The electoral process begins for 3 PitCo commissioner seats

Even though the general election is not until November, the first steps of solidifying the county commissioner section of the ballot are underway.

The seats for Districts 3, 4, and 5 will all appear on the ballot in November and potentially on June 25 for a primary race if more than two candidates run for a single district. 

Commissioner Chair Greg Poschman of District 3 and Commissioner Francie Jacober of District 5 have indicated they will run for re-election, according to Pitkin County Clerk Ingrid Grueter. Commissioner Steve Child of District 4 is term-limited, and his seat will be open.

Poschman was first elected in 2016, so a win in 2024 would be his third and final term. Jacober won her first commissioner term in 2020, and Child’s first term began in 2012.

Jeffrey Woodruff, who currently serves on the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission, has filed paperwork with the Clerk’s Office signaling an intent to run for the District 4 seat. 

No other elected county seat — the sheriff, clerk & recorder, or the assessor — is on the ballot this year. 

The process of running for a county commissioner seat

“The Pitkin County Home Rule Charter is kind of different than other places in the state,” Grueter said. “The candidates can affiliate or run as unaffiliated.”

Potential candidates may now sign affidavits indicating a formal intent to run for office, which is picked up from and returned to the county clerk and recorder. The affidavits establish things like district of residence. As of Friday, Poschman and Woodruff have done so. Receiving an official party designation on the primary ballot requires 1,000 signatures, Grueter said, though candidates may run unaffiliated. 

On March 27, candidates may then pick up petition packets from the clerk and recorder’s office. To complete the packets, candidates must collect 100 signatures from registered Pitkin County electors. The packets are due back to the clerk and recorder between April 5-22. 

If more than two candidates, regardless of political party, file complete packets for one district, then it will trigger a primary for that district on June 25. If there are no more than two candidates for Districts 3, 4, or 5, then the ballot will only have primary races for state offices and the candidates will automatically appear on the November ballot.

Candidates for county districts must live within the district for which they’re running, but Pitkin County voters may vote across all districts.

The last time a commissioner race had a primary was in 2016, Grueter said, when three candidates ran for the District 3 seat. The sheriff’s office had a primary in 2022.

She said voter turnout for June primaries is trending upward, with 39% of eligible voters casting a ballot in 2022, 43% in 2020, 29% in 2018, and just 19% in 2016.