Eleven candidates seek mayor's seat

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The Colorado Springs City Election is coming up on April 4. Registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail in mid-March, roughly three weeks before Election Day.

For most, the ballot will consist of four races: mayor, and three At-Large council members. Voters must also decide whether to extend the TOPS 0.1% sales tax.

Voters who live in Council District 3 will also elect a new council member to a two year term. Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune was appointed to fill the seat vacated in late 2021 by Richard Skorman in District 3 and is not running.

Candidates had until this past Monday, January 23, to submit their nomination packets to the City Clerk's Office.

Clerk Sarah Johnson said 11 mayoral candidates have qualified for the ballot, and two others have until Friday to cure their nomination packet and submit additional signatures.

The Colorado Springs City Charter requires candidates to win at least 50 percent of the vote plus one vote to become mayor. With such a large field of candidates, Johnson and her staff are preparing for the likelihood of a runoff election.

"It's really important that everybody vote on April 4 to get your choice and your voice, use it and vote. And then you may need to do that again on May 16th," Johnson said.

The top two mayoral candidates will qualify for the runoff.

Another 11 candidates are running for the at-Large council seats. Voters must choose three, and the top three will win seats on the council. The charter does not require the same 50 percent plus 1 rule in these races as it prescribes for the mayoral contest.

Johnson said the most common questions answered by her staff are related to residency. Many addresses are classified as Colorado Springs by the US Postal Service that are not located in the city limits.

She also urges voters to check their registration status and mailing address.

'We're going to mail the ballot to what's on your voter registration records," Johnson said.

"If in the past, you have put in a temporary mailing address, for example for this past November, but it's not valid for this election; make sure you get that off of there."

Voters can check their address and registration status by visiting the Colorado Secretary of State's web site GoVoteColorado.gov or by contacting the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder.

Voters can mail can return their ballots by mail or drop them off at the county's secure election drop off boxes. Ballot will only be collected from drop boxes in or near the city limits. The follow table provides drop box hours and locations for the April 4 municipal election.

News5 has partnered with the Gazette to bring our viewers profiles of the mayoral candidates. We will share those stories with you on air, online here at koaa.com, and on the News5 Streaming App as we get closer to election day.