Colorado HB 17-1163: Candidate Petition Filing Deadlines And Signatures

Bill Text

First Regular Session
Seventy-first General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 17-0126.01 Kate Meyer x4348 HOUSE BILL 17-1163
House Committees Senate Committees
State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS AFFECTING CANDIDATES101
SEEKING ACCESS TO THE BALLOT BY MEANS OF A PETITION, AND,102
IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, ALTERING THE DEADLINES BY103
WHICH CANDIDATE PETITIONS ARE REQUIRED TO BE FILED AND104
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF SIGNATURES NEEDED TO QUALIFY105
PETITIONS FOR CANDIDATES FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.106
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov/.)
The bill extends the amount of time that elections officials may
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Everett, Ransom, Williams D.
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Neville T. and Marble,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters indicate new material to be added to existing statute.
Dashes through the words indicate deletions from existing statute.

review candidate petitions by making a concomitant reduction in the
amount of time that candidates may circulate such petitions.
The bill also increases the number of signers needed to qualify
petitions for candidates for certain partisan public offices.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-801, amend (5)2
as follows:3
1-4-801. Designation of party candidates by petition. (5) Party4
petitions shall not be circulated nor any signatures be obtained prior to the5
first Monday in February. Petitions shall be filed no later than eighty-five6
ONE HUNDRED days before the primary election.7
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-802, amend8
(1)(c) introductory portion, (1)(c)(IV), (1)(c)(V), and (1)(f) as follows:9
1-4-802. Petitions for nominating minor political party and10
unaffiliated candidates for a partisan office. (1) Candidates for11
partisan public offices to be filled at a general or congressional vacancy12
election who do not wish to affiliate with a major political party may be13
nominated, other than by a primary election or a convention, in the14
following manner:15
(c) Every petition for the office of president and vice president,16
for statewide office, for congressional district office, for the office of17
member of the general assembly, for district attorney, and for county18
office shall MUST be signed by eligible electors residing within the district19
or political subdivision in which the officer is to be elected. Except as20
otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, the number of21
signatures of eligible electors on a petition shall be IS as follows:22
(IV) The lesser of six hundred ONE THOUSAND SIGNERS or two23
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SIGNERS EQUAL TO THIRTY percent of the votes cast in the senate district1
in the most recent general election for the office of member of the state2
senate;3
(V) The lesser of four hundred ONE THOUSAND SIGNERS or two4
SIGNERS EQUAL TO THIRTY percent of votes cast in the house district in the5
most recent general election for the office of member of the state house6
of representatives;7
(f) (I) Except as provided by subparagraph (II) of this paragraph8
(f) SUBSECTION (1)(f)(II) OF THIS SECTION, petitions shall MUST be filed9
no later than 3 p.m. on the one hundred seventeenth HUNDREDTH day10
before the general election or, for a congressional vacancy election, no11
later than 3 p.m. on the twentieth THIRTY-FOURTH day after the date of the12
order issued by the governor.13
(II) Petitions to nominate candidates of minor political parties14
shall MUST be filed no later than eighty-five ONE HUNDRED days before15
the primary election as specified in section 1-4-101.16
SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-803, amend (2)17
as follows:18
1-4-803. Petitions for nominating school district directors.19
(2) The nomination petition must be filed no later than sixty-seven20
EIGHTY-ONE days before the election date.21
SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 1-4-805 as22
follows:23
1-4-805. Petitions for nominating municipal candidates in24
coordinated elections. Any person who desires to be a candidate for a25
municipal office in a coordinated election shall, in lieu of the26
requirements of this article ARTICLE 4, comply with the nominating27
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petition procedure set forth in the "Colorado Municipal Election Code of1
1965", article 10 of title 31; C.R.S.; except that part 11 of this article2
ARTICLE 4, concerning write-in candidate affidavits, shall apply APPLIES3
in such municipal elections, and any nominating petition may be4
circulated and signed beginning on the ninety-first day prior to the5
election and shall be filed with the munic