Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the House District 3 Vacancy Election

The House District 3 Vacancy Committee Election To Fill the Seat of State Representiave

1. When and where is the Vacancy Committee Meeting taking place? What about parking?

The Vacancy Committee Meeting will be held Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 7:00pm in the east basement of the University Park United Methodist Church, 2180 S. University, Denver. You may enter through the big doors near the center of the building on the north or south sides of the building. Check-in begins at 6:00pm. Vacancy Committee members are encouraged to check in and pick up their credentials before 6:30 PM. Voting members and candidates will be emailed an on-street parking permit. You may print out page one and put it on the dashboard of your car to protect yourself from parking violations until 11:30 PM on March 26. On-street parking permits will also be available at the door for all comers. Those must be returned to your car and placed on the dashboard to be effective.

The basement is easily ADA accessible, via an unlocked elevator, through the north door of the church, where there are handicapped-reserved parking spaces in the parking lot for people with limited mobility. If you have a lot to carry in, you may also park in the church parking lot on the north side of the building.

2. Who may attend the meeting?

The Vacancy Committee Meeting is open to the public per state law [CRS 1-12-203 (3) (a)]. However, anyone who is neither a candidate at the meeting nor eligible to vote at the meeting will be asked to sit or stand in the back of the room to facilitate voting. We have room for an audience of about 100 in the back, in addition to the 100 or so Vacancy Committee Members in the front and approximately 10 candidates in the front.

3. Who is eligible to vote at the Meeting?

The House District 3 Vacancy Committee consists of the Central Committee of House District 3 plus members of the Arapahoe County and Denver County Central Committees who live in the district. The House District 3 Vacancy Committee list has been provided to the State Democratic Party and has been filed with the Secretary of State in accordance with state law [CRS 1-3-103 (7)]. This list constitutes the eligible voting membership at the meeting on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

4. Who is eligible to stand for election at the meeting?

To be eligible to stand for election at the Vacancy Committee Meeting, a candidate must

--Be at least 25 years old [Colorado Constitution Article V, Section 4]

--Be a United States citizen [Colorado Constitution Article V, Section 4]

--Have resided in House District 3 for at least 12 months prior to the Vacancy Committee Meeting [Colorado Constitution Article V, Section 4]

--Be a registered Democrat at the time of the Vacancy Committee Meeting [CRS 1-12-203 (3) (a)]

5. If I want to stand for election, what should I do?

Anyone wanting to stand for election at the Vacancy Committee Meeting should notify the Denver County Democratic Party secretary in writing at secretary@denverdemocrats.net. Candidates should contact the secretary not later than 12 noon on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 if they want their names to be pre-printed on the ballots to be used at the Vacancy Committee Meeting.

6. If I haven't notified the secretary beforehand, can I still stand for election?

Yes. Nominations may be made from the floor at the Vacancy Committee Meeting, and candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by another member of the Vacancy Committee. Seconds will be required per State Party advice. Either the nominator or the seconder must be a member of the HD3 Vacancy Committee, and both must be registered Democrats in House District 3. Names of candidates nominated from the floor will have their names handwritten onto lines provided at the bottom of the pre-printed ballots by any members of the Vacancy Committee voting for them. There will also be space provided at the bottom of the ballot for write-in candidates, who must be known to be eligible and willing to serve.

7. How will members of the Vacancy Committee be credentialed for voting?

A credentials committee will supervise check-in of members of the Vacancy Committee. Committee members will be given credential tags to hang around their neck that will identify their eligibility to vote. No one without an appropriate credential tag will be permitted to vote. Members are encouraged to obtain their credentials by 6:30 PM so we may start the meeting on time.

8. How is a quorum established at the meeting?

At least 50% of the members of the Vacancy Committee must be present to constitute a quorum. [CRS 1-12-203 (3) (a)]

9. How will the election be conducted?

There will be up to three stages of voting at the Vacancy Committee Meeting.

For the first ballot, the order of candidates who have notified the secretary of their intent to run by 12 noon on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 will be determined by lot. Candidates who are nominated from the floor will not be able to have their names pre-printed on the ballot, but their names may be handwritten, on the lines provided at the bottom of the ballot, by any members of the Vacancy Committee wishing to vote for them. There will also be space at the bottom of the ballot for write-in candidates, who must be known to be eligible and willing to serve. For subsequent ballots (Stage 2 and Stage 3, as described in Question #9 above), candidates’ names will be printed in alphabetical order.

No. Proxy in elections to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly is disallowed by state law [CRS 1-12-203 (3) (a)]. If a member of the Vacancy Committee is unable to attend the meeting in person, s/he may not vote in the vacancy election. No "instructed ballots" will be permitted.

The winner of the Vacancy Committee election will be the candidate who wins a majority of the votes cast, 50% of the votes plus one vote. If a candidate wins a majority of the vote in the Second round of voting, subsequent rounds of voting will not be conducted and that candidate will be declared the winner. [CRS 1-12-203 (3) (a)] No winner will be declared after the first stage of voting (see Question #9 above).

13. Will the voting be by secret ballot?

Members of the Vacancy Committee will vote by paper ballot and need not be observed by any other person while voting. However, pursuant to State Party Rules (Part Four. Article II.A.) all members of the Vacancy Committee must print and sign their names on their ballots. Ballots which are turned in without either a printed name or a signature will not be counted.

Four individuals with experience in elections have volunteered to assist the House District 3 Chair in tabulating the ballots. Ballots will be counted within view of the members of the Vacancy Committee. Candidates, or observers on their behalf, may observe the tabulation of the ballots. Candidates or observers on their behalf may be asked to stand a reasonable distance back from the tabulators so the tabulators may conduct their work. Tabulators will need to talk with each other continuously during the count of the Stage One balloting, so observers are asked to watch quietly, to facilitate quick and accurate tabulation. Candidates or observers will not be permitted to make any written notes while observing the tabulation.

15. How much time will candidates have to address the meeting?

Before the first round of voting begins, each candidate will be permitted to address the members of the Vacancy Committee. The maximum period of time allotted to each candidate will be established by a vote of the members of the Vacancy Committee at the beginning of the meeting. As of this writing, because there are currently ten candidates, the HD3 Chair is proposing each candidate be allowed five minutes total air time, including any time taken up by nominators. Candidates who have notified the secretary of their intent to run not later than 12 noon on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 will speak in the order in which their names appear on the ballot, which order will be determined by lot, as described above in Question #10. Candidates who are nominated from the floor will speak in the order in which they were nominated, after all candidates who have notified the secretary in advance have spoken. It is also proposed, in the interest of time, that no Question and Answer period be held prior to the first round of balloting.

16. Will candidates be permitted to campaign at the meeting?

Yes, candidates will permitted to have signs, banners, handouts, fliers, etc at the meeting, subject to available space and other reasonable conditions determined by the House District 3 Chair. No campaign materials are allowed outside the meeting room because a church is a 501(c)3 organization and therefore not allowed by law to campaign for candidates or political parties. Please use only masking tape to affix posters and signs to the painted walls, and be sure to take them down before you leave. Candidates or their representatives will be permitted to arrive at the meeting location at 5:30 PM to set up their materials. After the election, help picking up trash and papers from the floors would be appreciated, as the church isn’t charging us custodial fees and they have a large formal event the following day at noon in the same room.

17. What will happen to the ballots after the election is over?

Ballots will be sealed and kept in a secure, locked location at the State Democratic Party office.

Click here to return to the HD3 Vacancy Election Resource Page.