Colorado Legislative Council Staff

NO FISCAL IMPACT

TITLE:            CONCERNING ELECTION JUDGES.

Summary of Assessment

            The bill would relocate some provisions of current law governing election judges into different paragraphs and modify some processes or procedures for election judges. Election judges are governed by local government election officers. The bill does not change the numbers of election judges or the amount that local governments pay to election judges. Therefore, this bill is assessed as having no fiscal impact.

            Specifically the bill would:

∙          clarify that election judge service is not employment;

∙          allow registered county residents to serve in partisan elections in any precinct in the county;

∙          prohibit a candidate or member of a candidate's immediate family from serving as an election judge in the candidate's precinct;

∙          require judges in a nonpartisan election not coordinated by the county clerk to be a registered elector of the political subdivision for which the election is being held;

∙          requires appointees to attend the class prior to each election;

∙          specifies the term duration for election judges;

∙          provides for the appointment if not enough names are submitted;

∙          require the designated election official to make a master list of election judges;

∙          establishes the method to divide election judges in odd-numbered precincts by major political parties;

∙          clarify the number of election judges for partisan and nonpartisan elections;

∙          authorizes the appointment of additional election judges as needed; and

∙          authorizes the preemptive removal of an election judge for cause.

            The bill would relocate:

∙          and modify the method for confirming election judge appointments;

∙          the provision that allows a precinct committee person to submit a list of registered electors recommended to serve as election judges and an order of preference for those registered electors directly to the county clerk and recorder if there is no county chairperson;

∙          the requirement that the designated election official appoint a supply judge and establishes the duties for that judge;

∙          and modify the method by which an odd number of supply judges is to be allocated between the two major political parties;

∙          the requirement that the supply judge attend a special school of instruction prior to the election;

∙          the provisions authorizing the designated election official to remove an election judge for cause;

∙          the provisions for the filling of election judge vacancies;

∙          and modifies the provisions authorizing the county clerk and recorder to combine precincts and polling places for coordinated elections;

∙          the provisions authorizing the election judges to move the polling place in an emergency and setting forth the procedure should such a move become necessary; and

∙          the requirement that election and supply judges attend a class 15 days prior to each election.

Departments Contacted

            Secretary of State