**Press Release
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City of Aspen launches community engagement on municipal election timing
**Aspen, CO – **The city of Aspen is beginning a community engagement process to help voters better understand potential options for the city’s municipal election schedule and to gather informed public input before City Council considers any future ballot questions.
The 2026 Aspen Community Survey showed interest in a coordinated November election, but council members emphasized the importance of additional community education and discussion because respondents were not asked to evaluate specific election alternatives or their potential impacts.
The outreach follows an Aug. 25 City Council discussion of a proposed ordinance that would amend the Aspen Home Rule Charter to change the timing of the city’s general municipal election. Because Aspen is a home-rule municipality, changing the timing of the general municipal election would require voter approval.
The city’s engagement effort is intended to provide council with community input before it considers how to move forward, including whether to place a ballot question before voters in spring 2027.
“The timing of our municipal elections is an important decision for Aspen voters, and we want to hear directly from the community before council considers next steps,” said Aspen Assistant City Manager Teika Carlson. “Our goal is to provide clear, factual information about the options and their potential impacts, and give voters meaningful opportunities to share their priorities, questions and concerns.”
Aspen currently holds its general municipal election in March every two years. Under the current Home Rule Charter, a runoff election may be held in April when no candidate receives the required vote threshold.
Moving the election to November could create several changes to how Aspen’s municipal elections are conducted. The city’s outreach will provide information about three potential election models:
Keep the election in March with a potential runoff in April at the city’s expense and under its administration.
Hold a coordinated November election with a potential December runoff administered by the city: Combine the municipal election with Pitkin County in November alongside county, state and federal elections, with a potential runoff in December conducted by the city, or an outside vendor.
Hold a coordinated November election without a runoff: Combine the municipal election with Pitkin County in November alongside county, state and federal elections without a subsequent runoff.
The city will provide neutral information about considerations associated with each option on aspencommunityvoice.com and through focus groups.
Following the educational component, the city will conduct a survey that will ask participants to consider the three election options and share their preferences, priorities, and concerns.
“We recognize that there are tradeoffs associated with each potential election model,” Carlson said. “This process is designed to make sure the community has information about those tradeoffs and multiple ways to tell us what matters most to them.”
Community feedback will be compiled and presented to City Council later this fall.
Visit AspenCommunityVoice.com to review neutral information on each election option and take the survey before it closes Nov. 13.