Colorado § 1-13.5-501 - Call for nominations - definitions.

§ 1-13.5-501. Call for nominations - definitions.

(1) Between seventy-five and one hundred days before a regular local government election, the designated election official shall provide public notice of a call for nominations for the election. The call must state the director offices to be voted upon at the election, where a self-nomination and acceptance form or letter may be obtained, the deadline for submitting the self-nomination and acceptance form or letter to the designated election official, and information on obtaining an absentee ballot.

(1.5) Except as otherwise required by subsection (1.7) of this section, the public notice required by subsection (1) of this section must be made by publication as defined by subsection (2) of this section and by any one of the following means:

(a) Mailing the notice, at the lowest cost option, to each address at which one or more active registered electors of the local government resides as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of the date that is one hundred fifty days prior to the date of the regular local government election;

(b) Including the notice as a prominent part of a newsletter, annual report, billing insert, billing statement, letter, voter information card or other notice of election, or other informational mailing sent by the local government to the eligible electors of the local government;

(c) Posting the information on the official website of the local government; or

(d) For a local government with fewer than one thousand eligible electors that is wholly located within a county the population of which is less than thirty thousand people, posting the notice in at least three public places within the territorial boundaries of the local government and, in addition, posting a notice in the office of the clerk and recorder of the county in which the local government is located. Any such notices must remain posted until the day after the call for nominations closes.

(1.7) (a) In the case of any metropolitan district that was organized after January 1, 2000, in accordance with title 32, the notice required by subsection (1) of this section must be made by emailing the notice to each active registered elector of the metropolitan district as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of the date that is one hundred fifty days prior to the date of the regular local government election. Where the active registered elector does not have an email address on file for such purpose with the county clerk and recorder as of the date that is not later than one hundred fifty days prior to the date of the regular local government election, the public notice required by subsection (1) of this section must be made by mailing the notice, at the lowest cost option, to each address at which one or more active registered electors of the metropolitan district resides as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of the date that is one hundred fifty days prior to the date of the regular local government election.

(b) In addition to the public notice required by subsection (1.7)(a) of this section, the designated election official shall also provide public notice by any one of the following means:

(I) Publication as defined in subsection (2) of this section;

(II) Including the notice as a prominent part of a newsletter, annual report, billing insert, billing statement, letter, voter information card or other notice of election, or other informational mailing sent by the metropolitan district to the eligible electors of the metropolitan district;

(III) Posting the information on the official website of the metropolitan district; or

(IV) For a metropolitan district with fewer than one thousand eligible electors that is wholly located within a county, the population of which is less than thirty thousand people, posting the notice in at least three public places within the territorial boundaries of the metropolitan district and, in addition, posting a notice in the office of the clerk and recorder of the county in which the special district is located. Any such notices must remain posted until the day after the call for nominations closes.

(2) As used in this section, "publication" means printing one time, in one newspaper of general circulation in the special district or proposed special district if there is such a newspaper, and, if not, then in a newspaper in the county in which the special district or proposed special district is located. For a special district with territory within more than one county, if publication cannot be made in one newspaper of general circulation in the special district, then one publication is required in a newspaper in each county in which the special district is located and in which the special district also has fifty or more eligible electors.

Source: L. 2014: Entire article added, (HB 14-1164), ch. 2, p. 16, § 6, effective February 18. L. 2021: (1) amended and (1.5) and (1.7) added, (SB 21-262), ch. 368, p. 2425, § 1, effective September 7.