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Colorado > Colorado Electoral Code > Recall and Vacancies In Office

1-12-107. Designated election officials

Overview of Statute

Petitions for state recall elections must be filed with the Secretary of State who will refer them to the Governor to set an election date. Petitions for county and school board recall elections must instead be filed with the appropriate county clerk and recorder who will conduct the election. Lastly, petitions for all other nonpartisan recall elections must be filed with either the election official or another officer in the political subdivision or, if no appropriate officer exists, the county clerk and recorder. No election official in charge of receiving these petitions may interfere with the requirement that all recall elections be held as mail ballot elections.

Statute

(1) For state recall elections, the petition shall be filed with the secretary of state who shall review and approve as to form the petition for recall as provided insection 1-12-108 (4), certify the sufficiency of the petition, and notify the governor, who shall set the date for the election. The election shall be conducted by the appropriate county clerk and recorder in the manner provided in this title for state elections.

(2) For county recall elections, the county clerk and recorder shall review and approve as to form the petition as provided in section 1-12-108 (4). The petition shall be filed with the county clerk and recorder who shall certify the sufficiency of the petition and call and conduct the election.

(3) For school board recall elections, the county clerk and recorder shall review and approve as to form the petition as provided in section 1-12-108 (4). The petition shall be filed with the county clerk and recorder of the county in which the school district’s administrative offices are located. The clerk and recorder of the county shall certify the sufficiency of the petition and call and conduct the election.

(4) (a) For all other nonpartisan recall elections, the form of the petition shall be filed with the designated election official for the political subdivision of the incumbent sought to be recalled.

(b) (I) If there is no designated election official for the political subdivision of the incumbent sought to be recalled, the petition shall be filed with another officer of that political subdivision.

(II) An officer who receives a petition filed under subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b) shall immediately notify:

(A) The county clerk and recorder of the county in which the district court file for the political subdivision is located; or

(B) If there is no such district court file, the county clerk and recorder of the county in which the political subdivision has the greatest number of eligible electors at the time the petition is filed.

(III) A county clerk and recorder receiving a petition under subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (b) shall promptly appoint a person to serve as the designated election official. The appointed designated election official shall review and approve as to form the petition as provided in section 1-12-108 (4), certify the sufficiency of the petition, and call and conduct the election.

(5) No designated election official may, by rule, regulation, order, or any other official act, suspend or avoid the requirement that recall elections be held as mail ballot elections.

 

 

Source: L. 92: Entire article R&RE, p. 795, § 15, effective January 1, 1993.L. 2012: Entire section amended, (HB 12-1293), ch. 236, p. 1039, § 5, effective May 29.L. 2014: (5) added, (SB 14-158), ch. 170, p. 618, § 3, effective May 9.

 

Editor’s note: Section 17 of chapter 170 (SB 14-158), Session Laws of Colorado 2014, provides that changes to this section by the act apply to any recall petition approved for circulation by a designated election official or to any recall election held on or after May 9, 2014.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 14-158, see section 1 of chapter 170, Session Laws of Colorado 2014.
Definition [Mail ballot election]

An election for which eligible electors receive ballots by mail and vote by mailing those ballots, depositing the ballots at, as applicable, drop-off locations or voter service and polling centers, or, as applicable, by voting at a voter service and polling center. The term does not include an independent mail ballot election. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.

Definition [Political subdivision]

A governing subdivision of the state, including counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.

Definition [Designated election official]

The secretary of state, a county clerk and recorder, or other election official as provided by article XXI of the state constitution. C.R.S. § 1-12-100.5.

Definition [State]

A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.

Definition [Title]

A brief statement that fairly and accurately represents the true intent and meaning of the proposed text of the initiative.

Definition [Ballot]

(a) A federal write-in absentee ballot;

(b) A ballot specifically prepared or distributed for use by a covered voter in accordance with this article; or

(c) A ballot cast by a covered voter in accordance with this article.

(2) “Covered voter” means:

(a) A uniformed-service voter defined in paragraph (a) of subsection (9) of this section who is a resident of this state but who is absent from this state by reason of active duty and who otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements;

(b) An overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, was last eligible to vote in this state and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements;

(c) An overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, would have been last eligible to vote in this state had the voter then been of voting age and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements; or

(d) An overseas voter who was born outside the United States, is not described in paragraph (b) or (c) of this subsection (2), and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements if the last place where a parent, legal guardian, spouse, or civil union partner of the voter was, or under this article would have been, eligible to vote before leaving the United States is within this state.

C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.

Definition [Person]

Any natural person, partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization, political party, or other organization or group of persons. Section 2(11) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Definition [Section]

A bound compilation of initiative forms approved by the secretary of state, which shall include pages that contain the warning required by section 1-40-110 (1), the ballot title, the abstract required by section 1-40-110 (3), and a copy of the proposed measure; succeeding pages that contain the warning, the ballot title, and ruled lines numbered consecutively for registered electors’ signatures; and a final page that contains the affidavit required by section 1-40-111 (2). Each section shall be consecutively prenumbered by the petitioner prior to circulation.

Definition [Election]

Any election under the “Uniform Election Code of 1992” or the “Colorado Municipal Election Code of 1965”, article 10 of title 31, C.R.S. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.

Definition [Secretary]

The Colorado secretary of state. C.R.S. § 1-1.5-102.

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