The race to pick a leader of the Colorado Democratic Party blew up on the eve of the election when the current chairman — who is running again — announced he would appoint 46 men to the committee that will vote on the selection.

Chairman Rick Palacio said in a memo Thursday evening that the move was necessary because the party was in violation of rules that require gender equality on the committee, which meets Saturday. The vote is part of the reorganization of the party that Colorado Democrats undergo every two years.

But others, including chairman candidate Dave Sabados, accused Palacio of stacking the deck to try to win a third two-year term.

“While party rules do permit appointments for balance, never before has the rule been used in a manner that so clearly seems to benefit a single candidate,” Sabados said in an e-mail to Democrats on Friday. “Previously this administrative function of the chair had been used after the reorganization meeting — not before.”

Sabados, a longtime campaign consultant, suggested that if the new members had to be seated, each of the three candidates should get to select one third of them. Palacio rejected the idea. Also running for chair is Vic Meyers of Trinidad, who ran for Congress last year.

“The appointments will be made in the fairest and most equitable way possible,” Palacio said. “The rules are very clear that the chair ‘shall appoint such additional members as are necessary to provide for equal division between men and women.’ “

That means there will be 500 committee members voting on the election, Palacio said.

But it’s not just Sabados supporters who are upset by Palacio’s memo.

State Sen. Irene Aguilar of Denver told Palacio in an e-mail that she did not endorse in the race but was upset at the need to suddenly rectify a gender imbalance “that has existed for some time.”

She asked him not to seat the 46 members or to postpone the election for 30 days.

“I implore you. Please do not make me regret being a Democrat. This is truly embarrassing and disheartening,” Aguilar wrote.

Palacio said the election will not be postponed, as hundreds of Coloradans statewide have signed up to attend the meeting at the Marriott Denver City Center.

“Appointments to the committee are not new,” he said. “This has been going on since the ’70s.”

Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327, lbartels@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lynn_bartels