Aurora voters will decide in the Nov. 3 election whether to .
The Aurora City Council referred Ballot Question 3D to the ballot in late July by a 6-2 vote. It would affect elections for offices including the mayor and members of the council.
Here’s a quick look at what would happen if voters pass the measure.
What would Question 3D do if passed?
The measure would move Aurora’s elections in a staggered fashion from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. The first even-numbered municipal election would take place in 2030.
To make the transition, candidates running for a council seat and council members running for reelection in 2027 would serve three-year terms instead of a normal four-year term. Likewise, candidates and council members running in 2029 would serve three-year terms, with the next election occurring in 2032. At that point, four-year terms would resume for everyone.
What would be the cost?
The city doesn’t specify a cost for the election cycle change but notes that even-year elections are more expensive to run than odd-numbered elections. That’s because coordinating such an election with Arapahoe County, which takes in a large portion of Aurora, requires additional infrastructure, particularly more voter service and polling centers, raising the city’s share of election costs.
For example, the 2024 election cost Aurora $121,286 for one ballot question. In 2025, Aurora paid $71,903 to have five council seats and five ballot questions on that year’s ballot, according to city data.
What do supporters say?
Supporters of Ballot Question 3D say voter turnout in even-year elections, including midterms and presidential elections, is appreciably higher than in odd-year contests when less is on the ballot. Changing election years in Aurora would result in more people casting a ballot, bolstering participation and strengthening local democracy.
What do opponents say?
Aside from cost, opponents of the measure say that by including Aurora candidates and ballot issues at the end of what are typically lengthy even-year ballots, voters will burn out before they get to the bottom of the ballot.
For example, this fall’s ballot will feature 14 statewide ballot measures, along with a number of federal, state and local-level candidates, ahead of any Aurora municipal candidates or issues that might appear on the ballot if the change were adopted.
There is also a fear that having to campaign in a busier election season will be more expensive for any candidate hoping to get their message out.
