Frequently Asked Questions

Denver is different from all other cities in Colorado, except Broomfield. Most cities are one among several others within a county. There are a few whose boundaries are actually in more than one county. But the Denver City boundary and the Denver County boundary are exactly the same. This is why Denver is the “City and County of Denver”.

Denver voters to elect the Mayor, the Auditor, the County Clerk, and 2 City Council Members-at-Large who represent the whole city. In addition, each voter votes for another City Council Member to represent the district they live in. The city is divided into 11 City Council Districts, which when added to the at-Large members gives us a City Council of 13 people.

All of the municipal offices are up for election at the same time: the 1st Tuesday in May every 4 years in the odd-numbered year immediately preceding a Presidential election year (for example: 2007, 2011, and 2015). Any person wishing to run for any of these offices must collect signatures on petitions to qualify to be on the ballot

If a run-off is necessary, it is held on the 1st Tuesday in June. The top two vote-getters from the May election will be on the run-off ballot. The candidate who receives a majority of votes cast for their office in the run-off wins.

This race does not have a run-off. At the May election, all candidates for the 2 at-Large spaces are listed on one ballot. Voters are to vote for two people from the list. The people who receive the highest number of votes and the 2nd highest number of votes are elected.

Yes. All Denver elected officials are allowed to serve no more than 3 full 4-year terms. If someone fills a vacancy in the middle of a term, it is considered a full term if he/she serves more than one-half of the 4-year term.

If a seat becomes vacant for any reason, such as resignation or death of the office holder, a vacancy is declared and filled by a special election depending on timing and the office in question:

Mayor – The Deputy Mayor (an appointed position) becomes acting Mayor until such time as a special election may be held. This election must take place between 120 and 130 days from the time that a vacancy is declared. The exception is if there is already a municipal election scheduled within 160 days of the vacancy.

Auditor, County Clerk and City Council Member-at-Large – A vacancy will be filled by a special election under the same time frame as the mayor. But these positions will remain vacant until such an election.

City Council District Member – A vacancy will be filled by special election within the district in question between 30 and 60 days after the vacancy is declared, unless there is already a municipal election scheduled within 90 days of the vacancy.

It is the smallest unit into which we divide the City for tracking purposes. It is based on voter registration. Each precinct is roughly (ideally) 1000 registered voters. Some are more, some are less due to population shifts around the City.

There is no set limit on how often this can be done. For practicality’s sake it is usually only done shortly after redistricting. However, if a precinct suddenly becomes very over-populated due to new development, the County Clerk must divide that precinct into multiple precincts to maintain fairly equal numbers in the precincts. There are statutory limitations on how many registered voters may be in a precinct.

The County Clerk and Recorder

The School Board is made up of 2 at-Large offices and 5 district offices. School Board members serve 4-year terms. These offices are up for re-election in the November of odd-numbered years and are staggered so that every odd-numbered year has at least 3 School Board positions come up for election.

Like the federal government, Colorado’s government is divided into three separate branches: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. The Executive and Legislative branches are elected and the Judicial is appointed by the Governor with consent of the State Senate. The Legislative branch passes laws, the Governor (Executive) approves or rejects them. If there is enough support in the Legislature, they can override the rejection (called a Veto). The Judicial determines if the laws are in conflict with higher law such as the State or US Constitution, as well as interprets and applies the laws. Even though judges are not elected, they are subject to a periodic vote to retain them. There is also an elected office within the Judicial system: that of District Attorney

The Executive branch is made up 5 elected officials and the departments they oversee. The 5 elected officials are the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Treasurer, and the Secretary of State. In addition, Colorado’s educational system falls under the Executive branch and has two elected bodies: the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (usually called CU Regents), and the State Board of Education.

The 5 executive offices are all up for election at the same time in November of the even-numbered years between Presidential Elections, often called “mid-term” elections because they happen in the middle of a Presidential term. They all run separately except candidates for Governor who select their running-mate for Lt. Governor. The two are elected as a team.

The CU Regents and State Board of Ed. each stagger the elections of their members so that some of the offices are up for election in November of any even-numbered year. These officials serve for 6-year terms. Members of these boards are elected to represent their Congressional districts, so each board currently has 7 district members. In addition, the CU Regents also have two members who are elected statewide, which is referred to as “At-Large”.

Governor – If the Governor resigns or dies, the Lt. Gov. becomes Gov. and fulfills the remainder of the term. If there is also a vacancy in the Lt. Gov’s office at the time, then the succession falls to the first of the following who is of the same political party as the Governor: President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Minority Leader of the Senate, Minority Leader of the House.

Lt. Gov. – A vacancy in the Lt. Governor’s office is filled by an appointment from the Governor which has to be confirmed by both houses of the Legislature. The newly appointed person serves the remainder of the term.

Treasurer, Attorney General, Sec. of State, or CU Regent – Vacancies in any of these offices is filled by appointment of the Governor. The newly appointed person does not have to be of the same political party as the outgoing official, but the appointment does have to be confirmed by the State Senate. At the next general election (i.e.- the next November of an even-numbered year), the office will be up for election and the winner of the election will serve the remainder, if any, of the term.

State Board of Education – If a vacancy occurs in the State Board of Ed. the vacancy committee of the political party of the out-going member for the congressional district in question will elect a person to serve until the next general election, at which time the office will be up for election and the winner of that election will serve the remainder, if any, of the term. (see “Re-Organization” for more on Vacancy Committees)

The Colorado Legislature is called the General Assembly and is made up of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Legislative power is also reserved to the people.

This is covered in more detail in the Miscellaneous section under “Referenda and Initiatives”.

The State Senate is made up of 35 members who represent 35 districts throughout the state. These districts are divided in such a way as to be approximately equal in population. Senators serve a 4-year term and the terms are staggered so that approximately one-half of the seats are up for election every two years. They are elected in November of even-numbered years.

The State House of Representatives is made up of 65 members who represent 65 districts throughout the state. These districts are divided in such a way as to be approximately equal in population. Representatives serve a 2-year term and are elected each November of even-numbered years.

Yes. Senators may serve no more than two consecutive 4-year terms. If they fill a vacancy mid-way through a term, that term shall be counted as a full term if the Senator serves more than ½ of the term.

Representatives may serve no more than four consecutive 2-year terms. If they fill a vacancy mid-way through a term, that term shall be counted as a full term if the Representative serves more than ½ of the term.

For both chambers, a former legislator may run for their previous office again after being out of it for at least 4 years.

Every 10 years, following the national census, the boundaries of the legislative (and Congressional) districts are adjusted to make the districts as evenly split among the population as possible. This is referred to as Redistricting for the Congressional districts or Reapportionment for the Legislative districts. Congressional Redistricting is handled by legislation, and Legislative Reappotionment are handled by a Legislative Reapportionment Commission whose members are appointed by the leadership of the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. In the event the Legislature and the Governor fail to enact redistricting legislation, the courts will generally order a plan to be adopted.

Colorado has a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Courts, County Courts and Municipal Courts. Municipal Courts are established and maintained by City Charters and Ordinances of the cities in question. All other courts are part of the State judiciary system.

There is one Supreme Court and one Court of Appeals for the State. The District Courts are based upon Judicial Districts. Each County has a County Court.

All Judges are appointed by the Governor. They serve for a certain number of years depending on their position and then are eligible, by popular vote, to retain their positions for another term.

Supreme Court Justices serve 10 year terms.

Court of Appeals Justices serve 8 year terms.

District Court Judges serve 6 year terms.

County Court Judges serve 4 year terms.

Every district has a Vacancy Committee for each of the political parties. When a vacancy occurs in the Legislature, the Vacancy Committee of the out-going Legislator’s political party for that district elects a replacement.

In the case of the Senate, the person elected by Vacancy Committee is subject to election at the next general election regardless of whether his/her district would have been up for election that year. If this “confirmation election” takes place in the middle of the district’s 4-year term, the winner of that election only serves until the next general election, in order to put them back on their 4-year term track.

They are set by the Legislature and require a 2/3 vote to make changes to their boundaries. Since they are not population-based, they are not redistricted on a regular basis. They all include whole counties in their jurisdiction.

Some, like Denver, have enough court cases to warrant only having one county in the Judicial District (Denver is District 2). Others may be combined with neighboring counties in a Judicial District as case loads and facilities allow.

Each Judicial District has one elected District Attorney who serves a 4-year term and is elected in November of Presidential election years.

Yes. Each District Attorney may serve only two consecutive 4-year terms. However, some districts, including Denver, have voted to extend the number of terms or exempt their D.A. from term limits altogether, as permitted by the State Constitution. The District Attorney for Denver is limited to three consecutive 4-year terms.

Colorado, like all other states, has two US Senators. These seats are elected on a statewide basis and serve 6-year terms. Their terms are staggered so in any given general election Coloradans will be voting for one, the other, or neither.

Colorado also has seven US Representatives (usually generically called Congressmembers). These members are elected by district and serve 2-year terms. Therefore they are up for election in November of every even-numbered year.

The total number of the US House of Representatives has, by federal law, been limited to 435. These 435 seats are apportioned to the States every 10 years on the basis of population following the federal census. The swelling of Colorado’s population over the past 30 years has been apparent by the increase in Congressional seats we have. In 1980’s we had 5 seats, in the 1990’s we had 6 and now we have 7.

Only the President of the United States is limited to serving no more than two 4-year terms in a lifetime. US Senators and US Representatives have no term limit restrictions. It would require an Amendment to the US Constitution to create term limits for them.

There are two ways, one of which has never been done. That one is for Congress to call for a Constitutional Convention. They would have to pass several laws governing the nature and specifics of such a Convention.

The other way, the only one that has been used to date, is for Congress to pass an Amendment by 2/3 vote of both chambers and then submit it to the States for ratification. 3/4 of the States’ legislatures would have to approve it to pass.

These are elections that are held on the 2nd Tuesday in August of even-numbered years to decide who will represent the Democrats and who will present the Republicans in the November General Election.

In Colorado, candidates can use one of two methods to get on a Primary ballot: an Assembly system or direct petition. (for full details, see Section 6). This system can, and often does, produce two or more candidates from one party for one position. Those candidates run in a Primary and the winner of that Primary election goes on to face the candidates from other parties in November’s General Election.

Anyone can be nominated for an elected office who fulfills the legal requirements for that office. The potential candidates must be nominated and then the delegates vote for who they wish to be their next Representative or Senator. Any candidate who receives at least 30% of that vote will have their name placed on the Primary Election ballot. Any candidate who does not receive 30% of the vote but receives at least 10% of the vote still has the right to get onto the Primary ballot by Petition. A candidate who does not receive 10% of the vote at the Assembly looses the ability to petition on to the ballot.

Candidates have the right to bypass the Assembly altogether and petition to place their name on the ballot. To do so they must gather signatures of registered Democrats in their district equal to an amount specified by law. The number of signatures needed varies by office and is set to require some work on the part of the candidate, but not to make it unattainable.

Due to recent law changes, they can. It is a rare occurrence though. They get on the ballot through methods similar to the 2 major parties.

The County Party in Denver has 4 elected officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. In addition, there is also is an Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer who are appointed by the Chair.

They are elected at the Re-Organization meeting of the Party that takes place in early February of every odd-numbered year. The people eligible to vote for these positions are the Central Committee members of the Party for the County.

The 6 Officers listed above, the 12 Captains-at-Large, and the Captains, co-Captains, and Finance Chairs of the 18 subdistricts in Denver.

The Central Committee is made up of the following (all of which will be described in detail elsewhere in this FAQ): The Precinct Committee People who live in Denver, the members of the County Executive Committee, Officers of the Congressional and Legislative Districts who live in Denver, Officers of the Colorado Democratic Party who live in Denver, members of the Democratic National Committee who live in Denver, and any Elected Official who resides in Denver and is a Democrat, whether it be a municipal, state, federal, or special district they are elected to.

Yes. There are also officers who serve an entire House, Senate, Judicial or Congressional District. There is a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary for each of these.

They are 12 people, appointed by the Chair, to serve the party in specific roles and chair the various standing committees of the Party or fulfill a specific position.

They are Rules, Get-out-the-Vote (GOTV), Outreach and Diversity, Fundraising, Issues, and Technology.

They fill specific positions that are not necessarily Committees. These can be the Volunteer Coordinator, the Strategic Planner, the representative from the Denver Young Dems, or Captains-at-Large who fill in wherever they are needed or work on special projects.

For administrative purposes it is necessary to divide the County into smaller units to make tasks we do more manageable. There are 9 State House districts that are entirely or mostly in Denver County. We use these House districts to split up the County in a mostly even fashion. Each House district is then divided into two Subdistricts, designated A and B. This gives the entire County 18 subdivisions to help with Party organization.

Each Subdistrict has an elected Captain, co-Captain and an appointed Finance Chair. These folks are responsible for carrying out Democratic functions and relaying information to the people in their Subdistricts.

The Central Committee members who live in the Subdistrict. Please see above, under County Officers, to refresh your memory as to who is on the Central Committee. The Captain of each Subdistrict appoints their Finance Chair.

They run the Re-Organization meetings, District Assemblies, Central Committee Meetings and Vacancy Committee meetings (if necessary) for their districts, all of which happen on a seldom basis. They serve a two-year term. Because their role is so limited, they do not have voting rights in a Central Committee meeting, unless they happen to serve in another voting capacity. The exception being Congressional District Chairs and co-Chairs are automatically members of the State Central and State Executive Committees.

These are the people who make up the grassroots of the Party. There are two PCP’s for every precinct. This is a wonderful place for someone who is new to the Party to get their feet wet. These people are responsible for helping with all campaign activity in their precincts.

The Colorado Democratic Party (CDP) has 5 elected officers: Chair, 1st Vice-Chair, 2nd Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. In addition there are a handful of paid staff positions.

They are elected by the State Central Committee at the State Re-Organization meeting, which takes place in March of every odd-numbered year. The Officers serve 2-year terms.

Yes. It is made up of The 5 State Party Officers; members of the DNC who live in Colorado; the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Congressional districts; and a representative of each of the Initiatives of the State Party. There are also 6 at-Large positions which may be filled by appointment of the State Party Chair

In addition, each county gets one vote per every 10,000 votes cast (or major fraction thereof) for the Democratic candidate for President or Governor, whichever is greater, in either of the previous two elections. Two of these Executive Committee members will be the County Chair and Vice Chair. There is a separate formula for smaller counties that do not meet the threshold set out above.

The State Central Committee is made up of the 5 State Officers, all US Senators, US Representatives, State Senators, State Representatives, CU Regents, State Board of Ed Members, and District Attorneys, who are Democrats; any of the following who are Democrats: the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Secretary of State; members of the DNC who live in Colorado; a representative of each of the initiatives of the State Party (see next section for details); and the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of each of the counties and each of the congressional districts.

In addition each county gets two more spots on the State Central Committee for every 10,000 votes cast (or major fraction thereof) for the Democratic candidate for either Governor or President, whichever is greater, at either of the two most previous general elections. There are called Bonus Members.

And finally, the Chair appoints as many At-Large members as needed to reach gender equality.

Whew! You might want to read that one a couple of times!

It is up to each county to make their own rules for this. In Denver, a formula is used that allots bonus members based on Democratic voter registration of each House District.

These are organizations within the CDP that are formed around a specific group of voters or block of issues and are designed to increase the participation of these groups in the Party process. The current initiatives are:

The Colorado Federation of Democratic Women

Colorado Young Democrats

The African-American Initiative

The Latino Initiative

Colorado Stonewall Democrats

Democrats with Disabilities

The Democratic Education Initiative

The Progressive Initiative

Each one has their own membership requirements and it would be best to talk directly to them about membership. They may be contacted through the State Party, or their individual websites.

It’s a detailed and potentially expensive process. The following is the process for state ballot issues. Local ones would follow a path set up in their own local ordinances: First, a proposal is submitted to the Legislative Council. These are the attorneys for the Legislature and they will draw up a series of questions to ask the proponents about the proposal designed to ensure the language of the proposal matches the intent. Next, a ballot title must be set. This is done by a board that meets twice a month and consists of the Sec. of State, the Attorney General, and a representative of Legislative Legal Services. One criterion that all proposals must meet is that it only addresses a single subject. This board also determines if a proposed ballot question does that. After this, the proponents have 6 months to gather signatures. For a statewide ballot question, the proponents must collect signatures equal to 5% of all the votes cast for all the candidates for Secretary of State in the previous election for that office. In recent years, that number has hovered in the 70,000 range. Once enough signatures are gathered and verified as valid, the measure goes on the next general election ballot (except tax-related issues, which may appear on an odd-year November ballot).

The structural part of the national Party is technically called the Democratic National Committee (DNC). It has a Chair (currently Gov. Howard Dean), five Vice Chairs, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a National Finance Chair.

Most are elected by members of the DNC in the February following a Presidential election. The President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs automatically serves as a Vice Chair due to his/her position.

There are many tasks of the DNC, mostly designed to establish the general principles of the party and provide the campaign framework for candidates for federal office.

They also plan and hold the National Convention every four years where our candidates for President and Vice-President are formally nominated.

Three ways: by election, by appointment, or by virtue of an office they hold.

Election: Each state is allotted a certain number of members to the DNC. These slots are filled by election at the State Assembly and Convention in Presidential election years.

Appointment: The Chair of the DNC has the authority to appoint at-Large members, usually selected to address a particular topic.

Virtue of another office: The Chair and Vice Chair of each state Democratic Party are automatically members of the DNC. This is also true of the leader of several party-based organizations such as the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, etc.

Usually called Re-Org for short, this is when the County party gets together and elects their officers for the next two years. In Denver, because we have so many House and Senate districts, we attempt to have each of those Districts do their own Re-Orgs at the same time.

For each County that gets to a have seats on the State Executive and State Central Committees, these members are also selected at the County Re-Org. (see Section 3 – Colorado Party Structure for more about these Committees)

Since the Re-Org includes all members of the Central Committee, this is also when any changes to the County Party rules can be voted on.

Denver holds theirs in early February of odd-numbered years. All Officers of the Party are elected for two year periods.

Two things have to happen: Officers have to be elected and a Vacancy Committee has to be established. In larger counties, like Denver, it is common for some of the County-wide selections, such as State Central Committee members, to be divided up and made at the various District levels.

While these meetings are open to the public, the only people who get to vote are the Central Committee Members of the County (see Section 2 for a full description).

By State Law, a multi-county district has its own central committee which is made up of the Officers of the District, the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary of each of the counties in which the district is partially situated (or their designees if they don’t reside in the district in question), and the members of the Legislature who reside in the district. Judicial and Congressional Districts also have Bonus Members similar to the State Central and Executive Committees. These District Central Committee members are the only people who get to vote in a multi-county Re-Org.

This is when any given district, be it a House, Senate, Judicial, or Congressional District, re-organizes.

They take place during February, or possibly March in odd-numbered years. Districts that are entirely inside one County will have their meeting at the same place, and immediately following, the County Re-Org. Districts that include pieces of more than one County are called Multi-County Districts and will be discussed in their own section.

That depends upon whether the district is wholly inside one county or if it a multi-county district. For single-county districts, the Central Committee Members of the County who reside inside the district in question vote in the Re-Org.

Similar to the County and District Re-Orgs, we elect the officers of the State Party. There may also be votes on changes to the State Party Rules, or any other topic that comes up that requires a vote of the State Central Committee.

Early March of odd-numbered years.

The members of the State Central Committee, including those who were selected at the previous month’s county re-orgs.

They are elected by the State Central Committee at the State Re-Organization meeting, which takes place in March of every odd-numbered year. The Officers serve 2-year terms.

In a nutshell, this is one process we use in Colorado to designate partisan candidates for office on the Primary ballot. There are Assemblies held in election years for each District that has to nominate a candidate for office. There is also a County Assembly and a State Assembly which allows the County or State Party to nominate candidates to countywide or statewide offices.

They begin with the County level which can be anywhere from late February to mid-April and continue through until all of the Counties and Districts have had one and end with the State Assembly and Convention which must take place by early June. But before there can be any Assemblies, there have to be Precinct Caucuses.

No. Essentially, the Convention deals only with delegate selection which will ultimately nominate a candidate for President of the United States. All other party activities are handled by the Assembly. Along each step of the way, when a Convention is required, it is customarily held at the same time and place as the Assembly for the same body. Usually the people who are selected to go to the County, Congressional, and State Assemblies are the same people who are selected to go to the corresponding Conventions. This is not a requirement, just more practical.

For every delegate selected at the precinct caucus to go to the County Assembly, an alternate may also be selected. These alternates take the place of delegates who do not show up for the Assembly.

This the first step in the nomination process. People meet with others in their own neighborhood and select representatives to go to the County Assembly.

By state law, precinct caucuses take place the third Tuesday in March in even-numbered years. However, the State Central Committee of each Party may choose to hold caucuses in Presidential election years the first Tuesday in February. The decision to move the caucus date for Presidential elections years are made the summer prior to the election year in question.

Anyone who is registered to vote as a Democrat 60 days prior to the Caucus taking place. They must also have lived in their precinct at least 30 days.

They are selected by preference for candidates for the highest office being voted on that year that is contested. This is usually the Presidential race, the Governor’s race or a US Senate race. A vote is taken of the people present at the caucus. Whatever percentage of the vote each of the candidates gets for the race that is designated, is the percentage of the delegates that each candidates gets to represent the precinct at the County Assembly.

Example: If the candidates for President are Smith and Jones and a preference poll is taken at the Caucus which show 60% prefer Smith and 40% prefer Jones, then the number of delegates that precinct gets to send to the County Assemby is 60% Smith supporters and 40% Jones supporters. However, if a candidate fails to receive 15% of the vote, he/she does not get any delegates.

Separeate votes are taken to select delegates to the County Convention and to the County Assembly. The Convetion vote is based on the Presidential race. The Assembly vote is based on the highest contested state race.

This is also where we elect Precinct Committee People. We elect two from every precinct. If none are elected on Caucus night, then the County Chair has the authority to appoint people to fill any empty slots at a later time. People who wish to have particular issues addressed by the Party Platform (see section 8) may introduce resolutions at the Caucus level and, if passed there, they will be passed up to be discussed and adopted, or not, at the County level and the same for the State level.

Denver is a little different from other counties in that we do not have County-wide elected offices. Because we are a “City and County” the offices that would fulfill some of these duties are chosen at our Municipal elections which follow a different procedure and time line. However, Denver does make up the entirety of the 2nd Judicial District, so we do nominate candidates for District Attorney every 4 years.

The County Assembly is also where the County Party Platform is adopted (usually after substantial debate), and where we select Delegates to go to the Congressional and State Assemblies (there is also a County Convention in persidenital election years to select Delegates to the Congressional and State Conventions, but these are usually the same Delegates as the Assembly ones). Once we have completed county-wide business, the Assembly splits into the Senate and House Districts to nominate candidates for those offices.

The overall number of delegates and alternates that a County Assembly will have, and how they are divided up amongst the precincts, is set by the County Central Committee.

When alternates arrive at the Assembly, they sign in on a sheet the same as delegates do, except that the time they check is also noted. Sign-in is done by House District. When it is time for the Assembly to be called to order, alternates who have signed in may be seated as delegates in the order they signed in to replace absent delegates. However, an alternate can only be seated of there are absent delegates of the same voting preference as themselves.

No. You are free to vote for anyone you wish at any level of the process. There is a 15% threshold which every candidate (including Uncommitted) must meet to be be able to send delegates to the next level. It is common for one candidate not to get enough votes to send delegates on their own, so their supporters go as a delegate for another candidate just so they can get to the higher level where they are free to vote for whomever they want.

If a person is selected at their precinct caucus to be a Delegate to the County Assembly, they are also a delegate to the Judicial, House and Senate Districts they reside in, unless their House or Senate District includes parts of more than one county. (see Multi-County Districts below).

They are handled the same as the single-county House and Senate Districts except that they may meet at different times than the County assembly to nominate their candidates. It is the responsibility of the officers of the multi-county district to set a time and place for these meetings, but it cannot be prior to the county assembly of any the counties wholly or partially in the multi-county district, nor after the State Assembly.

At each of the county assemblies of the counties involved in a multi-county district, the county delegates who live in that district meet and select a certain number of them to go to the multi-county assembly. The numbers each county gets to send to such an assembly is determined by a formula determined by the District’s Central Committee.

This is the first point where the roles of the Assembly and Convention take different paths. The Assembly’s job is to nominate candidates for the US House of Representatives from that district as well as to the CU Board of Regents and State Board of Education. Candidates for these offices are nominated the same way they are at the House and Senate districts.

The Congressional District Convention then elects delegates to the National Convention in presidential years as well as a person to serve as a Presidential Elector, who casts the official Electoral College vote for US President in December based on the outcome of the popular vote the previoius month.

In Denver, they are selected at the County Assembly using a formula approved by the State Central Committee. Some counties elect these delegates from their Precinct Caucuses.

When alternates arrive at the Assembly, they sign in on a sheet the same as delegates do, except that the time they check is also noted. Sign-in is done by House District. When it is time for the Assembly to be called to order, alternates who have signed in may be seated as delegates in the order they signed in to replace absent delegates. However, an alternate can only be seated of there are absent delegates of the same voting preference as themselves.

No. You are free to vote for anyone you wish at any level of the process. There is a 15% threshold which every candidate (including Uncommitted) must meet to be be able to send delegates to the next level. It is common for one candidate not to get enough votes to send delegates on their own, so their supporters go as a delegate for another candidate just so they can get to the higher level where they are free to vote for whomever they want.

The State Legislature passes legislation which must be signed by the Governor. If an impasse occurs in this process, the courts may step in and order a Redistricting Plan be adopted.

This is were we elect the at-large delegates to the National Convention. We also elect the the two at-large presidential electors.

This is where we nominate candidates for statewide office, such as Governor, or US Senator. We also adopt a State Party platform. In presidential election years we elect our members to the DNC.

When alternates arrive at the Assembly, they sign in on a sheet the same as delegates do, except that the time they check is also noted. Sign-in is done by House District. When it is time for the Assembly to be called to order, alternates who have signed in may be seated as delegates in the order they signed in to replace absent delegates. However, an alternate can only be seated of there are absent delegates of the same voting preference as themselves.

No. You are free to vote for anyone you wish at any level of the process. There is a 15% threshold which every candidate (including Uncommitted) must meet to be be able to send delegates to the next level. It is common for one candidate not to get enough votes to send delegates on their own, so their supporters go as a delegate for another candidate just so they can get to the higher level where they are free to vote for whomever they want.

There are several committee meetings and such that take place at the National Convention, but the major task to be accomplished is to nominate candidates for President and Vice President.

It takes place in mid-to-late August of Presidential election years. The location is something that cities vie for in a very competitive selection process.

Ultimately the Chair of the DNC. However, he/she appoints a committee to do the work of sorting through proposals to make sure the cities requesting the convention have the capacity and facilities to handle it.

Probably not. Access to the Convention itself is very limited. It is an invitation-only event and proper credentials are required for entry.

The DNC gives out the tickets and they go to 3 groups of people: the press, the Delegates and a very few VIP’s (like ex-Presidential candidates and the sort).

The DNC tells Colorado how many Delegates and Alternates we may send to the Convention. The State Party then devises a plan as how to divide these up around the state. This plan has to evenly divide the delegates between men and women and include a certain number to be elected at the congressional level and certain number to be elected at the state level.

The term is a misnomer. It would be more correct to call them "Automatic" delagates. They are delegates to the National Convetion based on the position they hold. These are the members of Congress, Members of the DNC, and State Governors.

The Delegate is responsible for all of their expenses. Fundraising is permitted to raise money to cover the cost. The convention is a week long and can be a pretty pricey once travel, lodging, food, and entertainment are all factored in.

No. You are free to vote for anyone you wish at any level of the process. There is a 15% threshold which every candidate (including Uncommitted) must meet to be be able to send delegates to the next level. It is common for one candidate not to get enough votes to send delegates on their own, so their supporters go as a delegate for another candidate just so they can get to the higher level where they are free to vote for whomever they want.

By election. There is a Delegate Selection Plan developed by the State Party and approved by the DNC. This plan includes Delegates who are elected at the congressional level and Delegates who are elected at-large at the state level.

First, it is a campaign. There are usually many times the number of people running as there are open spots to fill. Second, you have to go to everything. You are required to attend your Precinct Caucus and be a delegate to the County Assembly and then to the State Assembly (if you want to run for an at-large spot) or the Congressional Assembly (if you want to run for a district spot).

Voting “Uncommitted” is an option. In all levels of the Assembly and Convention process, “Uncommitted” is treated as if it were a candidate. If, in our previous example, Uncommitted got 20% of the vote, then 20% of the delegates to the County Assembly would also be listed as Uncommitted.

In Colorado, the state constitution invests the legislative power in the people. This includes Initiative and Referendum powers. While these are different things, they both result in the people voting on whether to pass a piece of legislation or not.

An Initiative is a law that is started by the people, through the petition process. A Referendum is initiated by an elected legislative body, such as the General Assembly or a City Council, but is put to the people for a vote to ratify it.

Since Initiatives begin with the people and have no legislative input, they can be about any topic. Referenda can also be about any topic, but there are certain changes that are required to be voted on by the people.

Voters must approve any change to the Colorado Constitution, any change to Denver’s City Charter, and any issue which either raises public debt, increases taxes, or raises public spending beyond a certain point.

The Platform Committee of the State Party writes the final draft. It is based on Resolutions that are sent to the State Party by each of the Counties who in turn collected them from the Caucuses during the Caucus and Assembly process. Ultimately, the Platform is approved by the State Assembly.

One person is selected from each House District and also from each Congressional District during the Re-Org of those districts. Also serving on the committee are the 5 State Party Officers, and Colorado’s members of the DNC. Additionally, all of the following who are Democrats are members: the Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Attorney General, US Senators, US Representatives, and State Legislators.