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Colorado Politics 101: Colorado’s business community can prosper in the political process by remembering the Three-P’s of Politics:
Party Below are some good tips and resources of information that Colorado citizens can utilize to better understand these important elements of Colorado politics.
Party: First, you need to determine if you are registered as a member of a political party in Colorado. If not, click here to register to vote. There are nine types of political registrations recognized in Colorado. You can register as a member of one of the eight political parties (listed below), or you can become a member of the 2nd largest voting block in Colorado; the Unaffiliated Voter. IMPORTANT NOTE: Although Unaffiliated voters sometimes like to refer to themselves as “Independents”, Colorado does not officially recognize an “Independent” party. This is an important distinction when we discuss the process. Recognized Party Types in Colorado: Democrat; Republican; Constitution; Green; Libertarian; Reform; Gun Owners; Pro-Life Once an individual knows how they are registered to vote with their party, they can now properly engage in the political process!
Process:
By understanding the intricacies of the election cycle in Colorado, you can begin to understand how to better affect the process, and elect pro-business candidates. We will stick to outlining and defining some of the procedural rules and terms for the major political parties in Colorado; Democrats and Republicans. IMPORTANT NOTE: Depending upon what type of party you are registered with, there may be different procedural rules regarding these processes and you should always check with your party officials first! Guide to the Election Calendar A lot of news is being made about the fact that Colorado is a “caucus state” and our “Precinct Caucus” has been moved up to February 5th this year. But what does it all mean? There are a few key definitions that Colorado voters must understand to engage in these very critical first steps of the election process. It is also important to note that a candidate can run for office by skipping the “assembly process” and collecting enough signatures on petitions to run for elected office. A “caucus” is typically described as a meeting of supporters or members of a political party. In Colorado, you must be a member of a political party to engage in the “caucus” process, you cannot participate if you are registered to vote as an unaffiliated voter. The “Assembly Process” in Colorado is a series of steps a candidate must take to receive his party’s nomination. Both major parties in Colorado have a series of meetings in each district to nominate an official candidate to represent the party and place their name on a primary-election ballot. IMPORTANT NOTE: Each county party in Colorado has their own “assembly process” rules and you will be notified of what those are at your Precinct Caucus. Press: Although the Colorado Prosperity Project will keep you up to date on the issues that matter most to your industry, it is important to remember that there are things going on in politics everyday. Keep yourself up to date on everything that is going on at both the State and Federal level so you can utilize all the political resources you have to better protect your interests. Below are some good resources to help keep you informed: Colorado News:
http://www.denverpost.com/politics (Statewide & Denver Metro Region) Colorado Blogs:
http://www.politickerco.com/
http://www.c-span.org/
National Blogs:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/politics/
As you can see, there are a number of things currently going on and ways you can impact the election process well before November 4th! So get out there and participate to get pro-business candidates elected!
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