Who uses this form?
All candidates for public office.
Is this form required for all candidates?
Yes. Candidates in special district elections may file a self-nomination and acceptance form instead.
When should this form be filed?
The candidate affidavit must be filed within 10 days of becoming a candidate.
When do I become a candidate?
You officially become a candidate when you:
- Publicly announce your intent to seek public office, and
- Thereafter receive a contribution or make an expenditure in support of your candidacy.
What is considered a "public announcement"?
Any statement that you make in public that indicates an interest in the office or the intent to explore the possibility of seeking office qualifies as a public announcement. The statement can be made in a speech, advertisement, or any other communication that appears in the media or other place that is accessible to the public.
Registering a candidate committee also qualifies as a public announcement. [1]
Will this form be public information after I file it?
Yes. The candidate affidavit and all information contained within is considered public information.
How do I fill out the form?
- Enter the name of the candidate.
- Enter the political party or affiliation of the candidate if the position being sought is a partisan office (one that has a party identification on the ballot).
School district, special district and municipal candidates should leave this line blank. - Enter the year that the election will take place.
- Enter the name of the office.
- Enter the district number of the office, if applicable.
- Enter the county, if applicable.
- Enter the candidate's physical (street) address.
- Enter the candidate's mailing address.
- Enter the candidate's business and residence phone numbers.
- Enter the candidate's fax number.
- Enter the candidate's website address (URL).
- Enter the candidate's email address.
Print the form, then sign and date it in front of a Colorado notary public. The notary public should fill out the information in the last section with his or her notary commission information.
Where do I send my candidate affidavit?
Municipal candidates file the candidate affidavit with their municipal clerk.
All others, mail or deliver the form to:
Colorado Secretary of State
Attention: Campaign Finance
1700 Broadway, Ste. 550
Denver, CO 80290
Which laws and rules apply to this form?
The following apply:
- Colorado Constitution Article XXVIII Section 2(2)
- 1-45-110(1), C.R.S.
C.R.S. Title 1 Elections (PDF)