On May 27, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, a Democrat, signed HB 1271. This is the bill that improves ballot access for independent candidates. The old law said no one could be an independent candidate (other than for President) if that person had been a member of a qualified party at any time in the entire year before filing. The bill eases that, so the prior period only goes back to January 1 of the election year.

California is now the only state with a prior registration restriction on independent candidates that is so severe, that it goes back into the year before the election.