FAQ

In Colorado, the process of nominating candidates for elective office begins with precinct caucuses organized by the major political parties. Since Colorado does not hold a Presidential primary election, the only opportunity for voters to directly influence the selection of the major party candidates for President of the United States is through precinct caucuses and political party assemblies.

Precinct caucuses are local neighborhood meetings of registered voters held every general election year. At each precinct caucus meeting, a Presidential preference poll is held, local political party leaders are selected, and delegates to county and district assemblies are elected. Delegates chosen at precinct caucuses will vote in later political party assemblies to designate partisan candidates to the primary election ballot for U.S. Congress, the state legislature, and other district and county offices. Delegates to State and Congressional district assemblies will also vote to elect delegates to national political conventions and will vote on political party platforms.

With the exception of the Republican candidates for President and Vice-President who are nominated at the Republican National Convention, registered Republican voters will then have the opportunity to vote on the Republican candidates designated to the primary election ballot by party assembly or by petition in connection with the primary election.

Precinct caucus attendees must be registered to vote and affiliated with the Republican Party at least two months prior to the precinct caucus, and must be a resident of their precinct for at least thirty days to be eligible to participate in their precinct caucus meeting or to be elected as a delegate or precinct committeeperson. Participation in the precinct caucus by absentee ballot or by proxy is not allowed, but a person may be elected as a delegate or precinct committeeperson in absentia if they are unable to attend the meeting in person.

Registered Republican voters may find their precinct caucus location at caucus.cologop.org

Am I eligible to vote in the Republican precinct caucus?

You must be a registered Colorado voter, affiliated with the Republican Party at least two months prior to the Precinct Caucus.

You must also have been a resident of your precinct for at least thirty (30) days. If you moved into the precinct or registered to vote less than thirty days prior to the Precinct Caucuses, you must attend the precinct caucus that corresponds to your prior address, but you may be ineligible to be elected as a delegate or precinct committeeperson.

For key dates and additional information, please click here.

Where is my precinct caucus?

Most Precinct Caucus meetings are held in local schools, community meeting rooms, churches, and sometimes in private homes that are ADA-accessible. The Precinct Caucus location for your neighborhood is set by your local county Republican Party, and can be found on our Colorado Republican Caucus Assembly System website found at http://caucus.cologop.org

What happens at a precinct caucus?

At every Precinct Caucus, the basic agenda is as follows:

Elect a chairman and secretary to help run the caucus meeting that night;
Vote in the Presidential Preference Poll, and tally and announce the results to caucus participants;
Elect two precinct committeepersons who will serve as local officers of the Republican Party and help coordinate voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts in the precinct for the next two years;
Elect delegates and alternate delegates to the County Assembly, and in some cases to certain district assemblies and higher assemblies and conventions;
Discuss, and approve or reject certain resolutions relating to the Party platform.

If I’m not a registered Republican voter can I still attend my Precinct Caucus as an observer?

Yes you can attend as an observer, but you will not be allowed to vote in the Presidential Preference Poll or participate in the election of precinct committeepersons or delegates to political party assemblies.

FAQ: Delegate Information

What is a delegate and what do they do?

Delegates and alternate delegates are elected by eligible Precinct Caucus voters to advance to their County Assembly, and potentially to certain higher assemblies including legislative and judicial district assemblies, Congressional district assemblies and the state assembly and convention. At these political party assemblies, delegates will vote to designate candidates to the 2014 Republican Primary Election ballot. Delegates selected at the Precinct Caucuses may but are not required to pledge their votes to their preferred candidates for elective office.

How do I become a delegate to the National Convention?

Not applicable until 2014.

Do I have to run as a pledged delegate for a specific presidential candidate?

No. You can run as an unpledged delegate. However, if you wish to be considered as a candidate for National Delegate, you must be first elected as a delegate or alternate delegate to your local county assembly and to the State and/or Congressional District assembly from which you wish to be elected, and you must notify the Colorado Republican Party of your interest by filing a “National Delegate Intent Form” no later than thirteen (13) days prior to the State or Congressional District Assembly. You can obtain the “National Delegate Intent Form” from your local Republican party leaders on the day of your county assembly. Pledged candidates for National Delegate remain pledged to their candidate unless their candidate withdraws from the Presidential contest, releases their delegates, or is not nominated.

When and where is my:

County Assembly: Please visit your local county party website to find information regarding your county assembly location and meeting time. To find your county Party’s website, click here.
House District Assembly: to be announced
Senate District Assembly: to be announced
Congressional District Assembly: to be announced
State Assembly: to be announced

When and where is the National Convention?

The next Republican National Convention will be held in 2016. Location, time and date have yet to be determined.

FAQ: Candidate Information

When is the Republican Primary Election?

To be announced

What are the residency requirements to be eligible to run for public office?

Federal office (U.S. House) – Colorado Resident
State Senate and State House – minimum 1 year residency within the district

How do I gain access the 2014 Republican Primary ballot?

Republican candidates for partisan elective office may be designated to the Republican Primary Ballot by participating in the assembly process and securing at least 30% of the votes at the nominating assembly corresponding to their district. If a candidate receives less than 30% but more than 10% of the votes at the assembly, they can pursue Primary Election ballot access via petition. A candidate that receives less than 10% vote at the assembly is disqualified from the Primary Election ballot.

Candidates have the option to not participate in the assembly process and instead petition signatures for Primary Election ballot access. The amount of signatures required depends on the size of the district’s electorate.

What is the deadline to declare my candidacy?

A Republican candidate seeking access to the primary election ballot by assembly is not required to announce his or her candidacy in advance, and can simply volunteer at the designating assembly. Single-county legislative districts will hold their assemblies in connection with their county assemblies in mid- to late March. Multi-county district assemblies must happen after all applicable county assemblies, and will generally be after March 28 through April 13.

If no candidates are designated at the respective political party assemblies, there is a short window of time thereafter where political party assembly vacancy committees can designate a Republican candidate to the primary election ballot if there is a vacancy in designation. But if no candidate is designated to the primary ballot, then the chance to nominate a Republican candidate to oppose the Democrat in the general election is lost.

If a candidate wishes to bypass the caucus and assembly process, and seek access to the primary election ballot by petition, the first day to start circulating petitions is the first Monday in February. Petitions must be submitted no later than the 85^th day before the primary election.

When is the deadline to file and register as a candidate?

There is no set filing deadline in the state of Colorado that applies to all candidates. Filing deadlines depend on:

When your campaign efforts officially begin under campaign and political finance definitions.
The method by which you seek to get your name on the ballot (nomination, petition, write-in)
Please refer to this link to find deadlines applicable to your type of candidacy.

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