Colorado State Senate
General Information
Party control:	Democrat
Session start:	January 14, 2026
Session end:	May 13, 2026
Term length:	4 years
Term limits:	2 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:	Commission
Salary:	$47,561/year for legislators whose terms began in 2025. $43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023. + per diem
Members
Total:	35
Democrats:	22
Republicans:	12
Other:	0
Vacancies:	1
Leadership
President:	James Coleman (Colorado) (D)
Maj. Leader:	Robert Rodriguez (D)
Min. Leader:	Cleave Simpson Jr. (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

TheColorado State Senate is theupper chamber of theColorado General Assembly. Alongside theColorado House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Colorado state government and works alongside thegovernor of Colorado to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Colorado State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Colorado State Senate meets in the state capitol building inDenver, Colorado.

This page contains the following information on the Colorado State Senate.

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation currently under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Colorado State Senate as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership and members

• Senate president:James Coleman (Colorado) (D)
• Majority leader:Robert Rodriguez (D)
• Minority leader:Cleave Simpson Jr. (R)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

See also:When state legislators assume office after a general election

Colorado legislators assume office on the first day of the legislative session after their election. The legislative session must begin no later than 10:00 AM on the second Wednesday of January.^[2] The state constitution requires the newly elected governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and secretary of state to take office on the second Tuesday of January.^[3] In the year after those offices are elected, the legislative session must begin before the second Tuesday of January to declare the winners of those races.^[4][5]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 5, Section 4 of theColorado Constitution states:^[6]

Historical party control

Democrats won control of the Colorado State Senate in 2018. In2024, they won a 23-12 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Colorado Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Before 1992

Between 1900 and 2022, the chamber changed partisan hands 14 times.

Trifecta history

Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Colorado was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 2007-2010, 2013-2014, 2019-2023
• Republican trifecta: 1999-2000, 2003-2004
• Divided government: 1992-1998, 2001-2002, 2005-2006, 2011-2012, 2015-2018

Elections

Elections by year

Colorado state senators serve staggered,four-year terms and half of the Senate is up for election every two years. Colorado holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2026

See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2026

Elections for theColorado State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isJune 30, 2026. The filing deadline isMarch 18, 2026.

2024

See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2024

Elections for theColorado State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasJune 25, 2024. The filing deadline wasMarch 19, 2024.

In the 2024 elections, Democrats did not lose any seats, preserving their 23-11 majority with one vacancy. In December 2024, SenatorKevin Van Winkle (R) resigned from the chamber.

2022

See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2022

Elections for theColorado State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 15, 2022.

The Democratic Party expanded its majority by two seats in the 2022 general election, from 21-14 to 23-12.

2020

See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofColorado State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 30, 2020. The filing deadline was March 17, 2020. Heading into the 2020 general election, there were 19 Democrats and 16 Republicans in the chamber.

In the 2020 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Colorado State Senate from 19-16 to 20-15.

2018

See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2018

Elections for theColorado State Senate took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on June 26, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 20, 2018, for major party candidates and April 2, 2018, for minor party candidates. There was a July 12, 2018, deadline for unaffiliated candidates.^[8]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained a majority in the Colorado State Senate.

2016

See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for theColorado State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 4, 2016.^[9] A total of18 seats out of the 35 seats in theColorado State Senate were up for election in 2016.

The Colorado State Senate was one of 20battleground chambers in 2016. Heading into the election, Republicans held an 18-17 majority. No changes occurred to the partisan balance of the chamber.

Click [show] to see election information dating back to 2000

2014 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2014 Elections for theColorado State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 31, 2014. The Colorado State Senate was one of 20state legislative battleground chambers in 2014. Heading into the election, Democrats held an 18-17 majority. Democrats lost one seat in the election, giving Republicans an 18-17 majority. Colorado State Senate Party As of November 3, 2014 After November 4, 2014      Democratic Party 18 17      Republican Party 17 18 Total 35 35 2012 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2012 Elections for the office of the Colorado State Senate took place in 2012. The primary election was held on June 26, 2012, and the general election was held onNovember 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was April 2, 2012. A total of 20 seats were up for election in 2012. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 20-15 majority. Democrats lost one seat in the election, giving them a 19-16 majority. Colorado State Senate Party As of November 5, 2012 After the 2012 Election      Democratic Party 20 19      Republican Party 15 16 Total 35 35 The table below details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election in 2012. 2012 Margin of Victory, Colorado State Senate District Winner Margin of Victory Total Votes Top Opponent District 19 Evie Hudak 0.8% 75,848 Lang Sias District 35 Larry Crowder 2.4% 63,195 Crestina Martinez District 22 Andy Kerr 5.2% 73,853 Ken Summers District 8 Randy Baumgardner 6.7% 66,954 Emily Tracy District 26 Linda Newell 8.2% 71,634 Dave Kerber District 27 David Balmer 9.6% 77,368 David Paladino District 23 Vicki Marble 12.4% 78,201 Lee Kemp District 25 Mary Hodge 15.1% 50,732 John Sampson District 14 John Kefalas 22.1% 80,541 Syndi Anderson District 29 Morgan Carroll 22.2% 51,314 William "Bill" D. Ross II 2010 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2010 Elections for the office of the Colorado State Senate took place in 2010. The primary election was held on August 10, 2010, and the general election was held onNovember 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was May 27, 2010. State senate seats in 19 of Colorado's 35 districts were on the ballot in 2010. The districts on the ballot were 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 21-14 majority. Democrats lost one seat in the election, giving them a 20-15 majority. Colorado State Senate Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election      Democratic Party 21 20      Republican Party 14 15 Total 35 35 In the 2010 elections, the candidates running for Senate raised $2,331,554 in campaign funds. The top 10 overall contributors were:[10] 2010 Donors, Colorado State Senate Donor Amount Odom, John $96,134 Colorado Education Association $31,625 Colorado Professional Fire Fighters $29,000 Shuler, Derec $28,684 Copic Insurance Small Donor Committee $28,400 Eckstein, Torsten $25,491 Colorado State Conference of Electrical Workers Small Donor Committee (CSCEW) $22,000 State Democratic Senate Campaign Fund $21,488 Colorado Association of Realtors Small Donor Committee $20,000 Colorado American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations Nonpartisan Small Donor $19,750 2008 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2008 Elections for the Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 12, 2008, and a general election on November 4, 2008. Nineteen seats were up for election in 2008. During the 2008 elections, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $2,735,632. The top 10 contributors were:[11] 2008 Donors, Colorado State Senate Donor Amount Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Of New York $119,350 Colorado Education Association $45,500 American Federation Of State County & Municipal Employees $43,750 Colorado Association Of Realtors $42,100 Colorado Professional Fire Fighters $40,000 Food & Commercial Workers Local 7 $39,750 Jefferson County Education Association $36,325 Service Employees Local 105 $33,000 Colorado Association Of Public Employees $27,900 Ytterberg, Don $19,031 2006 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2006 Elections for the Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 8, 2006, and a general election on November 7, 2006. Eighteen seats were up for election in 2006. During the 2006 elections, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $3,042,683. The top 10 contributors were:[12] 2006 Donors, Colorado State Senate Donor Amount Noonan, Paula E. $247,586 Food & Commercial Workers Local 7 $46,000 Copic Insurance $35,250 Schwartz, Gail $35,000 Democratic Senate Campaign Fund $34,500 Colorado Professional Fire Fighters $33,000 Colorado Education Association $30,000 Colorado AFL-CIO $28,500 Colorado State Conference Of Electrical Workers $26,500 Baisley, Mark $24,835 2004 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2004 Elections for the Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 10, 2004, and a general election on November 2, 2004. Eighteen seats were up for election in 2004. During the 2004 elections, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $2,161,082. The top 10 contributors were:[13] 2004 Donors, Colorado State Senate Donor Amount Democratic Senate Campaign Fund $45,382 Colorado Education Association $36,940 Colorado Professional Fire Fighters $35,000 Copic Insurance $32,650 Communications Workers $24,000 Jefferson County Education Association $22,600 Boulder Valley Education Association $22,500 Colorado State Pipe Trades Association $21,000 Colorado AFL-CIO $20,500 Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 208 $20,000 2002 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2002 Elections for the Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 13, 2002, and a general election on November 5, 2002. Seventeen seats were up for election in 2002. During the 2002 elections, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $4,659,442. The top 10 contributors were:[14] 2002 Donors, Colorado State Senate Donor Amount Democratic Senate Campaign Fund Of Colorado $1,016,591 Colorado Republican Party $683,537 Colorado Democratic Party $186,235 Colorado Republican Party/Senate Leadership Trust $103,541 El Paso County Republicans $47,376 Copic Insurance $32,700 Philip Morris $32,385 Land Title Guarantee Co $25,200 Montrose Republican Central County $23,900 AT&T $23,700 2000 See also:Colorado State Senate elections, 2000 Elections for the Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 8, 2000, and a general election on November 7, 2000. During the 2000 elections, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $2,560,299. The top 10 contributors were:[15] 2000 Donors, Colorado State Senate Donor Amount Colorado Republican Party $85,961 Colorado Democratic Party $72,230 Colorado Republican Cmte Senate Leadership Trust $49,000 New Democrat Network $24,000 Colorado Professional Fire Fighters $18,000 Democrat Senate Campaign Fund $17,510 Colorado State Conference Of Electrical Workers $17,000 Workers Compensation Coalition PAC $16,950 Farmers Insurance Group $16,750 National Rifle Association $15,720

Term limits

See also:State legislatures with term limits

TheColorado General Assembly is one of16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted theColorado Term Limits Act in 1990. That initiative said that Colorado senators are subject toterm limits of no more than two four-year terms.^[16]

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theColorado General Assembly , a vacancy committee selects a replacement. The committee consists of members of the same political party that previously held the seat, including any county commissioners from that party who live in the district.

Depending on when the vacancy occurs, the replacement must stand for election either in the next general election or in a special election. These vacancy elections are limited to voters registered with the same political party as the previous officeholder and to unaffiliated voters.

• If the vacancy occurs in an even-numbered year, before July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and runs in the regularly scheduled general election that year.

• If the vacancy occurs in an even-numbered year, after July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and must run in a special vacancy election held in November of the following odd-numbered year.

• If the vacancy occurs in an odd-numbered year, before July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and runs in a special vacancy election that same November.

• If the vacancy occurs in an odd-numbered year, after July 31: The appointee is selected by the committee and runs in the next general election, which occurs in the following even-numbered year.

If the previous member was unaffiliated with a political party, then the vacancy is filled by the vacancy committee designated on their original nomination petition. If the member has no vacancy committee, the governor appoints a replacement.

See sources:HB25-1315 Vacancies in the General Assembly

District map

See also:Colorado state legislative districts

The state of Colorado has 35 state Senate districts. Each district elects one senator.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in Colorado

On November 6, 2018, Colorado voters approved two constitutional amendments,Amendment Y andAmendment Z, establishing separatenon-politician commissions for congressional and state legislative redistricting. Each commission consists of four members belonging to the state's largest political party, four members belonging to the state's second-largest party, and four members belonging to no party. Commission members are appointed by a panel of three judges selected by the Chief Justice of theColorado Supreme Court. The amendment requires at least eight of the commission's 12 members, including at least two members not belonging to any political party, to approve a map.^[17]

TheColorado Constitution requires that state legislative district boundaries "be contiguous, and that they be as compact as possible based on their total perimeter." In addition, "to the extent possible, districts must also preserve the integrity of counties, cities, towns and–where doing so does not conflict with other goals–communities of interest." There are no similar requirements for congressional districts.^[18][19]

2020

See also:Redistricting in Colorado after the 2020 census

On November 15, 2021, theColorado Supreme Court approved the state legislative redistricting plans approved by the state's Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission on October 11 and 12, 2021.^[20] These maps took effect for Colorado’s 2022 state legislative elections.

The Colorado Sun's Thy Vo wrote that the House and Senate maps "appear to favor Democrats' maintaining their majority in the General Assembly."^[20]Colorado Politics' Evan Wyloge wrote that the new maps created nine House districts where previous election results fell within a five percentage point margin and eight such Senate districts. At the time of approval, Democrats held a 42-23 majority in the House and a 20-15 majority in the Senate.^[21]

District map before and after 2020 redistricting

Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

2010

See also:Redistricting in Colorado after the 2010 census

Colorado's population increased from 4.30 million to 5.03 million between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.^[22] Much of the state's 16.9 percent growth occurred in the I-25 corridor, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Hispanic population growth accounted for roughly half of the increase. The Colorado Springs area and the southern Denver suburbs experienced the highest population growth rates.^[23]

The 11 members of the Reapportionment Commission began working in May 2011, with public hearings set for June. Commission Chairman Mario Carrera, the only unaffiliated member of the commission, submitted his maps on September 14, explaining that they would make 11 Senate seats and 22House seats competitive, of the 33 competitive seats, 17 were anticipated to be highly competitive. Additionally, under his proposal 24 of the 100 legislative districts would have at least 30 percent Hispanic voters.^[24] On September 19 the Commission voted to pass Carrera's maps of state legislative districts. Democrats unanimously passed both maps, two Republicans voted against the Senate map and three voted against the House map. TheColorado Supreme Court rejected the new House and Senate maps on November 15 by a vote of 4-2, stating they were not sufficiently attentive to county boundaries.^[25] The redistricting panel resumed efforts on November 28 to rework the new legislative maps.^[26] The following day the commission voted to approve Democratic-drawn proposals for new House and Senate districts. On December 12, the state Supreme Court approved the maps.^[27]

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Colorado State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in Colorado by year

2025

See also:2025 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on May 7, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 10, 2024, and adjourn on May 8, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 9, 2023, and adjourn on May 8, 2023. 2022 See also:2022 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 12, 2022, and adjourn on May 11, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 13, 2021, and adjourn on June 8, 2021. 2020 See also:2020 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2020, and adjourn on June 15, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. TheColorado State Legislature suspended its session, effective March 14, 2020, through May 26, 2020. The suspension had originally been scheduled to continue through March 30, 2020. The suspension was then subsequently extended, first to April 2, 2020, then to May 18, 2020, and then to May 26, 2020. The legislature adjourned on June 15, 2020.[28][29][30][31][32][33] 2019 See also:2019 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 4, 2019, through May 3, 2019. 2018 See also:2018 Colorado legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 10, 2018, through May 9, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 11, 2017, through May 10, 2017. The legislature held a special session from October 2 to October 3. 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 13 through May 11. 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 7 through May 6.[34] Major issues in 2015 Major issues during the 2015 legislative session included energy development, the medical marijuana industry, tax refunds, and gun restrictions passed during the 2013 legislative session.[35] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 8 to May 7. Major issues in 2014 Major issues during the 2014 legislative session included packages of bills for flood relief and wildfire mitigation.[36] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9. Major issues in 2013 Major issues during the 2013 legislative session included gun control, immigration reform, election reform, and the enactment of laws to regulate and tax legal marijuana.[37] 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature was in session from January 11 to May 9. A special session was held from May 14 to May 16.[38] 2011 See also:Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 12 through May 11. 2010 See also:Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions In 2010, the legislature was in session from January 13th to May 12th.

About legislative sessions in Colorado

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[39] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions,legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Article V of the Colorado Constitution establishes when theColorado General Assembly, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 7 of Article V states that the assembly is to convene its regular session no later than the second Wednesday of January of each year. Regular sessions are not to exceed 120 calendar days.

Section 7 also states that thegovernor of Colorado can convene special sessions of the general assembly. Special sessions can also be convened by a two-thirds vote of the members of both legislative houses.

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget,term limits, andprocedures for filling membership vacancies.

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Colorado are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers

Authority:Article IV, Section 11 of theColorado Constitution

Role in state budget

See also:Colorado state budget and finances

Coloradoon

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[40]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inMarch.
2. Agencies submit their budget requests to thegovernor inJuly.
3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to thestate legislature inNovember.
4. The legislature typically adopts a budget inApril for the new fiscal year beginningJuly 1.

Colorado is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[40][41]

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature, which must in turn adopt a balanced budget.^[40]

Committees

See also:List of committees in Colorado state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Colorado State Senate has 10 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Colorado Constitution can be amended:

See also:Section 1 of Article V andArticle XIX of theColorado Constitution andLaws governing ballot measures in Colorado

Colorado Constitution
Preamble
Articles
I •II •III •IV •V •VI •VII •VIII •IX •X •XI •XII •XIII •XIV •XV •XVI •XVII •XVIII •XIX •XX •XXI •XXII •XXIII •XXIV •XXV •XXVI •XXVII •XXVIII •XXIX •Schedule

TheColorado Constitution provides three mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. Once on the ballot, a55 percent supermajority vote is required for the approval of any constitutional amendment put on the ballot by the legislature or by a citizen initiative, except those that only remove language from the constitution, rather than adding language or changing existing language.

Initiative

See also:Initiated constitutional amendment

Aninitiated constitutional amendment is acitizen-initiated ballot measure that amends astate's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Colorado, thenumber of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 5% of the votes cast for the Colorado secretary of state in the preceding general election. Colorado has adistribution requirement for initiated amendments. Signatures must be collected from at least 2% of the registered voters who live in each of the 35 state Senate districts. A 55% vote is required for voter approval.

Combined initiated constitutional amendments and state statutes

See also:Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute

Acombined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute is acitizen-initiated ballot measure that amends both a state's constitution and state statute. There are at least two (2) states that allow citizens to initiate combined amendments and statutes.

In Colorado, thenumber of signatures required for a combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute is equal to 5% of the votes cast for the Colorado secretary of state in the preceding general election. Colorado has adistribution requirement for initiated amendments. Signatures must be collected from at least 2% of the registered voters who live in each of the 35 state Senate districts. A 55% vote is required for voter approval.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

Atwo-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for theColorado State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 44 votes in theColorado House of Representatives and 24 votes in theColorado State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also:Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According toArticle XIX of theColorado Constitution, thestate Legislature can refer a state constitutional convention question to the ballot. Atwo-thirds (66.67%) vote of legislators in each chamber is required.

See also

Elections	Colorado State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Colorado State Senate elections, 2026 Colorado State Senate elections, 2024 Colorado State Senate elections, 2022 Colorado State Senate elections, 2020 Colorado State Senate elections, 2018	Colorado General Assembly Colorado House of Representatives Governor of Colorado Colorado Supreme Court	State legislative elections:2026,2025,2024,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019, and2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• Colorado State Senate

Footnotes

	v • e State ofColorado Denver (capital)
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