2022 Colorado Code
Title 31 - Government - Municipal
Article 4 - Organizational Structure and Officers
Part 5 - Officers' Recall
§ 31-4-503. Petition in Sections - Signing - Affidavit - Review - Tampering With Petition

1. Any recall petition may be circulated and signed in sections, but each section shall contain a full and accurate copy of the title and text of the petition.
2. 1. The signatures need not all be on one sheet of paper. All such recall petitions shall be filed in the office of the municipal clerk within sixty days from the date on which the municipal clerk approves the petition as to form.
   2. Any recall petition shall be signed only by registered electors using their own signatures, after which each such elector shall print or, if such elector is unable to do so, shall cause to be printed such elector's legal name; the residence address of such person, including the street and number, if any; and the date of signing the same.
   3. To each such petition or section thereof shall be attached an affidavit of the person who circulated the petition stating the affiant's address, that the affiant is eighteen years of age or older, that the affiant circulated the said petition, that the affiant made no misrepresentation of the purpose of such petition to any signer of the petition, that each signature on the petition was affixed in the affiant's presence, that each signature on the petition is the signature of the person whose name it purports to be, that to the best of the knowledge and belief of the affiant each of the persons signing said petition was at the time of signing a registered elector, and that the affiant neither has paid nor shall pay and that the affiant believes that no other person has so paid or shall pay, directly or indirectly, any money or other thing of value to any signer for the purpose of inducing or causing such signer to sign such petition.
   4. Any disassembly of the petition which has the effect of separating the affidavits from the signatures shall render the petition invalid and of no force and effect.

3. 1. The municipal clerk shall issue a written determination that a recall petition is sufficient or not sufficient by the close of business on the fifth business day after such petition is filed or, if such day is not a regular business day, on the first regular business day thereafter, unless a protest has been filed prior to that date. The clerk shall forthwith mail a copy of such written determination to the officer sought to be recalled and to the committee. Any such petition shall be deemed sufficient if the municipal clerk determines that it was timely filed, has attached thereto the required affidavits, and was signed by the requisite number of registered electors of the municipality within sixty days following the date upon which the clerk approved the form of the petition. The clerk shall not remove the signature of an elector from the petition after such petition is filed. If a petition is determined by the clerk to be not sufficient, the clerk shall identify those portions of the petition that are not sufficient and the reasons therefor.
   2. A protest in writing under oath may be filed in the office of the municipal clerk by some registered elector who resides in the municipality within fifteen days after such petition is filed setting forth specifically the grounds of such protest. Grounds for protest may include, but shall not be limited to, the failure of any portion of a petition or circulator affidavit or petition circulator to meet the requirements of this section. The municipal clerk shall mail a copy of such protest to the officer named in the petition, to the committee named in the petition as representing the signers of the petition, and to the county clerk and recorder, together with a notice fixing a time for hearing such protest not less than five nor more than ten days after such notice is mailed. The county clerk and recorder shall, upon receipt of such notice, prepare a registration list pursuant to section 31-10-205 to be utilized in determining whether such petition is sufficient. Every hearing shall be before the municipal clerk with whom such protest is filed, who shall serve as hearing officer unless some other person is designated by the governing body as the hearing officer, and the testimony in every such hearing shall be under oath. The hearing officer shall have the power to issue subpoenas and compel the attendance of witnesses. Such a hearing shall be summary and not subject to delay and shall be concluded within thirty days after such petition is filed. No later than five days after the conclusion of the hearing, the hearing officer shall issue a written determination of whether the petition is sufficient or not sufficient. If the hearing officer determines that a petition is not sufficient, the hearing officer shall identify those portions of the petition that are not sufficient and the reasons for the insufficiency. The result of such a hearing shall be forthwith certified to the committee and the officer sought to be recalled.
   3. In case the recall petition is not sufficient, it may be withdrawn by a majority of the committee and, within fifteen days after the municipal clerk or hearing officer issues a written determination that the petition is not sufficient, may be amended by the addition of any required information relating to the signers thereof or the attachment of proper circulator affidavits and refiled as an original petition; except that any petition amended and refiled as provided in this paragraph (c) may not again be withdrawn and refiled. The municipal clerk shall issue a written determination that such refiled petition is sufficient or not sufficient within four business days after said petition is filed. Any protest concerning the refiled petition shall be filed within five business days of the date on which such petition was refiled, and any hearing shall be conducted as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (3).
   4. The finding as to the sufficiency of any petition may be reviewed by the district court for the county in which such municipality or portion thereof is located upon application of either the officer sought to be recalled or the officer's representative or a majority of the committee, but such review shall be had and determined forthwith. The sufficiency or the determination of the sufficiency of the petition referred to in this section shall not be held or construed to refer to the grounds assigned in such petition for the recall of the incumbent sought to be recalled from the office thereby.

4. When such recall petition is determined sufficient, the municipal clerk shall submit said petition, together with a certificate of its sufficiency, to the governing body of such municipality at the first meeting of such body following expiration of the period within which a protest may be filed or at the first meeting of such body following the determination of a hearing officer that a petition is sufficient, whichever is later. The governing body shall thereupon order and fix a date for the recall election to be held not less than thirty days nor more than ninety days from the date of submission of the petition to the governing body by the municipal clerk and determine whether voting in the recall election is to take place at the polling place or by mail ballot; but, if a regular election is to be held within one hundred eighty days after the date of submission of said petition, the recall election shall be held as a part of said regular election.

   (4.5) A recall election pursuant to this part 5 may only be conducted as part of a coordinated election if the content of the recall election ballot is finally determined by the date for certification of the ballot content for the coordinated election to the county clerk pursuant to section 1-5-203 (3), C.R.S.

5. [ Editor's note: This version of subsection (5) is effective until March 1, 2022.] Any person who willfully destroys, defaces, mutilates, or suppresses any recall petition or who willfully neglects to file or delays the delivery of the recall petition or who conceals or removes any recall petition from the possession of the person authorized by law to have the custody thereof, or who aids, counsels, procures, or assists any person in doing any of said acts commits a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished as provided in section 31-10-1504.

   (5) [ Editor's note: This version of subsection (5) is effective March 1, 2022. ] Any person who willfully destroys, defaces, mutilates, or suppresses any recall petition or who willfully neglects to file or delays the delivery of the recall petition or who conceals or removes any recall petition from the possession of the person authorized by law to have the custody thereof, or who aids, counsels, procures, or assists any person in doing any of said acts commits a class 2 misdemeanor.

Source: L. 75: Entire title R&RE, p. 1037, § 1, effective July 1. L. 85: (2) amended, p. 1349, § 22, effective April 30. L. 88: (5) added, p. 295, § 10, effective May 29. L. 91: (1) to (4) amended, p. 749, § 20, effective April 4. L. 2000: (2)(c), (3)(b), and (4) amended and (4.5) added, p. 793, § 9, effective August 2. L. 2004: (4) amended, p. 1523, § 3, effective May 28. L. 2021: (4) amended, (SB 21-250), ch. 282, p. 1671, § 77, effective June 21; (5) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 462, p. 3251, § 511, effective March 1, 2022.

1. This section is similar to former § 31-5-203 as it existed prior to 1975.
2. Section 85 of chapter 282 (SB 21-250), Session Laws of Colorado 2021, provides that the act changing this section applies to elections conducted on or after June 21, 2021.
3. Section 803(2) of chapter 462 (SB 21-271), Session Laws of Colorado 2021, provides that the act changing this section applies to offenses committed on or after March 1, 2022.