The Colorado Democratic Party

After confirming that NARA and my Secretary of State don't have the authority to certify a Presidential candidate's eligibility, I followed the trail to the Colorado Democratic Party. My SoS' office said that "the legal responsibility for confirming citizenship... lies with the certifying entity (which is the Democratic Party).

I started with the CDP, even though I think they'll probably have to point me to the national party headquarters. No point in contacting national HQ, just to find out I should have contacted the state!

Here's the letter I sent to the CDP, in its entirety:


Hi! My name is Justin Riggs, and I'm trying to figure out who is responsible for certifying that Presidential candidates are eligible to be placed on our state ballot.

I started out at the NARA website, but they stated that, "The Office of the Federal Register does not have the authority to handle issues related to the general election, such as candidate qualifications." They recommended I contact my Secretary of State, so I did.

After requesting information from the office of the SoS, I found a reply online from them to someone who shared my curiosity, in which they stated: "the process of nominating and certifying presidential candidates to the ballot is party-oriented; candidates are certified to the state and, therefore, the legal responsibility for confirming citizenship (or any other qualification) lies with the certifying entity. Any questions regarding the qualifications of a presidential candidate should be directed to the parties, who are the certifying entities in this case." So here I am.

Could you please tell me who within your party is responsible for certifying that your candidates are eligible to run for office?

I appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Justin W. Riggs

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I'll let you know what I hear back, as soon as I hear it!