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the latter is often filled by undertakers in small counties, where it probably would be far more efficient for several counties to pool together and hire a professional. (tho they must be farming out needed autopsies to physicians anyway.)
for one thing, the legislature sets the salaries for coroners, which in many counties is $75,000 annually. if the coroner isn't an actual physician who can perform autopsies, you're going to farm them out to someone else.
a referendum in 2002 allows the legislature to set qualifications and require training for county coroners.
it still seems kind of wacky to elect them though.
In Ouray, the coroner has to cart around dead bodies in the back of his pickup, because they have nothing better for the job.
A state medical examiner's office, with a state medical examiner appointed by the Governor and approved by the state senate, could do the same job much better with a tiny staff of about 80 people (based on coroner's office staffing in Araphahoe County).
No one seems interested in running for surveyor anyway, so maybe that one really could be eliminated. But, voters have generally been very skeptical of the idea of reducing the length of the ballot.