Interested in running for City Council this fall? Here are the new deadlines to know about

Molly Bohannon, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·4 min read

Last November, Fort Collins voters supported moving city elections from April to November of odd years, tasking the city with changing dates and determining deadlines.

Nomination deadlines, financial disclosures deadlines and more will be changing, though some things will stay the same. For example, all municipal elections will remain nonpartisan, meaning no candidate will officially file with a political party.

Here's what else to know if you’re considering running for office this year.

Which Fort Collins City Council seats are up for election this November?

The election will be Nov. 7, 2023, and voters will elect the mayor and council members for districts 2, 4 and 6.

District 2's council seat is currently held by Julie Pignataro, District 4 is represented by Shirley Peel and District 6 is represented by Mayor Pro Tem Emily Francis.

Council members serve four-year terms, and the mayor serves a two-year term. However, Peel was elected in 2021 to complete the council term of Kristin Stephens, who left the position to serve as a Larimer County commissioner, so Peel is running for reelection after just two years on council.

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What do I need to do to become a candidate, and what are the deadlines?

To become a candidate in a city election, you just need to publicly announce your candidacy or intent to seek office. You must submit paperwork to the city within 10 days of doing so.

From there, you must circulate and submit a nominating petition and then accept nomination by completing a verified acceptance and certifying that you meet candidate qualifications.

On Tuesday night, council made changes to the timeline for petitioning to align with state statute and, after a second reading that will likely occur on April 4, the changes will become official.

Per the new rules, petitions can be circulated 91 to 71 days before the election, which is earlier than candidates were previously allowed. For this election, that means candidates can start their petitions on Aug. 8 and run them through Aug. 28.

To be certified, petitions must be signed by 25 registered voters who live in the candidate's district (or citywide if you’re running for mayor). Voters can sign only one petition for each office they will vote in, though.

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When is the withdrawal deadline?

Candidate petitions can be amended if needed until Sept. 1, and candidates can withdraw until Sept. 5.

So after Sept. 5, we will have a good idea of who will be on the ballot.

What else will change about Fort Collins’ elections?

Although Fort Collins voters also approved ranked-choice voting, that won’t be implemented until 2025 to allow the city time to get the necessary equipment, determine costs and educate voters.

There will be some changes to financial disclosure statement filing deadlines so they will be aligned to match those of other candidates in November elections, but no substantive changes. And city elections moving forward will default to being coordinated with Larimer County elections unless council states otherwise, but that must be done by March 1 of the election year.

Coordinating elections with the county will allow for all contests and questions to be on one ballot, minimizes the potential for voter confusion about which ballot needs to be returned where and may incentivize more people to vote.

However, in city-coordinated elections, the city is able to pay for return postage on mail-in ballots, which the county is not permitted to do. So in county-coordinated elections, you will need to drop your ballot off or provide your own postage.

What else will be on the ballot?

In addition to electing representatives, voters are usually asked to decide on a number of ballot issues, like taxes, ordinances or city charter amendments.

This year, it’s likely Fort Collins voters will see a Larimer County child care tax and at least one city tax – potentially on marijuana, alcohol and tobacco – on their ballots. Citizens can also petition to get ordinances on the ballot.

But it’s too soon to say what the other ballot questions this fall will look like; final ballot language will likely be made public in August.

Who has filed so far?

The following candidates have filed a candidate affidavit or candidate committee registration form with the city for the upcoming election:

Mayor

  • Jeni Arndt

District 2

  • Eric C. Hamrick

  • Julie Pignataro

District 4

  • Melanie Potyondy

District 6

  • Alexander Adams

  • Michelle Haefele

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Molly Bohannon covers Fort Collins government for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins elections: What to know about November election deadlines