Elections & the Legislative Process

The legislative process can be confusing and overwhelming. This section is designed to break the information you need to know into manageable pieces that will help you get more involved.

Colorado Caucuses

The word ‘caucus’ means meeting.  Colorado hold closed caucuses, which means only members of a major registered party may participate.  Voters meet in churches, schools and sometimes even homes across the state to discuss candidates.  The caucus location is determined by residents' precinct or district, depending on the party.  During the caucuses, straw polls are conducted in certain races and delegates are selected for county assemblies and conventions.

Once the formal poll is taken, the top candidates who qualified are assigned a number of delegates by a mathematical formula. These delegates will then attend the party convention and assembly, sponsored by the parties, representing voters for the various candidates.

Colorado Primaries

In primaries, voters go to polling stations (or mail in a ballot) to cast their vote for candidates on a ballot.  In Colorado, there are closed primaries, which means votes may only be cast if you are registered as being affiliated with a major party, and then only for a candidate running in your party.  The candidates who appear on the primary ballot are those candidates who were selected at the assemblies mentioned above.  The candidate chosen in each party will run in opposition to the candidate or candidates from the other party(ies) in the general election in November.

General Elections

General elections are open elections; therefore voters may cast their votes (at their polling places or by mail) for candidates from among all parties. For the 2011 Elections Calendar, click here.

County/Local Government

Colorado residents live within three government jurisdictions: the state, a county, and a school district.  Also, over 70 percent of Colorado residents live within municipal boundaries.  Each local government has specific authorities and responsibilities that are statutorily defined.  For a list of local government, visit the DOLA website.

The Board of County Commissioners is charged with managing the business affairs of a county.  Each county has a Board of County Commissioners.  The meetings are public and are typically held weekly or monthly.  Contact your county seat for more information on meetings dates. Click here for an interactive map containing information on each county’s seat and elected officials.

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