UPDATED Deadlines are approaching if you want to participate in the Colorado caucus system leading up to the Democratic and Republican presidential conventions next year. With an early caucus date, Colorado political party voters will have a voice in the presidential candidate selection. It’s important to note that if you are an unaffiliated voter in Colorado, you will have no say in choosing the local, state or presidential candidates until Election Day.
The caucuses are also the first step to becoming a potential delegate to county, state and national conventions.
Colorado’s Democratic and Republican Parties decided to move up their caucus dates from mid-March to Feb. 5, 2008, to join the Super Duper Tuesday presidential primary/caucus day with about two dozen other states, which means that county, congressional and state assemblies and convention timeframes will also move to earlier dates in Colorado’s 2008 political calendar.
If you want to participate in the Democratic or Republican Party candidate and convention delegate process, it is important that you register as a Democrat by December 5 since party rules dictate that you must be a member of the party for 60 days before the precinct caucuses.
Democratic county assemblies for local and state races and the state convention for the presidential race must be held between February 20 and March 17 and congressional assemblies/conventions between May 5 and May 16, leading up to the state assembly on May 17, 2008, in Colorado Springs.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 25-28 in Denver.
“The 2008 political caucuses are going to be one of the most exciting set of events in the history of Colorado,” predicted state Democratic Party chair Pat Waak. “Not only do we have a voice in selecting the next Democratic nominee for president, caucus participants will begin the march to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.”
The delegate/caucus plan for the Colorado Republican Party is not available on their website nor would officials at Colorado Republican headquarters comment on their 2008 caucus calendar.
The Republicans also have a 60-day registration deadline before the Feb. 5 caucuses. The Republican state assembly/convention will be held in Broomfield on June 7. The 2008 Republican National Convention will be in Minneapolis-St. Paul Sept. 1-4.
Other presidential conventions include the Libertarian National Convention in Denver from May 22-26, 2008, and the Green Party presidential convention in Chicago, July 10-13, 2008.
Colorado boasts approximately 93,000 registered Democrats, 108,000 registered Republicans and 102,000 unaffiliated voters.
