SB 23-021

Senate Bill 23-021 changes how candidates' names are arranged on primary election ballots in Colorado. Currently, candidates chosen by political parties appear before those who submitted petitions. The bill removes this rule and instead requires all candidate names to be randomly ordered for the primary ballot. This means that the order of names won't reflect their party designation or vote count anymore. Since the bill has been signed into law, it will now change how ballots are organized starting from future elections.

Official Summary

Current law requires candidates by petition to be placed after candidates designated and certified by assembly on the primary election ballot. The bill eliminates this requirement and instead requires all candidates to be placed on the primary ballot in an order determined by lot. In conformity with this change, the bill also eliminates the requirements that a certificate of designation by assembly indicate the order of the vote received by candidates for each office and that candidates who receive the same number of votes be ordered by lot.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)