Fort Collins Election Code Committee 12/10/24

Members of the Committee: Mayor Jeni Arndt, Council members Julie Pignaturo and Trisha Canonico. Staff are Sara Arfmann, Cecilia Good, Mayor Jeni Arndt, and Delynn Coldiron. Jeni Arndt and staff were present.

1. Revised Potential Code Changes Regarding the Campaign Complaint Process and the Campaign Contribution Limits.

During the October 21, 2024, meeting of the Election Code Committee (ECC), staff presented drafted code changes for Sections 7-145 and 7-135. Members of the ECC requested edits to both sections. Staff has provided a revised draft of the proposed changes.

Sara Arfmann, who attempted to make campaign contribution Sec. 7-135 more easy to follow, said that one change is that an added clause does not allow cryptocurrency as a contribution or for payments.

2. Enforcement of Local Campaign Regulations

The Election Code Committee requested that staff research examples of an independent process for campaign compliance oversight. This came from a committee discussion of ways to reduce reliance on citizen complaints for enforcement.

• Having an Election Oversight Board necessitates a code change.

Cecilia Good reported that there is no money for monitoring campaign activities. This entity would review financial submissions, review possible violations, and respond to public inquiries. This reduces perception of conflict of interest. She said the city staff looking into this issue haven’t determined the cost of this outside service provider.

Two communities that use specialized software for campaign finance submissions are Santa Fe, NM and Alameda, CA. The city staff has not received feedback regarding the efficacies of these services from the two communities.

Mayor Arndt said she has concern that bad actors on an oversight committee could potentially upend the candidate’s ability to legally campaign for office. Therefore, the Mayor said she supports a third-party oversight individual that is truly impartial. She said there are professional consultants available for this task.

Delynn Coldiron wants to make sure they give a couple of options (Excel or Google) for reporting campaign finances.

3. 2024 Workplan Check-In and Election and Ranked Choice Voting Updates

At its October 21, 2024, meeting, the Committee reviewed the remaining items on the Work Plan and Code amendments related to campaign finance enforcement and contribution limits.

Carrie Daggett suggests adding language for outside provider for the Jan. 27 ECC meeting.

Coldiron said Boulder has a provision for adding two write-in candidates when using Ranked Choice Voting. The FoCo requirements for candidates need to be revisited. Right now, the candidate needs to collect 25 signatures to qualify. If a potential candidate wants to be a write-in candidate two days after the deadline, they may not need to get signatures.

Coldiron also suggested adding instructions in the Blue Book to help explain how to get on the ballot to potential candidates.

These options are being considered:

1) mailing to every household in the city a postcard that contains a web address and QR code pointing to an online Voter Guide (VG). A small batch would be printed for Rec Centers, libraries, etc. or

2) pay approximately $85K to print and mail a voter guide to every household that has at least one registered voter. It would include pro/con statements, and candidate info (maybe bios), depending on the cost.

Mayor Arndt said the bar is already low – 25 signatures – so she is okay with requiring no signatures. She asked that info be sought about possible scenarios from other communities of similar size.

Arndt said if a special election is necessary, there is no code to guide the city.

It was suggested the city consider a charter change or code change regarding special elections.

It was pointed out that people circulating petitions must read the petition to someone before the person signs it. Special accommodations can be made for referred ordinances which tend to be lengthy.

Any code changes need to be finalized in March 2025.

It was noted that in Nov 2024, 83% of FoCo registered voters actually voted. This is a huge increase from previous years of 30% voter participation.

The ECC’s last meeting will be Feb. 27.

Update on Voter Education for Ranked Choice voting

There is collaboration with CSU, Larimer County, and LWV to educate citizens how to transition to this style of voting. The committee seemed to agree that outreach to voters will follow Boulder’s 2024 approach to voter education as “Bite, Snack, Meal”. This outreach could cost $30-40,000 to registered voters. Events already envisioned include having a presence at Open Streets events, lagoon series, Farmers’ Markets, CSU, and more. Materials will be in English and Spanish.

Additional resources

Larimer County Election Results

Colorado State Election Results

Next meeting: Feb. 27, 1 p.m., 200 Laporte Ave., Fort Collins. In-person only.