Denver Votes: It’s Not Over
Denver’s Election Is April 4. But It’s Not Over. With 16 Candidates Vying For Mayor, A June Runoff Election Is Likely
By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
If you thought March madness would lead to tranquility in April, think again.
But first, cast your vote.
This year’s municipal election has been called the most critical in recent memory. Mayor Michael B. Hancock is term-limited after 12 years. The 13-member Denver City Council is up for grabs.
Also on the ballot: Westside Investment Partners’ controversial effort to terminate the conservation easement protecting the Park Hill Golf Course property, which has been a defining issue of the election. The developer’s ballot measure is Referred Measure 2 O.
Of 17 candidates for mayor, one, Kwame Spearman, has dropped out. Unless one of the remaining candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote on April 4, the top two candidates will face off in a June 6 runoff election.
On April 4, Park Hill will also vote for two at-large council representatives. The top two citywide vote-getters will automatically win. Depending on where you live in Park Hill, you will also vote for your city council representative in District 8 or District 9.
Auditor Tim O’Brien is up for reelection, and is being challenged by Erik Clarke. Clerk and Recorder Paul López is uncontested in his reelection bid. Voters will decide two other referred measures — 2 M, concerning the Board of Adjustment, and 2 N, concerning the City Zoning Authority.
By the time you are reading this it is too late to return your ballot by mail. Plan to drop your signed ballot off by 7 p.m. on Election Day, April 4, at one of several locations around the neighborhood. Drop-offs are at Hiawatha Davis, Jr. Recreation Center at 33rd and Holly, the Museum of Nature and Science in City Park, the Montclair Recreation Center in the Lowry neighborhood, and East High School.
After you’ve turned in your ballot, check denver.ballottrax.net/voter/, where you can track it like a package — from printing to acceptance for counting. And then, get ready to do it all again, for the runoff election on June 6.
The Greater Park Hill News has been covering the mayoral and city council races since January, and has reported extensively on the ongoing controversy over Westside Investment Partners’ efforts to develop the Park Hill Golf Course property. Go to greaterparkhill.org/news-and-opinion/election-2023/ to access the complete package of election-related stories.