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Colorado > Colorado Electoral Code > Notice Of And Preparation For Elections

1-5-203. Certification of ballot

Overview of Statute

At least 60 days prior to a primary election, or 57 days before general, odd-year November, and congressional vacancy elections, the secretary of state will deliver a written certificate of the ballot order and content to the county clerk and recorder of each county. These certificates will vary depending on the office or ballot in the election, with required information dependent upon the particular office or issue. Additional rules regulate how election officials must handle certificates upon receipt. Ultimately, the state or political subdivision issuing a certificate is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the certificate. Any error that can be corrected under § 1-5-412 must be corrected at the expense of the subdivision whose designated election official issued the defective certificate, or at the expense of the state if the defective certificate was issued by the secretary of state.

Statute

(1)(a) Except as provided in subsection (1)(c) of this section, no later than sixty days before any primary election, and no later than fifty-seven days before any general or odd-year November election or congressional vacancy election, the secretary of state shall deliver by electronic transmission and registered mail to the county clerk and recorder of each county a certificate in writing of the ballot order and content for each county, as follows:
(I) For general elections, the certificate shall specify the national and state officers and the district officers of state concern for whom some or all of the eligible electors of the county are entitled to cast ballots at the general election. The certificate shall include the name and party or other designation of each candidate for whom some or all of the eligible electors of the county are entitled to cast ballots and for whom a petition or certificate of nomination has been filed with the secretary of state, the name and party of each candidate nominated at the primary election for a national or state office or a district office of state concern, and the order of the ballot and the ballot content for the election. With regard to the election of members to the general assembly, the notice shall also specify the district number and the names of the members whose terms of office will expire.
(II) For primary elections, the certificate shall specify the offices for which nominations are to be made. The notice shall include a certified list of persons for whom certificates of designation or petitions have been filed with the secretary of state and the office for which each person is a candidate, together with the other details mentioned in the certificates of designation or petitions, and the order of the ballot for the primary election.
(III) For any election at which one or more ballot issues or ballot questions are to be submitted to the eligible electors of the entire state, the secretary of state shall certify the order of ballot and ballot content with respect to such ballot issues or ballot questions to the county clerk and recorder of each county of the state.
(b) The secretary of state shall be solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the certificate.
(c)(I) Due to public health concerns, for the 2020 state primary election, the secretary of state shall deliver the certificate of the ballot required by subsection (1)(a) of this section on or before May 7, 2020.
(II) This subsection (1)(c) is repealed, effective December 31, 2020.
(2) Deleted by Laws 2002, Ch. 328, § 4, eff. June 7, 2002.
(3)(a) No later than sixty days before any election, the designated election official of each political subdivision that intends to conduct an election shall certify the order of the ballot and ballot content. Such certification shall be delivered to the county clerk and recorder of each county that has territory within the political subdivision if the election is coordinated with the clerk and recorder. The order of the ballot and ballot content shall include the name and office of each candidate for whom a petition has been filed with the designated election official and any ballot issues or ballot questions to be submitted to the eligible electors.
(b) Deleted by Laws 2002, Ch. 328, § 4, eff. June 7, 2002.
(c) The state or a political subdivision that issues a certificate pursuant to this subsection (3) shall be solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the certificate. Any error that can be corrected pursuant to the provisions of section 1-5-412 shall be corrected at the expense of the political subdivision whose designated election official issued the defective certificate or, at the expense of the state, if the secretary of state issued the defective certificate.

 

Source: L. 92: Entire article R&RE, p. 703, § 8, effective January 1, 1993.L. 93: Entire section amended, p. 1409, § 45, effective July 1.L. 94: Entire section amended, p. 1156, § 22, effective July 1.L. 99: Entire section amended, p. 772, § 42, effective May 20.L. 2002: (1), (2), (3)(a), and (3)(b) amended, p. 1626, § 4, effective June 7.L. 2003: IP(1) amended, p. 495, § 2, effective March 5.L. 2005: IP(1) and (3)(a) amended, p. 1402, § 21, effective June 6; IP(1) and (3)(a) amended, p. 1437, § 21, effective June 6. L. 2006: (1) amended, p. 1487, § 1, effective June 1. L. 2020: (1)(a) amended and (1)(c) added, (HB 20-1359), ch. 23, § 9, effective March 16.

Editor’s note: This section is similar to former § 1-6-202 as it existed prior to 1992.

Annotation: June 13, 2016 5:37 pm

According to the rules, “Electronic Transmission” means:
(a) For the purpose of sending an unvoted ballot by fax, email, or online delivery to:
(1) A military or overseas elector under Article 8.3 of Title 1, C.R.S.
(2) An elector requesting a replacement for an emergency under section 1-7.5-115, C.R.S.
(3) An affected elector requesting a ballot because of a disaster emergency.
(b)For the purpose of returning a voted ballot to the county clerk fax or email.

Definition [Ballot issue]

A nonrecall,  citizen-initiated  petition  or legislatively-referred
measure which is authorized by the state constitution, including a question as defined in  sections 1-41-102 (3) and 1-41-103 (3), enacted in Senate Bill 93-98.

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 [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.

Definition [Candidate]

Any person who seeks nomination or election to any state or local public office that is to be voted on in this state at any primary election, general election, school district election, special district election, or municipal election. “Candidate” also includes a judge or justice of any court of record who seeks to be retained in office pursuant to the provisions of section 25 of article VI. A person is a candidate for election if the person has publicly announced an intention to seek election to public office or retention of a judicial office and thereafter has received a contribution or made an expenditure in support of the candidacy. A person remains a candidate for purposes of this article so long as the candidate maintains a registered candidate committee. A person who maintains a candidate committee after an election cycle, but who has not publicly announced an intention to seek election to public office in the next or any subsequent election cycle, is a candidate for purposes of this article. Section 2(2) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Cases

Colorado Cases

Case Name: Byrne v. Title Bd.

Citation: 907 P.2d 570 (Colo. 1995)

Year: 1995

Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/10a9b23b4a34f9379df26904afb0d312

Case Summary: Section 1-40-106(1), 1B C.R.S. (1995 Supp.), states that "the last meeting [of the Title Board] shall be held no later than the third Wednesday in May in the year in which the measure is to be voted on." Section 1-40-107(1) states that "if the titles and summary protested were set at the last meeting in May, the motion shall be heard within forty-eight hours after the motion is filed." Id. Because the titles, submission clause, and summary for Amend Tabor No. 25 were set at its last meeting in May 1995, we hold that the Title Board erred by not hearing the petitioners' motion for rehearing within forty-eight hours after the motion was filed, as expressly provided by section 1-40-107(1), 1B C.R.S.(1995 Supp.).

Case Name: People ex rel. Eaton v. Dist. Court

Citation: 18 Colo. 26, 31 P. 339 (1892)

Year: 1892

Case PDF: People ex rel. Eaton v. Dist. Court

Case Summary: Upholding a district court's jurisdiction to hear a contest between competing factions of a political party at a political convention. The district court, and not solely the secretary of state, may hear claims related to the use of an Australian ballot according to statute.  

Case Name: Cacioppo v. Eagle County Sch. Dist. RE-50J

Citation: 92 P.3d 453 (Colo. 2004)

Year: 2004

Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/815e345d350a764bb4ae9261c16a0a8b

Case Summary: Dismissing challenge to an approved ballot issue that raised taxes to provide increased funding for a school district; challenge was time-barred, and challenges related to ballot form are not judiciable if the challenge was improperly filed.

Out-of-State Cases

Federal Cases

Regulations & Guidance