SPECIAL DISTRICT ELECTIONS - MAY 8, 2012
To check your Special District status, log onto the Secretary of State's website below, and click the button on the right to "Verify/Update Record". Enter your first and last name, zip code and date of birth to generate your personal profile. Then click on the link below for the special districts in which you can vote.
<https://www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/secuRegVoterIntro.do>
SPECIAL DISTRICTS IN ARAPAHOE COUNTY:
Comanche Crossing Metropolitan District
http://www.grimshawharring.com/wp-
content/uploads/downloads/2012/01/Comanche_Crossing_Metropolitan_District660972012_Transparency.pdf
Cunningham Fire District
http://www.cfpd.org/documents/elections/2012/NoticeOfElection_2012.pdf
Inverness Metropolitan Improvement District
http://www.invernessmetro.com/downloads/IMID%20transparency2012.pdf
Parker Jordan Metropolitan District
http://www.pjmd.org/documents/District_Transparency_Notice_2012.pdf
Parker Sanitation District
http://www.pwsd.org/pdf/PWSD-TransparencyNotice.pdf
South Arapahoe Sanitation District
Southgate Water District
http://www.southgatedistricts.org/repository/Documents/2012%20Election/Election%20Resolution%20-%20Water.PDF
http://www.southarapahoe.org/pdf/TransparencyNotice2012.pdf
Smoky Hill Metropolitan District
http://smokyhillmetrodistrict.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/transparencynotice2012.pdf
Strasburg Metropolitan Parks & Recreation District
http://strasburgparks.org/documents/TransparencyNotice_2012_001.pdf
Valley Club Pointe Metropolitan District
http://www.grimshawharring.com/wp-
content/uploads/downloads/2012/01/Valley-Club-Pointe-MD-2012-Transparency-Notice.pdf
Election Dates:
Regular special district board elections are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of May in even-numbered years. Special district elections are conducted pursuant to the Uniform Election Code. The regular special district biennial election may be cancelled if there are no more candidates than board seats available.
All tax and debt issues of special districts are subject to the election provisions of the TABOR Amendment, and thus may only be held on the November general election date, the November off-year election date, or the district's biennial board election date, as allowed by TABOR. Except for ballot issue elections (mill levy or debt authorization) which are held as part of a district's organizational election, every ballot issue election must be conducted either as part of a coordinated election or in accordance with the Mail Ballot Election Act.
Qualifications to Vote:
An "eligible elector" for purposes of a special district election is a person who is a registered elector in Colorado, and who either (i) resides within the district, or (ii) owns (or whose spouse owns) taxable real or personal property within the district.
Candidates for special district directors must be eligible electors of the district. One of the most difficult aspects of special district elections is finding qualified individuals who are willing to run for the boards. Serving on a sewer district board, for instance, is not always considered to be a glamorous entry into a political career.
GROWTH OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS
Special districts have proven to be increasingly popular tools in providing services to identified geographic areas. In 1995, there were 875 Title 32 special districts. Today there are approximately 1,470 such districts. Nearly all of this phenomenal growth in recent years is accounted for by the formation of new metropolitan districts.
Metropolitan (metro) Districts:
A metro district is a type of special district that provides at least two different types of services. So, instead of forming a district for each separate function, a metropolitan district is formed which can provide all the necessary services. For example, the East Valley Metropolitan District provides water, wastewater, and trash collection services.
There have been over 100 new metropolitan districts formed in each of the past three years. In the years between 2000 and 2004, the number of metro districts in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area more than doubled, growing from 191 to 390. Statewide, the number of metro districts increased from 294 to 653 during the same time period. As of 2006, this number has grown to 833 metro districts. This growth mirrors Colorado's rapid population growth and increased home building within the past decade.
For more background information, please visit http://www.sdaco.org or contact the Special District Association of Colorado at 303.863.1733.
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League of Women Voters of Arapahoe County, Colorado. All rights reserved.
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