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1-7.5-201. Appointment of election judges for counting mail ballots

Statute

(1) If the county clerk and recorder or designated election official has mailed or delivered mail ballots to five hundred or more electors, the county clerk and recorder or designated election official shall appoint, in addition to the voter service and polling center judges appointed to staff voter service and polling centers described in section 1-7.5-107, at least three counting judges, not more than two of whom shall be from any one major political party. For each additional five hundred mail ballots so mailed or delivered, the county clerk and recorder or designated election official may appoint additional counting judges as needed.

(2) In all political subdivisions in which electronic or electromechanical voting systems are used, the county clerk and recorder or designated election official, for each five hundred mail ballots mailed or delivered, may appoint, in addition to the voter service and polling center judges appointed to staff voter service and polling centers as described in section 1-7.5-107, five counting judges, not more than three of whom shall be from any one major political party in a partisan election.

(3) In political subdivisions to which this section applies and in the event that only two major political parties are represented, the county clerk and recorder or designated election official shall make the appointments so that one major political party is represented by a majority of election judges on the mail ballot receiving board and the other major political party is represented by a majority of election judges on the mail ballot counting board. The county clerk and recorder or designated election official shall appoint those electors certified by the county party chairpersons of the major political parties to the county clerk and recorder as mail ballot receiving judges and mail ballot counting judges. If an elector certified by a major political party is not willing or able to serve, then the major political party that certified the elector may certify a replacement judge to the county clerk and recorder. If the major political parties do not certify a sufficient number of mail ballot receiving and counting judges, the county clerk and recorder may appoint a sufficient number of qualified electors to serve as mail ballot receiving and counting judges.

(4) In all political subdivisions to which this section applies, where the county clerk and recorder or designated election official has appointed one or more student election judges pursuant to article 6 of this title, the student election judge shall be appointed to serve as a judge for the purpose of counting mail ballots pursuant to this section; except that the student election judge need not satisfy any party affiliation required of election judges by this section.

Source: L. 2013: Entire part added, (HB 13-1303), ch. 185, p. 737, § 92, effective May 10.

Editor’s note: Articles 1 to 13 were numbered as articles 1, 3, 4, 9 to 19, and 21 of chapter 49, C.R.S. 1963. The substantive provisions of these articles were repealed and reenacted in 1980, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to these articles prior to 1980, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume. Former C.R.S. numbers prior to 1980 are shown in editor’s notes following those sections that were relocated. For a detailed comparison of these articles for 1980, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.

Cross references: For school elections, see articles 30, 31, and 42 of title 22; for elections for removal of county seats, see article 8 of title 30; for municipal elections, see article 10 of title 31; for special district elections, see part 8 of article 1 of title 32; for exemption of certain statutory proceedings from the rules of civil procedure, see C.R.C.P. 81; for recall from office, see article XXI of the state constitution; for recall of state and county officers, see part 1 of article 12 of this title; for recall of municipal officers, see part 5 of article 4 of title 31; for recall of directors of special districts, see § § 32-1-906, 32-1-907.

Editor’s note: This article was added in 1990. This article was repealed and reenacted in 1992, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to this article prior to 1992, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume. Former C.R.S. section numbers are shown in editor’s notes following those sections that were relocated. For a detailed comparison of this article, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.

Law reviews: For article, “Voting Under Colorado’s Mail Ballot Election Act”, see 21 Colo. Law. 941 (1992).

Cross references: In 2013, this part 2 was added by the “Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act”. For the short title and the legislative declaration, see sections 1 and 2 of chapter 185, Session Laws of Colorado 2013.
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 [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 [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.