available here.
• The full text of Initiative #176 is available here.
• The full text of Initiative #177 is available here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado

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 2018 ballot:

• Signatures: 98,492 valid signatures were required.
• Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was August 6, 2018.

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

• Anna Rose Kummerlowe and Hattie Lou Reed submitted these initiatives on April 6, 2018.
• A ballot title and summary were issued for them on April 18, 2018.
• The measures did not qualify for the November 2018 ballot because it had either (a) never been cleared for signature gathering, (b) was abandoned by sponsors, or (c) otherwise reached a certain stage in the initiative process, but did not make the ballot.

See also

2018 measures

• 2018 ballot measures
• Elections and campaigns on the ballot
• 2018 petition deadlines

Colorado

• Colorado ballot measures
• Colorado initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Colorado Secretary of State: 2017-2018 Initiative Filings, Agendas & Result
• Initiative #175 Text
• Initiative #176 Text
• Initiative #177 Text