Candidates can start collecting signatures to get on the ballot

DENVER, Jan. 16, 2018 -- Today is the first day that candidates who are trying to petition their way onto the June 26 primary ballot can start collecting voter signatures.

So far, the Colorado Secretary of State's office has approved the petition format for 40 candidates, including seven contenders running in the open race for governor. This year there are 104 offices up for election where candidates, if they choose to go the petition route, would file their paperwork with our office. Only a candidate whose format has been approved can collect signatures. (The latest list of approved petition formats.)

Note that candidates seeking to become a county commissioner or one of six countywide elected offices, including sheriff and clerk and recorder, file their petitions at the county level.

The petitions approved by the Secretary of State's office are due by 5 p.m. March 20, and will be processed in the order they are received. (See the attachment at the end of this release for a summary of the SOS' guidelines for processing candidate petitions.)

The petition verification procedure this year will be more time consuming because each signature will be checked against the signature on file in the state voter database. Previously, just names and addresses were checked. Lawmakers added the signature requirement in 2017 after forgeries were discovered in petitions in the 2016 election. The legislation also allows candidates a chance to "cure" a signature initially deemed not valid and to address other technical deficiencies that sometimes required judicial action in the past.

"I'm proud of the changes we've made in the petition process," said Secretary of State Wayne Williams. "These changes continue our bipartisan improvements in election integrity while allowing candidates to address technical errors without the need for litigation. That's better for everyone."

Collecting signatures is one way of getting on the ballot, and is typically used by less than 10 percent of the candidates. The most common way is going through an assembly where hopefuls must receive at least 30 percent of the delegate vote. In some cases, candidates are choosing to go both routes.

The number of signatures required depends on the office. Gubernatorial and other statewide candidates, for example, need 1,500 valid voter signatures from each of the state's seven congressional districts. Signature requirements for each office.

Although unaffiliated voters for the first time will be able to participate in the primary election, they cannot sign petitions for Republican and Democratic candidates. The signatures must come from voters from the same party.

Also of note:

Campaign finance: Because the quarterly campaign finance report deadline fell on Monday, a holiday, the deadline was moved to 11:59:59 p.m. today, Tuesday, Jan. 16. The reports are filed electronically through the Secretary of State's TRACER system and are available as soon as the campaign sends them.

County clerks: Secretary Williams and other staffers will be attending the Colorado County Clerks Association winter conference in Colorado Springs Wednesday through Friday. The Secretary of State's office will provide an update, and among the election items to be discussed is the implementation of Proposition 108 which, for the first time, requires county clerks to mail primary ballots to unaffiliated voters.

Candidate petition guidelines (PDF)