How to run for office in Colorado

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
Ballot access for presidential candidates
List of political parties in the United States
Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Colorado, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Colorado. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Colorado." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

U.S. Senate

For information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Major party	10% of votes cast for the office in the last primary, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	3/19/2024	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Minor party	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	4/1/2024	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	7/11/2024	Source

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Show more

2022

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Colorado	U.S. Senate	Major party	1,500 per congressional district	N/A	3/15/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. Senate	Minor party	1,000 per congressional district	N/A	4/4/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	1,000 per congressional district	N/A	7/14/2022	Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Major party	10% of votes cast for the office in the last primary, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	3/15/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Minor party	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	4/4/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	7/14/2022	Source

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
Colorado	Governor	Major party	1,500 per congressional district	N/A	3/15/2022	Source
Colorado	Governor	Minor party	1,000 per congressional district	N/A	4/4/2022	Source
Colorado	Governor	Unaffiliated	1,000 per congressional district	N/A	7/14/2022	Source

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below. <ShowHideText>

Process to become a candidate

Seal of 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.

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

In some cases, political parties and/or candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Colorado.

Format requirements

In Colorado, petitions can be used to establish a minor party or to place any type of candidate on the ballot. All petition formats must be approved by the Colorado Secretary of State prior to circulation.

Petitions for candidates may consist of one or more sheets fastened together into one petition section, but each sheet must contain the same heading. Each petition section must contain the sworn affidavit of the circulator. Except for joint candidates, such as governor and lieutenant governor, no petition may contain the name of more than one person for the same office.

Every candidate nominating petition must include the name and address of the candidate, the office being sought, and the name of the major party, minor party, or qualified political organization with which the candidate is affiliated. If the candidate is unaffiliated, that must be designated instead.

Signature requirements

Unless physically unable, all signers must include with their signatures their printed names, residence addresses, and the dates on which they signed the petition. Any person, except the circulator, may assist a signer who is physically unable to complete the information on the petition as required by law. On the petition, immediately following the name of the disabled signer, the person providing assistance must sign and also state that assistance was given. If possible, all signatures should be signed in black ink.

Signers of major party candidate petitions must be affiliated with the same party as the candidate. Before signing the petition, they must state to the circulator that they have been affiliated with that party for at least 29 days prior to signing and that they have not signed any other candidate's petition for the same office. Petitions of minor party, qualified political organization, or unaffiliated candidates may be signed by any eligible elector, as long as the signer has not signed any other petition for a candidate running for the same office.

Circulation requirements

Circulator requirements are set forth by Title 1, Article 4, Section 905 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. A petition circulator must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of Colorado. If circulating a petition for a party candidate, the circulator must also be registered as affiliated with the same party as the candidate at the time the petition is circulated.

In order to be accepted by the Colorado Secretary of State, each petition must contain a notarized affidavit, signed and dated by the circulator, that includes the following:

• the circulator's printed name
• the circulator's address
• a statement that the circulator fulfilled all requirements to be a circulator
• a statement that the circulator circulated the corresponding sections of the petition
• a statement that every signature on the petition belongs to who it purports to
• a statement that to the best of the circulator's knowledge and belief, every signer of the petition was an eligible elector at the time of signing
• a statement that the circulator did not, nor will in the future, pay any signer to sign the petition and that he or she believes no one else did either

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

Colorado Secretary of State

1700 Broadway

Denver, Colorado 80290

Telephone: 303-894-2200

Fax: 303-869-4861

Email: elections@sos.state.co.us

Website: http://www.sos.state.co.us/

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Term limits

Colorado state executives and legislators are subject to term limits. These limits were established by the Colorado Term Limits Amendment, which voters passed in 1990.

State executives

See also: State executives with term limits and States with gubernatorial term limits

The state executive term limits in Colorado are as follows:

• The Governor of Colorado may serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.
• The Lieutenant Governor of Colorado may serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.
• The Colorado Secretary of State may serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.
• The Attorney General of Colorado may serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.
• The Colorado Treasurer may serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

State legislators in Colorado may serve for eight years in either the Colorado State Senate or the Colorado House of Representatives, meaning senators may serve two four-year terms and representatives four two-year terms.

Congressional partisanship

See also: List of United States Representatives from Colorado and List of United States Senators from Colorado

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Colorado.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Colorado
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	5	7
Republican	0	2	2
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	1	1
Total	2	8	10

State legislative partisanship

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Colorado.

Colorado State Senate

Party		As of April 2024
	Democratic Party	23
	Republican Party	12
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

Colorado House of Representatives

Party		As of April 2024
	Democratic Party	46
	Republican Party	19
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		65

Related legislation

The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Colorado. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia’s comprehensive Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker is the basis for this data. This user-friendly tracker covers thousands of election-related bills in state legislatures, and organizes them by topic with neutral, expert analysis from Ballotpedia’s election administration researchers.

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See also

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Colorado
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Colorado
• Colorado elections, 2024
• Campaign finance requirements in Colorado
• Counties in Colorado
• List of United States Representatives from Colorado
• List of United States Senators from Colorado
• Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
• State executives with term limits
• States with gubernatorial term limits
• State legislatures with term limits

External links

Official state and federal links

• Colorado Secretary of State
• Federal Election Commission
• Colorado Secretary of State, "Ballot Access Options by Office"
• Colorado Secretary of State, "Candidates"

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American third party and independent politics
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives