Douglas County
Your November 2026 ballot, explained
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Ballots start arriving October 2. Here is what you actually vote on, where you live, and how to return it.
Last verified September 1, 2026. We re-check every Monday through the election.
Fri, Oct 2
Ballots start going in the mail, and all 23 drop boxes open
Mon, Oct 26
Last day to request a ballot be mailed to you
Tue, Nov 3
Election Day
Dates from Douglas County Elections.
What's on your ballot
Pick where you live. Some Douglas County communities have a city race this year and some genuinely don't — this says which, and why.
Castle Rock
Mayor, Council District 3 and Council District 5, plus everything countywide.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Castle Rock has 6 drop boxes.
Source: Town of Castle Rock, verified September 1, 2026.
Parker
Three Town Council seats, and no mayor's race — the Town's own election page says the November 3 regular election is to elect three Councilmembers. We are still confirming the certified candidate list with the Town Clerk and will publish it after the September 4 certification. Plus everything countywide.
Still confirming. We have not verified this one against the jurisdiction directly yet, so treat it as provisional until the September 4 certification.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Parker has 5 drop boxes.
Source: Town of Parker, verified September 1, 2026.
Highlands Ranch
No local race. Highlands Ranch is unincorporated, so there is no city government to vote for, and the Highlands Ranch Metro District's board last elected directors on May 6, 2025 with the next director election set for May 4, 2027. Your ballot is the countywide, state and federal races plus judicial retention.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Highlands Ranch has 5 drop boxes.
Source: Highlands Ranch Metro District, verified September 1, 2026.
Lone Tree
No city race in November. Lone Tree elected two council seats on May 5, 2026, and those results were certified May 15. Your ballot is the countywide, state and federal races plus judicial retention.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Lone Tree has 2 drop boxes.
Source: City of Lone Tree, verified September 1, 2026.
Castle Pines
Two city charter measures on annexation, and no council race. Castle Pines is home rule and its charter puts regular city elections in November of odd-numbered years, so 2026 is an off year for council. Plus everything countywide.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Castle Pines has 1 drop box.
Source: City of Castle Pines, verified September 1, 2026.
Sterling Ranch
The only Douglas County voters who get the Front Range Passenger Rail sales tax question. No CAB race. Plus everything countywide.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Sterling Ranch has 1 drop box.
Larkspur
No town race in November. Larkspur held its general municipal election on April 7, 2026. Your ballot is the countywide, state and federal races plus judicial retention. Larkspur does have a 24-hour drop box, at Town Hall.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Larkspur has 1 drop box.
Source: Town of Larkspur, verified September 1, 2026.
Franktown
Franktown is unincorporated, so there is no town government to vote for. Your ballot is the countywide, state and federal races, judicial retention, and any special-district questions where you live.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. There is no drop box in Franktown itself — the nearest ones are in Castle Rock and Parker.
Sedalia
Sedalia is unincorporated, so there is no town government to vote for. Your ballot is the countywide, state and federal races, judicial retention, and any special-district questions where you live.
Everyone in Douglas County also votes on county commissioner, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. There is no drop box in Sedalia itself — the nearest ones are in Castle Rock and Parker.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth is in Elbert County, not Douglas County. Elizabeth voters get Elbert County's coordinated election, including the town's board race. Contact the Elbert County Clerk and Recorder for that ballot.
The races
Grouped by who votes in them. We go deep on local races and keep statewide ones to the essentials — you have the Secretary of State and the Blue Book for those.
Countywide
City races
Still being built
Parker's three council seats, the county officer races, the state and federal districts that cover Douglas County, and judicial retention are all coming. The Secretary of State certifies ballot content to county clerks on Friday, September 4, and the county posts a composite sample ballot in September. We are holding those pages until the ballot is locked rather than publishing a roster that changes.
Candidate profiles come after certification too, built from public records and from what candidates tell us directly. We don't scrape headshots.
Ballot measures
The questions, not the campaigns. Each links to our full explainer.
The Douglas County School District has a $54 million mill levy override on this ballot as well. Our explainer on it is in progress.
Every date that matters
Friday, September 4 — Secretary of State certifies ballot content to county clerks
The last day the state delivers the certification of ballot order and content. After this, the ballot is locked.
Friday, September 18 — Military and overseas ballots mailed
UOCAVA voters are the first to get ballots.
Friday, September 25 — Public Logic & Accuracy test
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Douglas County Elections Office, 125 Stephanie Place, Castle Rock. Open to the public.
Friday, October 2 — Ballots start going in the mail, and all 23 drop boxes open
Ballots go to the address on your voter registration record. Drop boxes are open 24 hours a day from this date.
Wednesday, October 14 — No ballot yet? Call.
If your ballot has not arrived by this date, call Douglas County Elections at 303-660-7444 or get a replacement at a Voter Service and Polling Center.
Monday, October 19 — Voter Service and Polling Centers open
The first four VSPCs open and run through Election Day. More open Oct. 30 and Nov. 2.
Monday, October 26 — Last day to request a ballot be mailed to you
After this, your options are a drop box or a Voter Service and Polling Center.
Tuesday, November 3 — Election Day
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Every drop box and every VSPC closes at 7 p.m. sharp.
Thursday, November 12 — Signature cure deadline
Last day to fix a signature or ID problem on your ballot, through 11:59 p.m. Also the deadline to receive military and overseas ballots.
Tuesday, November 17 — Public risk-limiting audit
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Elections Office. Open to the public.
Friday, November 20 — Canvass Board
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Elections Office.
Wednesday, November 25 — Official results certified
Deadline for the county to complete the canvass and send the official abstract of votes to the Secretary of State.
Source: Douglas County Elections. Verified September 1, 2026.
How to actually vote
The mechanics the county buries three clicks deep, in plain English.
How to vote in Douglas County
When your ballot arrives, how to return it, replacement ballots, registering late, fixing a signature problem, and voting while you're away from home.
All 23 ballot drop boxes
Every drop box and every Voter Service and Polling Center, grouped by the community people actually live in rather than by mailing address.
Our election coverage
We cover the questions and the process, not the horse race. If we get something wrong, tell us — a reader caught a statute error in our 3-to-5 guide and it was corrected the same day, with credit.
Frequently asked
Ballots start going out October 2, 2026, to the address on your voter registration record. If yours has not arrived by October 14, call Douglas County Elections at 303-660-7444 or pick up a replacement at a Voter Service and Polling Center. Ballots cannot be forwarded by the post office, so if you moved and did not update your registration, your ballot will not reach you.
There are 23 secure drop boxes across the county, open 24 hours a day from October 2 until 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. They are free, unlike mailing. Castle Rock has six, Parker and Highlands Ranch have five each, Lone Tree has two, and Castle Pines, Larkspur, Sterling Ranch, Roxborough and the north county line each have one. Our drop box page lists every one grouped by community.
Yes. The coordinated general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Every Douglas County voter gets the county commissioner race, the 3-to-5 commissioner question, state and federal races, and judicial retention. Whether you also get a city race depends on where you live: Castle Rock elects a mayor and two council seats, Parker elects three council seats, and Castle Pines votes on two charter measures. Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch and Larkspur have no city race in November — Lone Tree voted in May, Larkspur in April, and the Highlands Ranch Metro District board next elects directors in 2027.
Three candidates, in the order the Town says they will appear on the ballot: Laura Cavey, Amelia Thomas and Stu Butler. It is an open seat, the race is nonpartisan, and there were no primaries.
Only if you mail it. The Town of Castle Rock is explicit that the voter pays postage on a mailed ballot, and the county recommends a Forever Stamp plus two to nine business days for delivery. Drop boxes require no postage at all. Either way the ballot must be physically received by 7 p.m. on Election Day — a postmark does not count.
Yes. Colorado allows registration through Election Day at a Voter Service and Polling Center. You can also register or update your registration any time at GoVoteColorado.gov. The last day to request that a ballot be mailed to you is October 26; after that, use a drop box or a VSPC.
Almost certainly not. The rail district board referred a one-third-cent sales tax to the November ballot on August 28, but Senate Bill 26-172 redrew the district boundary to a fixed list of 31 named municipalities, and none of them are in Douglas County. Within the county, only voters in the Sterling Ranch metropolitan districts are inside the district, because the statute names them specifically.
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