Ever thought about running for county commissioner? There are specific laws that need to be followed, as put forth in the Colorado Statutes.All candidates for nominations to be made at any primary election must be placed on the primary election ballot either by certificate of designation by party assembly, caucus or petition.A caucus is a political party gathering, much like a town hall meeting. Members gather to hear speeches and engage in discussion before voting for a candidate.Every petition has to be signed by electors eligible to vote within the county commissioner district. (Falcon is in District 2.) The number of signatures needed is equal to 20 percent of the votes cast at the last primary election. (In the cases of Margaret Radford and Jim Day, 1,671 total signatures were needed.)All the signatures are verified by the board of elections. If one nominee gets his or her list of names in first, any other nominee’s list, which comes in later, will have duplicate names thrown out because each voter can only be on one nominee’s signature list. The person who solicits signatures must be a resident of the district and a member of the nominee’s political party.Some signature-gatherers are volunteers and others are paid staff members of the candidates. Most workers go door to door, while others stand outside well-trafficked stores or other buildings.The certificate of nomination from the convention is filed with the secretary of state.The primary election narrows the list of nominees down to one from each party. As in the national elections, the voters then go to vote for the party/commissioner they would like to see in office.Candidates can also get on the ballot for write-in votes. Any person who wishes to be a write-in candidate needs to file an affidavit of intent stating that he or she desires the office and is qualified to assume its duties if elected. The affidavit of intent is then filed with the county clerk and recorderCounty officials are elected for four-year terms with a two-term limit. Elections are held during even-numbered years.
