An individual is eligible to be a candidate for municipal office if, at the time of election, they:

• are a citizen of the United States,
• are at least 21 years of age,
• have been a registered elector within the city for at least one year immediately preceding the election, and
• in the case of a District Councilmember, have continuously resided in the District from which they are to be elected since the date of accepting any nomination for election under Article VIII, Section 3 of the City Charter.

Article II, Section 2 of the City Charter specifies qualifications for Council office, including a provision that no person who has been convicted of a felony is eligible to be a candidate for, or hold, the office of Councilmember.

However, with respect to eligibility to be a candidate for, or hold, the office of Councilmember, see relevant provisions of the Colorado Constitution below.

Section 4. Disqualifications from holding office of trust or profit.
No person hereafter convicted of embezzlement of public moneys, bribery, perjury, solicitation of bribery, or subornation of perjury, shall be eligible to the general assembly, or capable of holding any office of trust or profit in this state. 

Section 10. Disfranchisement during imprisonment.
No person while confined in any public prison shall be entitled to vote; but every such person who was a qualified elector prior to such imprisonment, and who is released therefrom by virtue of a pardon, or by virtue of having served out his full term of imprisonment, shall without further action, be invested with all the rights of citizenship, except as otherwise provided in this constitution. 

A completed Candidate Affidavit is due to the City Clerk within ten (10) days of becoming a candidate. Must be signed and notarized before submission. 

Each candidate for municipal office must circulate and submit a nomination petition meeting the signature requirements listed below.

Nomination petitions are available online prior to the circulation period and from the City Clerk’s Office. 

Candidates for District seats must obtain signatures from at least 25 registered electors who reside within the District.

Candidates for Mayor must obtain signatures from at least 25 registered electors who reside anywhere inside the city limits. Candidates must sign the Acceptance of Nomination at the end of the nomination petition and the petition circulator must sign the Verified Statement of Circulator on the nomination petition. Both statements must be notarized.

The candidate must state on the nomination petition form how the candidate’s name should appear on the ballot. Names will be arranged by surname on the ballot in alphabetical order for each office. The City Charter prohibits the printing of any title or degree designating the business or profession of the candidate. The candidate’s name may be a nickname but may not include any punctuation marks setting out the nickname.

Candidates are encouraged to obtain more than the required 25 signatures.

A Financial Disclosure Statement must be filed with the City Clerk at the same time as the filing of the Acceptance of Nomination. See Financial Disclosure Statements on page 20 of the Candidate Guidelines full document. 

As provided by the Charter, City Code and state law, nomination petitions must be circulated and filed no earlier than 91 days before the election; and no later than 71 days before the election.

For the 2023 election this circulation period is August 8-28.

Within five days after the filing of a nomination petition, the City Clerk will notify the candidate as to the sufficiency of the petition. This notification is typically done by email or phone. Additional signatures, if needed to make the petition sufficient, cannot be accepted after 5 p.m. 67 days before the election (Friday, September 1, 2023). 

A person who has been nominated may withdraw from candidacy by filing a written request with the City Clerk. Forms for withdrawing from candidacy may be obtained from the City Clerk and must be filed no later than 5 p.m. 63 days before the election (Tuesday, September 5, 2023). 

Write-in votes are counted only if the write-in candidate files an Affidavit of Intent with the City Clerk no later than 64 days before the election (Tuesday, September 5, 2023, due to the Labor Day holiday). Affidavit forms are available from the City Clerk’s Office.