Byron Pelton

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Byron H. Pelton

| image = Colorado State Senator Byron Pelton in 2023 (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| state_senate = Colorado

| district = 1st

| term_start = January 9, 2023

| term_end =

| predecessor = Jerry Sonnenberg

| successor =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = American

| party = Republican

| spouse = Celeste

| children = 2

| residence = Sterling, Colorado

| alma_mater =

| profession = {{plainlist|

Electrician
Cattle producer}}

| website = {{URL|https://www.byronpelton.com/}}

}}

Byron H. Pelton is a state senator from Sterling, Colorado. A Republican, Pelton represents Colorado's 1st Senate district, which includes all or part of Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma, counties in northeast Colorado, including all or parts of the communities of Greeley, Sterling, Fort Morgan,

Lochbuie, and Severance.{{cite web |url=https://redistricting.colorado.gov/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBc2NEIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--d8b7b3760592b15854b937dc7ad77b3eeb728b08/2021_Senate_District_1.pdf |title=Colorado Senate District 1 (2021) |author=Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission |date=March 18, 2022 |website= |publisher=State of Colorado |access-date=November 29, 2022 |quote=}}

Background

Pelton, his wife Celeste, and their two daughters live in Sterling, Colorado where they run a small cow-calf operation. Originally from Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, Pelton is a United States Navy veteran. In the Navy, he was trained as an electrician, and, upon being honorably discharged from the Navy, he moved to northeast Colorado and worked as an electrician for 20 years.{{cite news |last=Rice |first=Jeff |date=January 4, 2022 |title=Logan County Commissioner Pelton announces bid for state senate |url=https://www.journal-advocate.com/2022/01/04/logan-county-commissioner-pelton-announces-bid-for-state-senate/ |work=Journal-Advocate |location=Sterling, Colorado |access-date=November 29, 2022}}

Pelton was elected Logan County commissioner in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. He has served on several task forces and boards, such as the Governor's Behavioral Health Taskforce. He has also served on the board of directors of Colorado Counties, Inc. and was named "Colorado Commissioner of the Year" in 2021.

Legislative Career

= 74th General Assembly =

At the start of the 74th General Assembly in 2023, Pelton was appointed to serve on the Senate Committee on Transportation and Energy,{{Cite web |title=Transportation & Energy {{!}} Colorado General Assembly |url=https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/transportation-energy/2023-regular-session |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=leg.colorado.gov}} the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources,{{Cite web |title=Agriculture & Natural Resources {{!}} Colorado General Assembly |url=https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/agriculture-natural-resources/2023-regular-session |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=leg.colorado.gov}} and the Senate Committee on Local Government and Housing.{{Cite web |title=Local Government & Housing {{!}} Colorado General Assembly |url=https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/local-government-housing/2023-regular-session |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=leg.colorado.gov}}

During the 2024 legislative session, Pelton prime sponsored a bill to increase the minimum mandatory sentences for those convicted of human trafficking in Colorado.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-12 |title=Bipartisan bill seeks minimum mandatory sentences for human trafficking in Colorado |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/bipartisan-bill-seeks-minimum-mandatory-sentences-for-human-trafficking-in-colorado |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}}

= 75th General Assembly =

At the start of the 2025 legislative session, Pelton was appointed to serve on the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources committee, the Legislative Council, the Appropriations committee, the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs committee, the Capital Development Committee, and the Senate Transportation & Energy committee.{{Cite web |title=Byron Pelton {{!}} Colorado General Assembly |url=https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/byron-pelton |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=leg.colorado.gov}}

During the 2025 legislative session, Pelton ran a bill that would have increased penalties for those convicted of manufacturing, selling or distributing fentanyl in Colorado; the bill was defeated in committee.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-11 |title=Bill to increase fentanyl criminal penalties halted in Colorado Senate |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/bill-to-increase-fentanyl-criminal-penalties-halted-in-colorado-senate |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}}

Electoral history

In the 2022 Colorado Senate election, Pelton ran unopposed, winning 100.00% of the total votes cast.{{cite web |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/115903/web.307039/#/detail/1010 |title=Colorado election results: November 8, 2022, general election state senate district 1 |author= |date= n.d. |website=Colorado Secretary of State |publisher=State of Colorado |access-date=November 29, 2022}}

{{Election box begin no change| title= 2022 Colorado Senate election, District 1{{cite web | url =https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/2022/2022GeneralStateAbstractCertResults.pdf| title = 2022 Abstract of Votes Cast |access-date = January 10, 2022| publisher = Colorado Secretary of State}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Byron Pelton

| votes = 53,199

| percentage = 100

| change =

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 53,199

| percentage = 100

| change =

}}