Colorado State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

Colorado

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
2000 Representatives:	6	(1.38% of 435)
2002 Representatives:	7	(1.61% of 435)
2004 Electors:	9	(1.67% of 538)
1990 Census:	3,294,473	(1.32% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:	4,311,882	(1.53% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):	2,274,152
Estimated Voting age population (2000):	3,067,000
Capital:	Denver

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States Alphabetically Current Colorado Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of Colorado
	Organized as a Territory: 28 February 1861. 12 Stat. 172: carved from portions of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah Territories
	Admitted to the Union as a State: 1 August 1876 upon Proclamation by President Ulysses S. Grant. (Earlier, an Act of Admission for Colorado- under the 1864 Enabling Act- had been twice vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, on 15 May 1866 and 28 January 1867)
	The 38th state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: WEST
	Region: Intermountain
	Survey: Public Domain

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): 3 March 1875 [18 Stat. 474: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter. (A previous Enabling Act [13 Stat. 32]- merely authorizing formation of a State government- had been passed by Congress, 21 March 1864, but was mooted with the two vetoes of President Andrew Johnson re: Colorado's Admission)]

• 1st (1876--) [Adopted: 14 March 1876 Convention convened, 20 December 1875. (An earlier Convention, convened under authority of the 1864 Enabling Act in August 1865, had drafted a State Constitution mooted by President Andrew Johnson's two vetoes of Colorado's Admission), Ratified: 1 July 1876 effective upon Admission, 1 August 1876. (The earlier Constitution drafted in August 1865 had been ratified by the People on 5 September 1865)]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• Lieutenant Governor

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2008 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
	• Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Elected on a ticket- and nominated- with the Governor
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (1861-1876) [as a Territory]
	• General Assembly (1876--)

Upper House
	• Council (1861-1876) [as a Territory]
	• Senate (1876--)
Lower House
	• House of Representatives (1861--) [as a Territory and a State]

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court (1876--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
Intermediate Appellate Court
	• Court of Appeals (1891-1905) Statutory Court [IN and FOR: State]
	• Court of Appeals (1912-1915) Statutory Court [IN and FOR: State]
	• Court of Appeals (1970--) Statutory Court [IN and FOR: State]

General Trial Jurisdiction
	• District Court (1876--) Constitutional Court [IN: district FOR: county]

Limited Jurisdiction
	• Municipal Court Statutory Court [IN and FOR: municipality]
	• Justices of the Peace (1876-1965) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: precinct]
	• County Court (1965--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]
Special Jurisdiction
	• Criminal Court (1876--) Constitutional Court [FOR: county]
	• County Court (1876-1965) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]
	• Denver Juvenile Court (1965--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: City and County of Denver]
	• Denver Probate Court (1965--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: City and County of Denver]

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• County [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• precinct [Type: Vestigial, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure. Precincts were, at one time, the unit associated with Justices of the Peace]

Incorporated Municipalities All States
	• City [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): 2,000 +, Form(s) of government: Mayor/Council; Council-Manager]

Localities
	• Colorado Civil Divisions and Municipalities


Key Statewide / Federal Officials All States
	Colorado Officials

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• Tuesday next after 1st Monday of November of even-numbered years. [CO Revised Statutes 1-4-201 (as authorized by the revised Article VII, Section 7 of the CO Constitution which states that the date of the General Election "shall be held on such day as prescribed by law")]
Presidential Primary All States
	• Friday next after 1st Tuesday in March of Presidential Election years [CO Revised Statutes 1-4-1202(1)]
State Primary All States
	• 2nd Tuesday in August of even-numbered years [CO Revised Statutes 1-4-101(1)]
Polling times All States
	• Polls open: 7 AM local time Polls close: 7 PM local time [CO Revised Statutes 1-7-101]

Links Links to other web sites

Election Authority
	• Colorado Secretary of State
	• Colorado Secretary of State - Elections Center
Legislature
	• Colorado General Assembly
	• Colorado House of Representatives - Democratic Caucus
Democratic
	• Colorado Democratic Party
Republican
	• Colorado Republican Party
	• Colorado Senate Republicans
Third Party
	• America First Party of Colorado
	• American Constitution Party of Colorado
	• Colorado Affiliate Of The Constitution Party
	• Colorado Libertarian Party Candidates
	• Colorado Right to Life
	• Heartquake '08
	• Libertarian Party of Colorado
	• The Green Party of Colorado
	• The Unity Party of America
Media & others
	• Aspen Daily News
	• Aurora Daily Sun & Sentinel
	• Carbondale Valley Journal
	• Colorado Confidential
	• Colorado Daily - Boulder
	• Colorado Political News - ColoradoPols.com
	• Colorado Politics, News and Inside Information
	• Cortez Journal
	• Criag Daily Press
	• Daily Reporter-Herald - Loveland
	• DC's Political Report - Colorado
	• Delta County Independent
	• Denver Post
	• Douglas County News-Press
	• Glenwood Springs Post Independent
	• Greeley Tribune
	• Gunnison Country Times
	• Haxtun-Fleming Herald
	• Lamar Daily News
	• Mineral County Miner
	• Monte Vista Journal
	• Montrose Daily Press
	• Northern Colorado Business Report
	• Pine River Times - Bayfield
	• Politics1.com - Colorado
	• Pueblo Chieftain
	• Rifle Citizen Telegram
	• Rocky Mountain News - Denver
	• Sentinel & Transcript Newspapers - Jefferson County
	• Snowmass Village Sun
	• Summit Daily News - Frisco
	• Telluride Daily Planet
	• The Aspen Times
	• The Canyon Courier - Evergreen
	• The Coloradoan - Fort Collins
	• The Crested Butte News
	• The Daily Camera - Boulder
	• The Daily Sentinel - Grand Junction
	• The Daily Times-Call - Longmont
	• The Denver Business Journal
	• The Durango Herald
	• The Fort Morgan Times
	• The Gazette - Colorado Springs
	• The Herald Democrat - Leadville
	• The Journal Advocate - Sterling
	• The Mountain Mail - Salida
	• The Mountain-Ear - Nederland
	• U.S. Politics Today - Colorado 2008 Presidential Primary News
	• Vail Daily