Assemblies of both the major and minor political parties may designate candidates for nomination to the primary election ballot. Candidates interested in this process should contact their political party for assembly protocols, dates, and rules. These assemblies shall be held no later than 73 days before the primary election. For 2026, this date is Sat. April 18, 2026.

If you receive your party’s nomination, your party must file a certificate of designation by assembly. In addition, you must submit a signed written acceptance of the nomination—unless your party includes it in their submission—to the Adams County Elections Office no later than four days after the assembly ends [C.R.S. § 1-4-601(1), 1-4-601(2)(a), 1-4-601(3)(a), 1-4-604(3), 1-4-1304(1.5)(b)(I), 1-4-1304(3), 1-4-1304(4)].

• Your acceptance must state your name as you want it to appear on the ballot.
• One nickname may be included if it is regularly used and does not contain any part of a political party name.

Major Political Party Candidates

• To qualify through an assembly, candidates must have been affiliated with the party since at least the first business day of January immediately preceding the primary election, unless party rules state otherwise [C.R.S. § 1-4-601(4)(a)].
• If no candidate receives 30% or more of the votes, a second ballot shall be cast. If no one reaches 30% on the second ballot, the two candidates with the highest number of votes are certified [C.R.S. § 1-4-601(2)(a)].

Minor Political Party Candidates

• A candidate cannot be nominated if they were registered with a major party at any time after the first business day of January before the general election, unless allowed by the minor party’s rules [C.R.S. § 1-4-1304(2)(c)].
• Each candidate receiving 30% or more of the votes at the minor party assembly shall be designated by assembly to the ballot [C.R.S. § 1-4-1304(1.5)(b)(II)].

The petition process involves circulating a written petition to other eligible voters and collecting their signatures in support of your candidacy. Unaffiliated candidates must be nominated by petition. Affiliated candidates may be nominated by petition, in addition to or as an alternative to the assembly process. A petition form must be approved by the County Clerk before circulation.

Contact the Adams County Elections Office at 720.523.6500 or email adams.elections@adamscountyco.gov to request the template needed for petition approval. The office will approve or reject a petition form no later than the second business day after submission [C.R.S. § 1-4-903].

• Major and Minor Party Candidates for county office must be affiliated with the party since at least the first business day of January immediately preceding the election in which they are circulating petitions.
• Unaffiliated Candidates for county office must be registered as unaffiliated no later than this same date [C.R.S. § 1-4-801(3), 1-4-802(1)(g)(II)].

If a major party candidate chooses to seek nomination through both petition and assembly, they cannot petition onto the ballot if they receive less than 10% of the vote at their party assembly for the same office [C.R.S. § 1-4-801(4)].

For additional petition requirements, visit the Colorado Secretary of State’s website. If you are running for a municipal office, contact your local municipal or town clerk in the city or town where you reside.

Signature Requirements

Only eligible voters registered within Adams County may sign the petition for countywide elected offices. Candidates for County Commissioner may only collect petition signatures from registered voters residing in the specific district for which they are running [C.R.S. § 1-4-802(1)(c)].

Voters cannot sign multiple petitions for different candidates seeking the same office [C.R.S. § 1-4-904(2)(a)-(b)].

• • Major Party Candidates: Only eligible voters registered with the candidate’s major political party for at least 22 days may sign their petition [C.R.S. § 1-4-904(2)(a)]. Unaffiliated voters are not eligible to sign a petition for major party candidates [C.R.S. § 1-4-801(2)(a)].
  • Minor Party and Unaffiliated Candidates: Any eligible voter, regardless of political affiliation (including unaffiliated voters), may sign petitions for minor political party or unaffiliated candidates, if they have not signed another petition for a different candidate for the same office [C.R.S. § 1-4-904(2)(b)].

The number of required signatures varies by type of candidate and office:

• • Major Party Candidates: The lesser of 1,000 eligible and properly-affiliated voters or by the number specific to that county office based on the number of votes cast in the most recent primary election for that office based on a statutory formula [C.R.S. § 1-4-801(2)(a)].
  • Minor Party & Unaffiliated Candidates: The lesser of 1,000 eligible voters or by the number specific to that county office based on the number of votes cast in the most recent general election for that office based on a statutory formula [C.R.S. § 1-4-802(1)(c)(VII)].

Please contact the Adams County Elections Office with questions regarding petition requirements or calculations.

Petition Circulation and Filing Dates

Completed petitions must be filed with the Adams County Elections Office by the statutory deadline. The Elections Office will verify the signatures and notify the candidate of sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition [C.R.S. § 1-4-907].

Major Party Candidates [C.R.S. § 1-4-801(5)(a)]

• • Petition circulation and signature collection may begin: First business day in January (Friday, Jan 2, 2026)
  • Deadline to file petitions: Later of the third Tuesday in March or the 75th day after the first business day in January (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)

Minor Party Candidates [C.R.S. § 1-4-802(1)(d)(II), 1-4-802(1)(f)(II)]

• • Petition circulation and signature collection may begin: First business day in January (Friday, Jan 2, 2026)
  • Deadline to file petitions: Later of the third Tuesday in March or the 75th day after the first business day in January (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)

Unaffiliated Candidates [C.R.S. § 1-4-802(1)(d)(I), 1-4-802(1)(f)(I)]

• • Petition circulation and signature collection may begin: 173 days before the general election (Thursday, May 14, 2026)
  • Deadline to file petitions: 5 p.m. on the 117th day before the general election (Thursday July 9, 2026)

Additional Information

• Circulators must complete an affidavit attached to each petition section, which must be signed and notarized after collecting signatures but before submitting the petition for review [C.R.S. § 1-4-905 (1)-(2)].
• Candidates must submit a list of all petition circulators, including their names, addresses, and the petition section numbers they circulated. This list must be filed with the Adams County Elections Office along with the completed petitions [C.R.S. § 1-4-905(5)].
• Review statutory rules and contact the Colorado Secretary of State for information on identification requirements for paid and volunteer circulators, as well as any required training.

A write-in candidate is someone whose name does not appear on the ballot but may still receive votes if voters write in their name. Only qualified write-in candidates will have their votes counted. Write-in qualification is an alternative method to the above methods of ballot access (Designation by Assembly and Petitions). If interested, contact the Adams County Elections Office to get a copy of the Affidavit of Intent form.

Affidavit of Intent
To qualify, an individual must file an Affidavit of Intent with the Adams County Elections Office, which states they:

• • Desire to run for the office
  • Meet all qualifications required to assume the position if elected [C.R.S. § 1-4-1101(1)]

Filing Deadlines

• • Primary Elections: Close of business the 67th day before the election (Friday, April 24, 2026) [C.R.S. § 1-4-1102(1)]
  • General Elections: Close of business the 110th day before the election (Thursday July 16, 2026) [C.R.S. § 1-4-1102(1)]