Run for Office in Mesa County

• Campaign finance documents - visit the TRACER campaign and political finance forms section of the Colorado Secretary of State Website
   
• Candidate affidavit - fillable PDF form from the Colorado Secretary of State website
   
• Committee registration - visit the TRACER notice of organization section of the Colorado Secretary of State website

Helpful Resources

Certificate of Designation by Party Assembly

Candidate Information - Certificate of Designation by Assembly

Candidate Information - Acceptance of Designation

Certificate of Designation by Petition

Candidate Information - Major Party Candidate Petitions

Candidate Information - Minor Party Candidate Petitions

Candidate Information - Unaffiliated Candidate Petitions

Candidate Information - Acceptance of Designation

Certificate of Designation by Write-In

Affidavit of Intent for Write-In Designation from the Secretary of State website.

Candidate Information - Statement of Withdrawal by Candidate

Commissioners, Clerk and Recorder, Treasurer, Assessor, & Surveyor

• Term of office: no more than two 4-year terms.
• Minimum age requirement: 18 Years
• Residency requirement: resident in the county one year preceding the election. For commissioner candidates, resident in the Commissioner District you are running for.
• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen [C.R.S. § 30-10-501.5]

Sheriff and Coroner

• Term of office: no more than three 4-year terms.
• Minimum age requirement: 18 Years
• Residency requirement: resident in the county one year preceding the election.
• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen [C.R.S. § 30-10-501.5]
• Fingerprints: complete set of fingerprints taken by a qualified law enforcement agency and submit a receipt of evidence of such fingerprinting at the time of filing written acceptance or candidate affidavit.

Political Party Candidates

• You may be designated by assembly as a candidate for major political parties for the primary election.
• For each political party, there are party rules to follow.
• Minor party candidates normally are nominated straight to the general election ballot.
• In order to be nominated during your party’s assembly, you need at least 30% of the votes of all delegates present and voting on that office.

Political Party Petition

• You may choose to petition onto the ballot. However, if you try to go through assembly first, and do not receive at least 10% of the votes, you cannot take out a petition.
• Check party rules, but usually a candidate must be affiliated with the political party by the first business day in January of the year they are wishing to be a candidate.
• Party petitions cannot be circulated and signatures cannot be obtained any time prior to mid-January of the current year.
• Petitions should be filed with the designated election official no later than 85 days before the primary election.
• All petition formats must be approved by the County Clerk before you circulate them and the petition may only contain one candidate’s name for the same office.
• Persons who sign your petition must live within the county, be affiliated with the party you want to represent, and be registered to vote at the correct address.
• The number of signatures needed varies. It is normally equal to 20% of the votes cast at the primary election for the political party’s candidate for the office for which the petition is being circulated.

Unaffiliated/Write-in Candidates

• Unaffiliated candidates petition to be on the general ballot.
• You need to be registered unaffiliated by the first business day in January.
• All petition formats must be approved by the County Clerk before you circulate them and the petition may only contain one candidate’s name for the same office.
• The petition cannot be circulated or any signatures obtained prior to 173 days before the general election.
• Petition has to be filed no later than 3:00 p.m. on the 117th day preceding the general election.
• Persons who sign your petition must live within the county and be registered to vote at the correct address.
• The number of signatures needed is equal to 1,000 or 2% of the votes cast in the most recent general election, whichever is less. 

Write-In Candidate

• Your name doesn’t actually appear on the ballot if you are a write-in candidate.
• Anyone who writes your name in on a blank line and fills in the oval next to it earns you a vote.
• In order to be a write-in candidate, you must file an affidavit of intent by the 110th day before the general election.