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

Certificate of Designation by Party Assembly

Certificate of Designation by Assembly

Acceptance of Designation

Certificate of Designation by Petition

Major Party Candidate Petitions

Minor Party Candidate Petitions

Unaffiliated Candidate Petitions

Acceptance of Designation

Certificate of Designation by Write-In

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

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 required signatures is the lesser total of either 1,000 signers or 10% of the votes cast in the previous primary election for that office.

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 5:00 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.