Colorado Bill Modifies County Commissioner Election Rules

Detected March 6th, 2026

Summary

Colorado Bill HB26-1203 proposes to modify county commissioner election rules for counties with populations of 70,000 or more. The bill eliminates discretionary election systems and mandates specific methods for electing 5 commissioners, requiring a resolution and voter referral by 2027.

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What changed

Colorado Bill HB26-1203, introduced for the 2026 Regular Session, aims to standardize county commissioner election rules for counties with a population of 70,000 or more. The bill eliminates the current discretionary system, requiring these counties to elect 5 commissioners using either 5 district-based elections or a single at-large election with ranked voting. Home rule counties already meeting certain criteria are exempt.

Covered counties must adopt a resolution designating one of the two mandated election methods by their first regularly scheduled meeting in 2027 or the month following becoming a covered county. This resolution must then be referred to the county's electors at the next general election. Affected local government entities should review the bill's requirements and prepare for the necessary resolution adoption and referral process to comply with the new election framework.

What to do next

Review Colorado Bill HB26-1203 for applicability to your county.
If your county is covered, prepare to adopt a resolution designating an election method by the first regularly scheduled meeting in 2027.
Plan for referral of the chosen resolution to county electors at the next general election.

Source document (simplified)

HB26-1203

Modification of County Commissioner Elections

| Type | Bill |
| --- | --- |
| Session | 2026 Regular Session |
| Subjects | Elections & Redistricting Local Government |
Concerning the modification of county commissioner elections.

Recent Bill (PDF) Recent Fiscal Note (PDF) Bill Summary:

Currently, in a county with a population of 70,000 or more, the board of county commissioners (board) may consist of 3 or 5 commissioners. If the board consists of 3 commissioners, the county is divided into 3 districts, with one commissioner elected from each district by voters in the district or voters of the whole county. Alternatively, the board may consist of 5 commissioners, in which case the county may be divided into 3 or 5 districts, and the commissioners may be elected pursuant to numerous methods, including by district, at large, or by some combination of both methods.

The bill eliminates this discretionary system and instead requires any county with a population of 70,000 or more (covered county) to elect 5 commissioners by one of the following 2 methods:

5 commissioners resident in 5 districts elected only by voters resident in those districts; or
5 commissioners elected at large using a ranked voting method. The board of a covered county is required to adopt a resolution designating the 2 alternative methods of electing the 5 county commissioners no later than its first regularly scheduled meeting in the calendar year 2027 or its first regularly scheduled meeting in the month following becoming a covered county. The board is required to refer the resolution to the electors of the county at the first general election following its adoption for those electors to select their preferred method of electing the 5 commissioners. A covered county that already elects its commissioners according to one of the 2 alternative methods of election is not required to pass a resolution.

A home rule county that elects more than half of its county commissioners by district or using a ranked voting method is exempt from the requirements of the bill.

The bill also makes conforming amendments.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Prime Sponsors

Representative

Bob Marshall
Representative

Jennifer Bacon

Committees

House

State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs

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Status

Under Consideration

Introduced

Under Consideration

Upcoming Schedule

1 meeting

Fri

Mar 6

House General Orders - Second Reading of Bills

9:00 AM House Chamber

Related Documents & Information

| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 02/11/2026 | Introduced | PDF |

| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 03/03/2026 | PA1 | PDF |

| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 02/19/2026 | FN1 | PDF |

| Activity | Vote | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Refer House Bill 26-1203, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. | The motion passed on a vote of 8-3. | Vote summary |
Committee Report: PDF
| Date | Amendment Number | Committee/ Floor Hearing | Status | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 03/02/2026 | L.009 | HOU State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs | Passed [] | PDF |
| 03/02/2026 | L.007 | HOU State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs | Passed [] | PDF |
| 03/02/2026 | L.010 | HOU State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs | Passed [*] | PDF |
* Amendments passed in committee are not incorporated into the measure unless adopted by the full House or Senate.

** The status of Second Reading amendments may be subsequently affected by the adoption of an amendment to the Committee of the Whole Report. Refer to the House or Senate Journal for additional information.

| Date | Location | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 03/05/2026 | House | House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments |
| 03/02/2026 | House | House Committee on State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole |
| 02/11/2026 | House | Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs |
Prime Sponsor

Rep. J. Bacon | Rep. B. Marshall

Sponsor