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Colorado State Senate District 31
| Colorado State Senate District 31 | ||
| Current incumbent | Chris Hansen  | |
Colorado’s thirty-first state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Chris Hansen.
Colorado state senators represent an average of 143,691 residents.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 122,893 residents.[2]
About the office
Members of the Colorado State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits.[3] Colorado legislators assume office on the first day of the legislative session after their election. The legislative session must begin no later than 10:00 AM on the second Wednesday of January.[4] The state constitution requires the newly elected governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and secretary of state to take office on the second Tuesday of January.[5] In the year after those offices are elected, the legislative session must begin before the second Tuesday of January to declare the winners of those races.[6][7]
Qualifications
Article 5, Section 4 of the Colorado Constitution states:[8]
| “ | 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, and who shall not for at least twelve months next preceding his election, have resided within the territory included in the limits of the district in which he shall be chosen.[9] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[10] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $47,561/year for legislators whose terms began in 2025. $43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023. | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the Capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the Capitol: $238/day. |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Colorado General Assembly is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Colorado Term Limits Act in 1990. That initiative said that Colorado senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms.[11]
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Colorado General Assembly , a vacancy committee selects a replacement. The committee consists of members of the same political party that previously held the seat, including any county commissioners from that party who live in the district.
Depending on when the vacancy occurs, the replacement must stand for election either in the next general election or in a special election. These vacancy elections are limited to voters registered with the same political party as the previous officeholder and to unaffiliated voters.
- If the vacancy occurs in an even-numbered year, before July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and runs in the regularly scheduled general election that year.
- If the vacancy occurs in an even-numbered year, after July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and must run in a special vacancy election held in November of the following odd-numbered year.
- If the vacancy occurs in an odd-numbered year, before July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and runs in a special vacancy election that same November.
- If the vacancy occurs in an odd-numbered year, after July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and runs in the next general election, which occurs in the following even-numbered year.
If the previous member was unaffiliated with a political party, then the vacancy is filled by the vacancy committee designated on their original nomination petition. If the member has no vacancy committee, the governor appoints a replacement.
See sources: HB25-1315 Vacancies in the General Assembly
Elections
2020
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Colorado State Senate District 31
Incumbent Chris Hansen defeated Doug Townsend in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 31 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Chris Hansen (D)  | 76.7 | 74,288 |
 | Doug Townsend (R) | 23.3 | 22,562 | |
| Total votes: 96,850 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 31
Incumbent Chris Hansen defeated Maria Orms in the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 31 on June 30, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Hansen | 52.7 | 24,439 |
 | Maria Orms | 47.3 | 21,916 | |
| Total votes: 46,355 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 31
Doug Townsend advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 31 on June 30, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Doug Townsend | 100.0 | 6,762 |
| Total votes: 6,762 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Colorado State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 4, 2016.[12] Incumbent Pat Steadman (D) did not seek re-election.
Lois Court defeated Bob Lane in the Colorado State Senate District 31 general election.[13][14]
| Colorado State Senate, District 31 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Lois Court |
69.58% | 57,793 | |
| Republican | Bob Lane | 30.42% | 25,268 | |
| Total Votes | 83,061 | |||
| Source: Colorado Secretary of State | ||||
Lois Court defeated Erin Bennett and Steve Sherick in the Colorado State Senate District 31 Democratic primary.[15][16]
| Colorado State Senate, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Lois Court |
44.07% | 7,632 | |
| Democratic | Erin Bennett | 22.37% | 3,874 | |
| Democratic | Steve Sherick | 33.55% | 5,810 | |
| Total Votes | 17,316 | |||
Bob Lane defeated Jeffery Washington in the Colorado State Senate District 31 Republican primary.[15][16]
| Colorado State Senate, District 31 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bob Lane |
67.85% | 3,189 | |
| Republican | Jeffery Washington | 32.15% | 1,511 | |
| Total Votes | 4,700 | |||
2012
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 26, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 2, 2012. Incumbent Pat Steadman defeated Michael Carr (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in the June 26 primary election.[17][18]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | M. Patrick Steadman Incumbent |
69.9% | 54,390 | |
| Republican | Michael Carr | 30.1% | 23,425 | |
| Total Votes | 77,815 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Colorado State Senate District 31 raised a total of $647,874. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $40,492 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Colorado State Senate District 31 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $438,913 | 5 | $87,783 | |
| 2012 | $51,174 | 2 | $25,587 | |
| 2010 | $59,101 | 2 | $29,551 | |
| 2008 | $26,637 | 2 | $13,319 | |
| 2006 | $1,832 | 1 | $1,832 | |
| 2004 | $27,720 | 1 | $27,720 | |
| 2002 | $24,594 | 1 | $24,594 | |
| 2000 | $17,903 | 2 | $8,952 | |
| Total | $647,874 | 16 | $40,492 | |
See also
- Colorado State Legislature
- Colorado State Senate
- Colorado House of Representatives
- Colorado state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census 2010, "Population in 2010 of the American states," November 22, 2013
- ↑ United States Census 2010, "Population in 2000 of the American states," November 27, 2013
- ↑ colorado.gov, "Term limits," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado Constitution - Article 5, Section 7," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado Constitution - Article 4, Section 1," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado Constitution - Article 4, Section 3," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ Colorado LegiSource, "Surprise! The 2019 Legislative Session Convening a Week Earlier," September 20, 2018
- ↑ Colorado Legal Resources, "Article V - Legislative Department - Section 4," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Colorado Legal Resources," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Elections & Voting," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "General election candidates," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 14, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed May 3, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "June 28, 2016 Primary Election," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, “2012 General Election,” October 24, 2013
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, “2012 General Primary,” October 24, 2013
