Colorado Code
Part 4 - Ballots
§ 1-5-403. Content of Ballots for General and Congressional Vacancy Elections

(1) The county clerk and recorder of each county using paper ballots or electronically counted ballot cards shall provide printed ballots for every odd-numbered year, general, or congressional vacancy election. The official ballots shall be printed and in the possession of the county clerk and recorder no later than thirty-two days before every odd-numbered year, congressional vacancy, and general election.
(2) For all elections except those for presidential electors, every ballot shall contain the names of all candidates for offices to be voted for at that election whose nominations have been made and accepted, except those who have died or withdrawn, and the ballot shall contain no other names. When presidential electors are to be elected, their names shall not be printed on the ballot, but the names of the candidates of the respective political parties or political organizations for president and vice president of the United States shall be printed together in pairs under the title "presidential electors". The pairs shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of the names of the candidates for president in the manner provided for in section 1-5-404. A vote for any pair of candidates is a vote for the duly nominated presidential electors of the political party or political organization by which the pair of candidates were named.
(3) The names of joint candidates of a political party or political organization for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall be printed in pairs. The pairs shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of the names of candidates for governor in the manner provided for in section 1-5-404. A vote for any pair of candidates for governor and lieutenant governor is a vote for each of the candidates who compose that pair.
(4) The name of each person nominated shall be printed or written upon the ballot in only one place. Each nominated person's name may include one nickname, if the person regularly uses the nickname and the nickname does not include any part of a political party name. Opposite the name of each person nominated, including candidates for president and vice president and joint candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, shall be the name of the political party or political organization which nominated the candidate, expressed in not more than three words. Those three words may not promote the candidate or constitute a campaign promise.
(5) The positions on the ballot shall be arranged as follows: First, candidates for president and vice president of the United States; next, candidates for United States senator; next, congressional candidates; next, joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor; next, other state candidates; next, legislative candidates; next, district attorney candidates; next, candidates for the board of directors of the regional transportation district; next, other candidates for district offices greater than a county office; next, candidates for county commissioners; next, county clerk and recorder candidates; next, county treasurer candidates; next, county assessor candidates; next, county sheriff candidates; next county surveyor candidates; and next, county coroner candidates. When other offices are to be filled, the county clerk and recorder, in preparing the ballot, shall use substantially the form prescribed by this section, stating the proper designation of the office and placing the names of the candidates for the office under the name of the office. The ballot issues concerning the retention in office of justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals, judges of the district court, and judges of the county court shall be placed on the ballot in that order and shall precede the placement of ballot issues concerning amendment of the state constitution or pertaining to political subdivisions.
Source: L. 92: Entire article R&RE, p. 708, § 8, effective January 1, 1993. L. 97: (1) amended, p. 184, § 1, effective August 6. L. 99: (1) amended, p. 774, § 47, effective May 20. L. 2012: (4) amended, (HB 12-1292), ch. 181, p. 682, § 20, effective May 17.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 1-6-402 as it existed prior to 1992.
Cross references: For provision requiring joint election of governor and lieutenant governor, see § 1-4-204; for requirement that write-in candidate file affidavit of intent, see § 1-4-1101; for ballots for primary elections, see § 1-5-402; for printing and distribution of ballots, see § 1-5-410; for the furnishing of cards of instruction to election judges, see § 1-5-504; for the manner of voting in precincts which use paper ballots, see § 1-7-304; for ballots defectively marked, see § 1-7-309.

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