Colorado House District 42 Candidate Eric Nelson Fails to Qualify for Primary Ballot

Aurora, Colorado – Eric Nelson, a Democratic candidate vying for the House District 42 seat, will not appear on the June 30, 2026, State Primary ballot after failing to submit the required number of valid signatures, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The announcement was made on February 19, 2026.

Signature Submission and Verification

Nelson submitted 1,635 signatures, but only 29 were deemed valid by the Elections Division of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Candidates for the Colorado House of Representatives are required to collect 1,000 signatures, or 30% of votes cast in the last election, whichever is smaller, as outlined by 1-4-801, C.R.S. The vast majority of the submitted signatures were rejected.

A detailed breakdown of the signature verification process reveals that 1,606 entries were rejected, leaving only 29 accepted signatures. Colorado Politics reported that of the 1,635 signatures submitted, no voter registration could be found for at least 939 of them.

Campaign Response and Future Plans

Jose Silva, Nelson’s campaign director, expressed disappointment with the outcome, stating the campaign would “pivot” and pursue other avenues to get Nelson on the ballot. Sentinel Colorado reported that Nelson plans to participate in the Arapahoe County March 3 Democratic Party caucus process to gather delegate support.

Nelson himself expressed being “unclear how so many rejected signatures would have been submitted” and cited a confidentiality agreement with the petition circulator, TouchStone, preventing him from providing further details. Colorado Politics noted that Nelson did not address why so many invalid signatures were submitted.

Circulator and Past Controversies

The campaign contracted TouchStone, a Washington D.C.-based company, to assist with petition gathering. The relationship with TouchStone has since ended. Secretary of state officials indicated that a disqualification rate this high was unusual. Sentinel Colorado reported that Touchstone’s founder, Nathan Daniel Bowman, did not respond to requests for comment.

This is not Nelson’s first attempt at securing the HD 42 seat. He previously ran in 2016 whereas serving on the Aurora school board. During his time on the school board, he was censured for allegedly falsifying his academic record, removed as board secretary, and had his board-authorized credit card revoked. Colorado Politics detailed claims Nelson made regarding multiple advanced degrees that could not be verified, and allegations of “stolen valor” regarding his military service.

Other Candidates in the Race

Nelson is one of four Democratic candidates seeking the nomination for House District 42, alongside incumbent Rep. Mandy Lindsay, Megan Siffring, and Sarah Woodson.