2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 1 - ELECTIONS (§§ 1-1-101 — 1-46-106) › GENERAL, PRIMARY, RECALL, AND CONGRESSIONAL VACANCY ELECTIONS (§§ 1-1-101 — 1-17-101) › Article 13.5 - COLORADO LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION CODE (§§ 1-13.5-101 — 1-13.5-1601) › Part 9 - PAPER BALLOTS (§§ 1-13.5-901 — 1-13.5-906) › Section 1-13.5-902 - Ballots and sample ballots - delivery - format

(1)
(a)
The designated election official of each local government using paper ballots shall provide printed ballots for the local government election. The official ballots shall be printed and in the possession of the designated election official at least thirty days before the election.
(b)
In addition to the requirements of paragraph (a) of this subsection (1), sample ballots must be printed in the form of the official ballots and are subject to public inspection. The sample ballots must be printed upon paper of a different color from the official ballots. Sample ballots must be delivered to the election judges and posted with the instruction cards provided under section
1-13.5-906
.
(2)
Every ballot must contain the names of all duly nominated candidates for the offices to be voted for at that election, except those who have died or withdrawn, and the ballot must contain no other names. The names of the candidates for each office must be printed on the ballot without political party designation and without any title or degree designating the business or profession of the candidate. The names must be arranged by lot by the designated election official at any time prior to the certification of the ballot. The designated election official shall notify the candidates of the time and place of the lot drawing.
(3)
The ballots must be printed so as to give to each eligible elector a clear opportunity to designate his or her choice of candidates, ballot issues, and ballot questions by a mark as instructed. Words may be printed on the ballot that will aid the elector, such as "vote for not more than one".
(4)
At the end of the list of candidates for each different office, there must be one or more blank spaces in which the elector may write the name of any eligible person not printed on the ballot who has filed an affidavit of intent to be a write-in candidate pursuant to section
1-13.5-305
. The number of spaces provided shall be the lesser of the number of eligible electors who have properly filed an affidavit of intent to be a write-in candidate or the number of persons to be elected to the office. No such blank spaces shall be provided if no eligible person properly filed an affidavit of intent to be a write-in candidate.
(5)
The names of the candidates for each office must be arranged under the designation of the office. The designated election official shall not print, in connection with any name, any title or degree designating the business or profession of the candidate. Each candidate's name may include one nickname if the candidate regularly uses the nickname and the nickname does not include any part of a political party name.
(6)
If no candidate is duly nominated and no person properly files an affidavit of intent to be a write-in candidate for an office, the following text must appear under the designation of the office: "There are no candidates for this office".
(7)
(a)
Whenever the approval of a ballot issue or ballot question is submitted to the vote of the people, the ballot issue or question must be printed on the ballot following the lists of candidates. Ballot issues and ballot questions must be listed in the following order, as applicable: Issues to increase taxes, issues to increase debt, citizen petitions, and other referred measures.
(b)
The ballot issue or question must be identified by the name of the local government submitting the ballot issue or question followed by a letter.
(8)
(a)
The extreme top part of each ballot must be divided by two perforated or dotted lines into two spaces, each of which must be not less than one inch in width, the top portion being known as the stub and the next portion as the duplicate stub. Upon each of said stubs nothing is to be printed except the number of the ballot, and the same number must be printed on both stubs. Stubs and duplicate stubs of ballots must both be numbered consecutively. There must be printed on the stub of an absentee ballot "Absentee Ballot Number [...]", and such stubs must be numbered consecutively beginning with number one. All ballots must be uniform and of sufficient length and width to allow for the names of candidates and the proposed questions to be printed in clear, plain type with a space of at least one-half inch between the different columns on said ballot. On each ballot must be printed the endorsement "official ballot for . . .", and after the word "for" must follow the designation of the local government for which the ballot is prepared, the date of the election, and a facsimile of the signature of the designated election official. The ballot shall not contain any caption or other endorsement or number. Each designated election official shall use precisely the same quality and tint of paper, the same kind of type, and the same quality and tint of plain black ink for all ballots furnished by the designated election official at one election.
(b)
A duplicate stub is not required for a ballot that is prepared for an independent mail ballot election pursuant to part 11 of this article.
Amended by 2016 Ch. 313,§ 8, eff. 8/10/2016.
Added by 2014 Ch. 2,§ 6, eff. 2/18/2014.
L. 2014: Entire article added, (HB 14-1164), ch. 2, p. 35, § 6, effective February 18. L. 2016: (8) amended, (HB 16-1442), ch. 313, p. 1268, § 8, effective August 10.