The Colorado General Assembly unanimously voted to reappoint Kerri L. Hunter as Colorado’s State Auditor for a second 5-year term, extending her service through June 2031. Hunter, a Burlington native and Eastern Plains native, has led the nonpartisan Office of the State Auditor since July 2021.

As State Auditor, Hunter directs the Office of the State Auditor (OSA), a nonpartisan agency within Colorado’s Legislative Branch. The OSA conducts independent audits and evaluations of state departments, institutions of higher education, and tax expenditures, including credits, exemptions, and deductions. The office also monitors more than 5,000 local governments for compliance with Colorado’s Local Government Audit Law and operates a fraud hotline for reporting allegations of occupational fraud by state employees and contractors.

Colorado’s Constitution requires the State Auditor position to be filled by a majority vote of the full legislature. Hunter’s first term began in July 2021 and was set to expire in June 2026.

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The legislative resolution reappointing Hunter cited her “outstanding leadership,” praising her “competent, professional, and nonpartisan oversight of complex audits and evaluations touching on many aspects of state government” and her “commitment to the highest ethical standards.”

Senator Lisa Frizell, Chair of the General Assembly’s bipartisan Legislative Audit Committee, oversaw the reappointment process. “The State Auditor’s Office does amazing and important work, and we are extremely grateful for [Ms. Hunter’s] diligence and her management of her office,” Frizell said in remarks to the Senate.

Representative Jenny Willford noted Hunter’s broad credibility during House floor comments: “Her leadership ensures that our audits are thorough, credible, and trusted by members on both sides of the aisle. With more than 3 decades of auditing experience and a deep commitment to government accountability, she has built and maintained an exceptional team … and has earned national recognition for the quality of their work.”

Representative Max Brooks added: “It was a slam dunk on the reappointment of Kerri Hunter … and I absolutely support bringing Auditor Hunter back for another 5 years.”

Since 2021, Hunter’s office has issued 286 reports, including financial, performance, and information technology audits; tax expenditure evaluations; and informational reports. The audits covered every department in the state’s Executive Branch, operations within the Judicial Branch, and financial accounting within the Legislative Branch, as well as other agencies and special-purpose authorities.

Hunter’s reappointment comes as the OSA’s work remains under close scrutiny; earlier this month, an audit found billions in Colorado unemployment insurance accounting errors, underscoring why lawmakers cited the need for continued strong oversight leadership. Recent OSA work extends across state health programs as well: a 2025 review found that Colorado’s insurance marketplace needed to improve management practices.

From 2022 through 2025, 18 bills were enacted into law based on issues identified by the OSA, including improvements to Medicaid program services, foster care processes, county veterans services office funding, and tax credit administration.

The OSA achieved a 26-to-1 return on investment under Hunter’s leadership: for every $1 spent on the office—with an average annual budget of approximately $9.3 million—the state realized $26 in financial benefits. Over the period, the office identified more than $1.2 billion in financial benefits to the state.

The broader question of state fiscal discipline has also drawn scrutiny: a 2024 report found that Colorado state government spending increases outpaced inflation, the kind of finding that OSA audits are designed to surface and address.

“I’m honored by the support, and look forward to serving a second term as State Auditor so I can continue the OSA’s work to promote government accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness for the people of Colorado,” Hunter said.

Hunter is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner with more than 30 years of governmental auditing experience. She joined the OSA as a staff auditor in 1994 and served as Deputy State Auditor for Financial Audits for 10 years before her initial appointment as State Auditor in 2021. A Burlington High School graduate, she is the daughter of Burlington residents Sandra Floerke and the late Ron Floerke. Hunter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Denver on a Boettcher Foundation Scholarship.

Hunter’s Eastern Plains roots touch on a recurring issue in Colorado governance: an opinion piece examined whether Colorado state government truly includes all of Colorado, a question her appointment as a Burlington native brings into focus.