Run for Charter Commission
On November 3, 2026, voters will elect nine Charter Commissioners. If home rule incorporation is approved on the same ballot, those nine commissioners draft Niwot’s home rule charter, which then returns to voters for approval. Any registered elector residing within the proposed boundary may run by filing a nomination petition signed by at least 25 fellow registered electors residing within that boundary.
Petitions must be received by August 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. at the Niwot Inn lobby, 342 2nd Avenue, Niwot, Colorado, between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The Commission cannot accept a petition received after that time.
Requirements at a Glance
The petition circulator’s affidavit and the statement of consent to serve must both be notarized. Petitions are picked up and returned at the same location during the hours above.
Forms
- Candidate Petition Form (PDF)The eight-page petition to print, circulate, and submit. Print in color, staple three times across the top, and do not disassemble.
- Petition Instructions (PDF)Print-ready instructions. The same content appears in full below.
Instructions
This petition may not be circulated or signed before 6 July 2026 at 8:00 a.m. It must be returned to the Niwot Inn lobby, 342 2nd Avenue, Niwot, Colorado, by 5:00 p.m. on 21 August 2026. The petition circulator’s affidavit and the statement of consent to serve must be notarized.
Before you begin
- Before circulating the petition, fill in the candidate information at the top of each sheet.
- Each Charter Commissioner candidate must be nominated by a petition signed by at least 25 registered electors residing within the proposed Municipality of Niwot.
- The boundary is described in Exhibit A and mapped in Exhibit B of the incorporation petition. An address-lookup tool is also available at niwot.town/boundary, operated by the Niwot Incorporation Committee; the Commission does not maintain that tool.
- If printing the petition from the copy on this page, print in color. Use three staples across the top of the eight pages to keep them together.
Collecting signatures
- Signers must sign and print their legal name.
- Encourage registered electors to sign in ink.
- A signer must use the address at which they are registered to vote. A P.O. Box will not be accepted.
- Fill in both the time and the date in the Time / Date box.
- Ditto marks will not be accepted.
- If a correction is required, the signer should cross out the incorrect information and proceed to the next line.
- The circulator must personally observe every elector who signs, and each signer must state to the circulator that they are a registered elector within the proposed Municipality of Niwot.
- Only one person may circulate a given section of a nomination petition.
- Notify electors that they may sign no more than nine petitions for Charter Commission candidates. Signatures beyond nine are deemed invalid.
Assisting an elector
A person may assist an elector in completing the petition information if the elector is unable to print their name and address. The elector must sign their name; an “X” is accepted. All required information must be filled in either by the elector or by the person assisting. The person assisting must give their name and state that assistance was given, written on the petition immediately following the name of the elector or at the bottom of that page.
Keep the petition intact
Do not take a petition apart or otherwise disassemble it. Sheets cannot be added to a petition. To gather more signatures, request another petition. Evidence of disassembly will disqualify the entire petition section.
Submitting your petition
Submit all petitions at the same time. Petitions must be received by 21 August 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
Return petitions, with the attached petition circulator’s affidavit and the acceptance of nomination and qualification affidavit, to the Niwot Inn lobby, 342 2nd Avenue, Niwot, Colorado, between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Questions
When you turn in your petition, or if you have any questions about the process, contact Lois Adamson, Chair of the Election Commission, at (303) 478-6612 or lois.adamson@niwot.town.