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

1-5-404. Arrangement of names on ballots for partisan elections

Overview of Statute

The candidate order on a ballot is based on either the status of the political party, an alphabetical listing of candidate names, or as determined by lot. Ballot positions must be determined before the certification of a ballot, and the officer who receives the ballot designation, nomination, or petition will conduct the process for lot-drawing. These officials will also report the results of the lot drawing to the effected individuals.

Statute

(1) In all partisan elections, the names of all candidates and joint candidates who have been duly nominated for office shall be arranged on the ballot under the designation of the office in three groups as follows:

(a) The names of the candidates of the major political parties shall be placed on the general election ballot in an order established by lot and shall comprise the first group; except that the joint candidates for president and vice president and the joint candidates for governor and lieutenant governor shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of the names of the candidates for president and governor.

(b) The names of the candidates and joint candidates of the minor political parties shall be listed in an order established by lot and shall comprise the second group; except that the joint candidates for president and vice president and the joint candidates for governor and lieutenant governor shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of the names of the candidates for president and governor.

(c) The names of the candidates and joint candidates of the remaining political organizations shall be listed in an order established by lot and shall comprise the third group; except that the joint candidates for president and vice president and the joint candidates for governor and lieutenant governor shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of the names of the candidates for president and governor.

(2) Between July 1 and July 15 of each election year, the officer in receipt of the original designation, nomination, or petition of each candidate shall inform the major political parties, each minor political party that has nominated at least one candidate, and the representative of each political organization that has filed a nominating petition for at least one candidate of the time and place of the lot-drawing for offices to appear on the general election ballot. Ballot positions shall be assigned to the major political party, minor political party, or political organization in the order in which they are drawn. The name of the candidate shall be inserted on the ballot prior to the ballot certification.

(3) The arrangement of names on ballots for congressional vacancy elections shall be established by lot at any time prior to the certification of ballots for the congressional vacancy election. The officer in receipt of the original designation, nomination, or petition of each candidate shall inform the major political parties, each minor political party, and the representatives of each political organization on file with the secretary of state of the time and place of the lot-drawing for the congressional election ballot. Ballot positions shall be assigned to the major political party, minor political party, or political organization in the order in which they are drawn.

Source: L. 92: Entire article R&RE, p. 710, § 8, effective January 1, 1993.L. 93: (1) and (3) amended, p. 1411, § 50, effective July 1.L. 98: Entire section amended, p. 258, § 11, effective April 13.L. 2012: (1)(a), (2), and (3) amended, (HB 12-1292), ch. 181, p. 682, § 21, effective May 17. L. 2019: (2) amended, (HB 19-1278), ch. 326, p. 3026, § 32, effective August 2.

Editor’s note: This section is similar to former § 1-6-403 as it existed prior to 1992.
 
ANNOTATIONS

Holding that no constitutionally cognizable classification scheme is employed by the state in applying this section. This section is facially neutral and neither excludes minority parties from the ballot nor prevents them from attaining major political party status. Libertarian Party of Colo. v. Buckley, 938 F. Supp. 687 (D. Colo. 1996).

Holding that subsection (1) does not offend the equal protection clause nor infringe on individual plaintiffs’ voting rights under the first amendment of the U.S. constitution. Libertarian Party of Colo. v. Buckley, 8 F. Supp. 2d 1244 (D. Colo. 1998).

Definition [Political party]

Any group of registered electors who, by petition or assembly, nominate candidates for the official general election ballot. “Political party” includes affiliated party organizations at the state, county, and election district levels, and all such affiliates are considered to be a single entity for the purposes of this article, except as otherwise provided in section 7. Section 2(13) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Definition [Political organization]

Any group of registered electors who, by petition for nomination of an unaffiliated candidate as provided in section 1-4-802, places upon the official general election ballot nominees for public office. C.R.S. § 1-1-104.

 

Alternate Meaning for Art. 45:

 

A political organization defined in section 527 (e) (1) of the federal “Internal Revenue Code of 1986”, as amended, that is engaged in influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to any state or local public office in the state and that is exempt, or intends to seek any exemption, from taxation pursuant to section 527 of the internal revenue code. “Political organization” shall not be construed to have the same meaning as “political organization” as defined in section 1-1-104 (24) for purposes of the “Uniform Election Code of 1992”, articles 1 to 13 of this title.

 

C.R.S. § 1-45-103

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 [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

Out-of-State Cases

Federal Cases

Case Name: Libertarian Party of Colo. v. Buckley

Citation: 8 F. Supp. 2d 1244 (D. Colo. 1998)

Federal District Court: District of Colorado

Year: 1998

Case URL: http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/8/1244/2576649/

Case Summary: Holding that case presented was non-justiciable when plaintiffs' constitutional challenge no longer applied to statute as amended before trial.

Regulations & Guidance