How to Run for Office in Colorado
A candidate filing guide from Campaign Partner, websites for candidates since 2011.
Your Campaign Website
When you file, your name becomes public and voters, reporters and donors will search for it. Have your website ready first - Campaign Partner sites are ready at signup, from $29/month, free domain name included.
Getting on the Ballot
Colorado gives major-party candidates two roads to the primary ballot: the assembly route - earning at least 30% of the delegate vote at your party's county or state assembly (reached through the precinct caucus system) - or the petition route, gathering signatures from party members in the district. Candidates may attempt both; many statewide campaigns do. Unaffiliated candidates petition onto the general election ballot, and write-in candidates file an affidavit of intent.
Separately from ballot access, every candidate - including school board and special district - must file a Candidate Affidavit with the Secretary of State through the TRACER system within 10 days of becoming a candidate (announcing, or receiving/spending money). It's electronic, takes minutes, and skipping it is one of Colorado's most common compliance failures.
Ballot-access paperwork itself is filed locally: with the county clerk and recorder for county offices, the municipal clerk for city offices, and the designated election official for districts.
Where Local Candidates File
The county clerk and recorder handles ballot access for county candidates - assembly designation certificates, petition format approval (petitions must be approved before circulation), and write-in affidavits. Municipal candidates work with their city or town clerk. Campaign finance is more centralized than ballot access: county, school board, and special district candidates all file finance reports with the Secretary of State in TRACER; only municipal candidates file finance reports with their municipal clerk.
Running for a local office? See what a school board, city council, mayor or county commissioner campaign website needs.
Worth Knowing
- A defeated primary candidate cannot run for the same office in that year's general election, by ballot or write-in, unless a party vacancy committee nominates them - no sore-loser second chances.
- Petition formats must be approved by the clerk before circulating; signatures on unapproved formats don't count.
- Ballots drop about three weeks out - plan voter contact around the mail-ballot window, not election day; much of your vote is banked before the final week.
Official Colorado Resources
Filing deadlines, fees, and signature requirements change from cycle to cycle. Always confirm current details with the official sources below.
This page was last reviewed on August 14, 2026. Process details above are believed current as of that date; deadlines and fees should always be verified with your election office.