Overview of Town Elections
Silverton is a Colorado Statutory Town, and as such is subject to the Colorado Municipal Elections Code.
The Town Board of Trustees is comprised of six Trustees and a Mayor. Elections are held on the first Tuesday in April during even-numbered years.All seven seats serve four-year terms, and all Trustees are limited to two consecutive terms. However, a Trustee, having served two four-year terms, may then serve two additional terms as Mayor, as the Mayor’s seat is considered to be a different office from that of Trustee.Conversely, a two-term Mayor may serve two terms as Trustee at the conclusion of his second Mayoral term.
Candidate Eligibility
To run for a Town Trustee seat, a candidate must be a registered elector and must have resided within the Town for at least twelve (12) consecutive months.
From the Colorado Election Code C.R.S. 31-10-301:
Every registered elector eighteen years of age or older on the date of the election may be a candidate and hold office in any municipality, unless another age is required by local charter or ordinance, if he has resided in the municipality or municipality and ward, as the case may be, from which he is to be elected for a period of at least twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the date of the election.
A “residence” is defined in C.R.S. 31-10-201(3)(a) as:
The residence of a person is the principal or primary home or place of abode of a person. Principal or primary home or place of abode is that home or place in which his habitation is fixed and to which a person, whenever he is absent, has the present intention of returning after a departure or absence therefrom, regardless of the duration of absence. In determining what is a principal or primary place of abode of a person, the following circumstances relating to such person may be taken into account: Business pursuits, employment, income sources, residence for income or other tax purposes, age, marital status, residence of parents, spouse, and children, if any, leaseholds, situs of personal and real property, and motor vehicle registration.
A candidate must be registered to vote in Silverton prior to submitting his signed affidavit and nomination petition.
Candidate Nominations
Nominations are made via signed petition.A nomination petition may be signed by any elector registered in Silverton. Ten signatures from Silverton-registered electors are required, however, an elector may sign only as many petitions as there are contended seats. Petitions will be available from the Municipal Clerk. Following circulation, the candidate must provide a notarized signature on the petition, and must return the form to the Municipal Clerk.
Candidates must also file three (3) campaign finance reports with the Municipal Clerk. Campaign Finance forms will be provided by the Municipal Clerk. There are also rules pertaining to committees who contribute funds to candidates. Nominees are encouraged to contact the Municipal Clerk for more information on this topic.
Voter Registration
In order to vote in a municipal election, an elector must be age eighteen or older, a citizen of the United States of America and must have resided within Silverton town limits for at least thirty (30) days prior to the election, and must register as an elector.
Registration may be made by submitting an application through the mail, a voter registration agency, a local driver's license examination authority, or a voter registration drive, or may register online via the Secretary of State website, or by obtaining and returning a voter registration form to the San Juan County Clerk or Silverton Town Clerk up to and including Election Day. A voter may only be registered in one County. Multiple registrations are deleted by the Colorado Secretary of State.
Absentee Ballot Election
Electors may vote absentee by requesting an Absentee Ballot Application from the Municipal Clerk, and completing and submitting the application to the Municipal Clerk, it is recommended that absentee applications be submitted as soon as possible so as to ensure adequate time for mailing.
Permanent Mail-In Voters
IMPORTANT NOTE: Owing to recent legislative changes, the "permanent mail-in voter" designation has been discontinued. Electors who wish to receive their ballots via mail must submit an Absentee Voter Application to the Municipal Clerk within the deadlines mentioned above.
Please direct your election-related questions to Melina Marks at mmarks@silverton.co.us