Colorado State Senate elections, 2020

• Presidential election
  • Presidential candidates
• Congress elections
  • U.S. Congress
  • U.S. Senate
  • U.S. House
  • Congressional special elections
• State elections
  • Ballot measures
  • State executives
  • State legislatures
  • State legislature special elections
  • State supreme courts
  • Intermediate appellate courts
• Local elections
  • Ballot measures
  • Municipal government
  • Mayors
  • School boards
  • Trial courts
  • Political recalls
• Voter information
  • Sample ballot
  • Election calendar
  • Election results
  • Poll opening and closing times
  • Voting policies

2020 Colorado Senate Elections
General	November 3, 2020
Primary	June 30, 2020

Past Election Results

2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008

2020 Elections
Choose a chamber below:
Select an election Alaska Senate Alaska House Arizona Senate Arizona House Arkansas Senate Arkansas House California Senate California Assembly Colorado Senate Colorado House Connecticut Senate Connecticut House Delaware Senate Delaware House Florida Senate Florida House Georgia Senate Georgia House Hawaii Senate Hawaii House Idaho Senate Idaho House Illinois Senate Illinois House Indiana Senate Indiana House Iowa Senate Iowa House Kansas Senate Kansas House Kentucky Senate Kentucky House Maine Senate Maine House Massachusetts Senate Massachusetts House Michigan House Minnesota Senate Minnesota House Missouri Senate Missouri House Montana Senate Montana House Nebraska Senate Nevada Senate Nevada Assembly New Hampshire Senate New Hampshire House New Mexico Senate New Mexico House New York Senate New York Assembly North Carolina Senate North Carolina House North Dakota Senate North Dakota House Ohio Senate Ohio House Oklahoma Senate Oklahoma House Oregon Senate Oregon House Pennsylvania Senate Pennsylvania House Rhode Island Senate Rhode Island House South Carolina Senate South Carolina House South Dakota Senate South Dakota House Tennessee Senate Tennessee House Texas Senate Texas House Utah Senate Utah House Vermont Senate Vermont House Washington Senate Washington House West Virginia Senate West Virginia House Wisconsin Senate Wisconsin Assembly Wyoming Senate Wyoming House

Democrats gained a seat and kept their majority in the 2020 elections for Colorado State Senate. Eighteen seats in the chamber were up for election in 2020. Heading into the election, Democrats controlled 19 seats to Republicans' 16. Democrats gained a net one seat from Republicans, leaving the Democratic Party with a 20-15 majority. In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained a 19-16 majority in the chamber.

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified three of the races as battlegrounds, one of which was a Democrat-held district while the other two were Republican-held districts. These battlegrounds were District 19, District 25, and District 27.

Heading into the election, Colorado had been under a Democratic trifecta since 2019, when Democrats won a majority in the state Senate. Had the Republican Party maintained control of the chamber, it would have prevented a Democratic trifecta from forming in Colorado. Colorado had been under a divided government since 2014 when Republicans took control of the state Senate. This broke the state's Democratic trifecta that first formed after the 2012 elections when Democrats won the Colorado House of Representatives after losing it to Republicans in 2010.

Republicans needed to win all three of the battleground seats as well as one non-battleground seat to take control of the state Senate, while Democrats did not need to win any of the battleground seats to keep control of the state Senate.

Colorado is one of only six states where independent commissions are responsible for both congressional and state legislative redistricting. The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines.

Click here for more information on redistricting procedures in Colorado after the 2020 census.

Heading into the 2020 general election, Democrats controlled 39 out of 99 state legislative chambers in the U.S., while Republicans controlled 59 chambers. The Alaska House was the sole chamber in which there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties. Democrats also had trifectas in 15 states. A party has a trifecta when it controls the governorship and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2020 battlegrounds included:

New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Republican primary) New York's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 United States Senate election in Colorado, 2020

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Colorado did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Colorado State Senate
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	19	20
	Republican Party	16	15
Total		35	35

Districts

See also: Colorado state legislative districts

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Candidates

The candidate lists below are based on candidate filing lists provided by the Colorado Secretary of State. (I) denotes an incumbent.

General election

Colorado State Senate general election
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 4	Elissa Flaumenhaft	Jim Smallwood (i)	Wayne Harlos (Libertarian Party)
District 8	Karl Hanlon	Robert Rankin (i)
District 10	Randi McCallian	Larry Liston	Heather Johnson (Libertarian Party)
District 12	Electra Johnson	Bob Gardner (i)	Zechariah Harris (Libertarian Party)
District 14	Joann Ginal (i)	Hans Hochheimer
District 17	Sonya Jaquez Lewis	Matthew Menza	Andrew O'Connor (Independent) (Write-in)
District 18	Stephen Fenberg (i)	Peg Cage
District 19	Rachel Zenzinger (i)	Lynn Gerber
District 21	Dominick Moreno (i)	Martin Mendez
District 23	Sally Boccella	Barbara Kirkmeyer	Did not make the ballot: Matthew DiGiallonardo  (Libertarian Party)
District 25	Paula Dickerson	Kevin Priola (i)
District 26	Jeff Bridges (i)	Bob Roth	Marc Solomon (Libertarian Party)
District 27	Chris Kolker	Suzanne Staiert
District 28	Janet Buckner	Karl Stecher
District 29	Rhonda Fields (i)		Michele Poague (Libertarian Party)
District 31	Chris Hansen (i)	Doug Townsend
District 33	James Coleman		Jerry Burton (Unity Party)
District 35	Carlos Lopez	Cleave Simpson Jr.

Primary election

Colorado State Senate primary election
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 4	Elissa Flaumenhaft	Jim Smallwood (i)
District 8	Karl Hanlon Arn Menconi	Robert Rankin (i) Debra Irvine
District 10	Randi McCallian   Did not make the ballot: Melanie Bernhardt	Larry Liston Did not make the ballot: David Stiver
District 12	Electra Johnson	Bob Gardner (i)
District 14	Joann Ginal (i)	Hans Hochheimer
District 17	Sonya Jaquez Lewis Did not make the ballot: John Kelly	Matthew Menza
District 18	Stephen Fenberg (i)	Peg Cage
District 19	Rachel Zenzinger (i)	Lynn Gerber   Did not make the ballot: Matthew Lantz
District 21	Dominick Moreno (i)	Martin Mendez Did not make the ballot: Roger Lehman
District 23	Sally Boccella   Galina Nicoll	Barbara Kirkmeyer Rupert Parchment   Did not make the ballot: Karl Honegger
District 25	Paula Dickerson Did not make the ballot: Christina Fuller	Kevin Priola (i)
District 26	Jeff Bridges (i)	Bob Roth Did not make the ballot: Brenda Valdez-Stokes
District 27	Chris Kolker	Suzanne Staiert   Did not make the ballot: James Woodley
District 28	Janet Buckner	Karl Stecher
District 29	Rhonda Fields (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 31	Chris Hansen (i)   Maria Orms	Doug Townsend
District 33	James Coleman Did not make the ballot: Jonathan Postal  Angela Williams (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 35	Carlos Lopez	Cleave Simpson Jr.

Convention candidates

In 2020, each of the minor political parties in Colorado held a nominating convention. The American Constitution Party statewide convention was scheduled for April 18, 2020. The Green Party statewide convention was scheduled for April 17, 2020. The Libertarian Party statewide convention was scheduled for April 13, 2020. Finally, the Unity Party statewide convention was scheduled for April 4, 2020.

Colorado State Senate conventions, 2020
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 4			Libertarian Party Wayne Harlos
District 8
District 10
District 12			Libertarian Party Zechariah Harris
District 14
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 21
District 23			Libertarian Party Matthew DiGiallonardo
District 25
District 26			Libertarian Party Marc Solomon
District 27
District 28
District 29			Libertarian Party Michele Poague
District 31
District 33			Unity Party Jerry Burton
District 35

2020 battleground chamber

See also: State legislative battleground chambers, 2020

The Colorado State Senate was among 24 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2020 cycle. Click here for more information on state legislative battlegrounds.

What was at stake?

• Republicans needed to gain two seats to take control of the chamber in 2020.

• If Republicans had flipped the chamber, they would have broken the Democratic trifecta. If Democrats had maintained their majorities in the state House and Senate, they would have preserved their trifecta.

Why was it a battleground?

• Seats decided by less than 10% in 2016: The last time this set of seats was up for election five races (28% of seats up) were decided by a margin of 10% or smaller.

• Seats flipped in 2016: The last time this set of seats was up for election, two seats (11% of seats up) changed partisan control.

• 2018 battleground chamber: The Colorado State Senate was a battleground chamber in 2018. That year, Democrats gained two seats from Republicans and one from an independent, winning control of the chamber. Read more about the 2018 elections here.

• History of recent flips: Control of the Colorado State Senate flipped twice between 2010 and 2020. Republicans gained a majority in 2012, while Democrats gained a majority in 2018.

• Race ratings: The Cook Political Report rated the Colorado State Senate a likely Democratic chamber in 2020, meaning Republicans had a chance to flip the chamber but Democrats were favored to retain control.

Battleground races

Colorado State Senate Battleground races
District 19
District 25
District 27

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified three battleground races in the Colorado State Senate 2020 elections, one of which was a Democrat-held district while the other two were Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.

To determine state legislative battleground races in 2020, Ballotpedia looked for races that fit one or more of the four factors listed below:

1. In the last state legislative election, the winner received less than 55% of the vote.
2. The presidential candidate who won the district in 2016 is of a different party than the most recent state legislative election winner in the district, and the most recent state legislative election winner won by a margin of 10 percentage points or less.
3. The presidential candidate who won the district in 2016 is of a different party than the most recent state legislative election winner in the district, and the incumbent is not on the ballot this year.
4. The presidential candidate who won the district in 2016 is of a different party than the most recent state legislative election winner in the district, and that presidential candidate won the district by a margin of 20 percentage points or more.

District 19

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Rachel Zenzinger (Incumbent) Lynn Gerber

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the winner received less than 55% of the vote in 2016. Rachel Zenzinger (D) was first elected in 2016 where she received 47.8 percent of the vote and defeated then-incumbent Laura J. Woods (R) by 1.8 percentage points. District 19 was one of 21 Colorado Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 19 by 4.8 percentage points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 6.9 percentage points.

District 25

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Kevin Priola (incumbent) Paula Dickerson

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the winner received less than 55% of the vote in 2016 and the presidential candidate who won the district in 2016 is of a different party than the most recent state legislative election winner in the district. Incumbent Kevin Priola (R) was first elected in 2016 where he received 52.1 percent of the vote and defeated Steve Weichert (D) by 4.1 percentage points. District 25 was one of 21 Colorado Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 25 by 1.8 percentage points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 13 percentage points.

District 27

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Suzanne Staiert Chris Kolker

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the presidential candidate who won the district in 2016 is of a different party than the most recent state legislative election winner in the district, and the most recent state legislative election winner won by a margin of 10 percentage points or less. Jack Tate (R) won the 2016 election when he received 53.4 percent of the vote and defeated his Democratic challenger by 6.9 percentage points. Tate did not file to run for re-election in 2020. District 27 was one of 21 Colorado Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 27 by 6.5 percentage points. Mitt Romney (R) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 4.5 percentage points.

Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

No incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election.

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

No incumbents lost in the June 30 primaries.

Retiring incumbents

There were seven open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Owen Hill	Republican	Senate District 10
Mike Foote	Democratic	Senate District 17
Vicki Marble	Republican	Senate District 23
Jack Tate	Republican	Senate District 27
Nancy Todd	Democratic	Senate District 28
Angela Williams	Democratic	Senate District 33
Larry Crowder	Republican	Senate District 35

The seven seats left open in 2020 represented an average number relative to the preceding decade. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in Colorado State Senate elections: 2010 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	18	7 (39 percent)	11 (61 percent)
2018	17	8 (47 percent)	9 (53 percent)
2016	18	9 (50 percent)	9 (50 percent)
2014	18	6 (33 percent)	12 (67 percent)
2012	20	9 (45 percent)	11 (55 percent)
2010	19	6 (32 percent)	13 (68 percent)

Redistricting in Colorado

See also: Redistricting in Colorado

On November 6, 2018, Colorado voters approved two constitutional amendments establishing separate non-politician commissions for congressional and state legislative redistricting. Each commission consists of four members belonging to the state's largest political party, four members belonging to the state's second-largest party, and four members belonging to no party. Commission members are appointed by a panel of three judges selected by the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. The amendment requires at least eight of the commission's 12 members, including at least two members not belonging to any political party, to approve a map.

The Colorado Constitution requires that state legislative district boundaries "be contiguous, and that they be as compact as possible based on their total perimeter." In addition, "to the extent possible, districts must also preserve the integrity of counties, cities, towns and–where doing so does not conflict with other goals–communities of interest." There are no similar requirements for congressional districts.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Colorado

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 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.
2. Each candidate must submit an audio recording of the correct pronunciation of his or her name. If nominated by an assembly, the candidate must submit the audio recording to the Colorado Secretary of State within 10 days of the close of the convention. If nominated by petition, the candidate must submit the recording by the end of the petition filing period.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

2020 ballot access requirements

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

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 5, Section 4 of the Colorado Constitution states: No person shall be a representative or senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, who shall not be a citizen of the United States, who shall not for at least twelve months next preceding his election, have resided within the territory included in the limits of the county or district in which he shall be chosen; provided, that any person who at the time of the adoption of this constitution, was a qualified elector under the territorial laws, shall be eligible to the first general assembly.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$40,242/year for legislators whose terms commence in or after January 2019; $30,000/year for those whose terms began before January 2019.	For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the capitol: $219/day. Set by the legislature. Vouchered.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Colorado legislators assume office on the first day of the legislative session after their election, which begins no later than 10:00 AM on the second Wednesday in January.

Colorado political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Colorado Party Control: 1992-2021
Nine years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Presidential politics in Colorado

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, Colorado, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	48.2%	1,338,870	9
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	43.3%	1,202,484	0
	American Constitution	Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley	0.4%	11,699	0
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	5.2%	144,121	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	1.4%	38,437	0
	Approval Voting	Frank Atwood/Blake Huber	0%	337	0
	American Delta	Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg	0%	1,255	0
	Prohibition	Jim Hedges/Bill Bayes	0%	185	0
	America's	Tom Hoefling/Steve Schulin	0%	710	0
	Veterans	Chris Keniston/Deacon Taylor	0.2%	5,028	0
	Socialist Workers	Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart	0%	452	0
	Independent American	Kyle Kenley Kopitke/Nathan R. Sorenson	0%	1,096	0
	Kotlikoff for President	Laurence Kotlikoff/Edward Lea	0%	392	0
	Socialism and Liberation	Gloria Estela La Riva/Dennis J. Banks	0%	531	0
	Nonviolent Resistance/Pacifist	Bradford Lyttle/Hannah Walsh	0%	382	0
	Independent People of Colorado	Joseph A. Maldonado/Douglass K. Terranova	0%	872	0
	American Solidarity	Michael A. Maturen/Juan Munoz	0%	862	0
	Unaffiliated	Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson	1%	28,917	0
	Unaffiliated	Ryan Alan Scott/Bruce Kendall Barnard	0%	749	0
	Nutrition	Rod Silva/Richard C. Silva	0%	751	0
	Unaffiliated	Mike Smith/Daniel White	0.1%	1,819	0
	Socialist Party USA	Emidio Soltysik/Angela Nicole Walker	0%	271	0
	-	Other/Write-in	0%	27	0
Total Votes				2,780,247	9
Election results via: Federal Election Commission

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Colorado utilizes a semi-closed primary system. According to Section 1-7-201 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, "an eligible unaffiliated elector is entitled to vote in the primary election of a major political party without affiliating with that political party."

Poll times

In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time for individuals who prefer to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

In Colorado, an individual can register to vote if he or she is at least 16 years old and will be 18 by Election Day. A voter must be a citizen of the United States and have lived in Colorado at least 22 days prior to Election Day.

Colorado voters can register through Election Day but must register at least eight days prior to Election Day to automatically receive a ballot in the mail. Voters who register after that point must pick up a ballot in person at any Voter Service and Polling Center. Voters can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.

Automatic registration

Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person.

Residency requirements

Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Verifying your registration

The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting at the polls. Voters may also need to return a photocopy of their ID with their ballots if they are voting by mail for the first time. Click here for more information.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2019. Click here for the Colorado Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“

The following documents are acceptable forms of identification: A valid Colorado driver’s license or valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue. (Note: documents issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. are not acceptable forms of identification.) A valid U.S. passport. A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado. A valid pilot’s license issued by the federal aviation administration or other authorized agency of the U.S. A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector. A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector. A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood. A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate for the elector. Certified documentation of naturalization. A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in *Colorado, as defined in section 23-3.1-102(5), C.R.S.. A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. department of veterans affairs veterans health administration with a photograph of the eligible elector. A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership. Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. The following documents are also considered acceptable forms of identification for voting: Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility, as defined in section 1-1-104(18.5), C.R.S. Verification that a voter is a person committed to the department of human services and confined and eligible to register and vote shall be considered sufficient identification of such person for the purposes of section 1-2-210.5, C.R.S. Written correspondence from the county sheriff or his or her designee to the county clerk indicating that a voter is confined in a county jail or detention facility.

”

Background

As of December 2020, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 20 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

Early and absentee voting

Colorado uses a vote-by-mail system exclusively, so there is no need for explicit absentee or early voting procedures, except for those who cannot or do not wish to vote by mail. County clerks and recorders automatically send mail ballots to every elector in active status, starting 18 to 22 days before the election. The last day on which a county clerk can mail a ballot to a voter is eight days before the election. However, since electors can register to vote until the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, there are always some voters that cannot vote by mail ballot. Therefore, Colorado law requires county clerks to open and operate polling locations called Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) starting 15 days before the election through Election Day, excluding Sundays. Eligible voters can visit any VSPC in their county of residence to do any of the following:

• void their mail ballot to vote in person,
• register to vote,
• update an existing voter registration record,
• obtain a mail ballot “over-the-counter,” or
• vote in person on paper ballots or accessible voting devices.

See also

• Colorado State Senate
• Colorado State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• Colorado State Legislature