Fort Collins City Council updates election code, removes write‑in option and tightens campaign enforcement

Fort Collins City Council on first reading approved a package of changes to the city election code that reorganizes campaign‑finance enforcement, raises contribution limits, shifts filing timelines, removes write‑in candidates from city ballots and makes clerical cleanups to align local rules with state regulations.

City staff and the council framed the changes as a multi‑part effort to make enforcement clearer, bring local deadlines into alignment with state law and prepare the city for ranked voting. Cecilia Goode, senior deputy city clerk, walked the council through the proposed ordinances and said the revisions were the product of the election code committee’s work beginning in 2024.

The package matters because it changes how complaints about campaigns are handled, who can appear on a ballot and how campaigns report money — areas several public commenters flagged as essential to voter confidence. The League of Women Voters of Larimer County and other residents urged the council to add independent oversight or additional resources for audits and candidate training.

City staff described the enforcement changes as primarily procedural. The rewritten enforcement article clarifies what constitutes a sufficient complaint, requires a reasonably based factual showing before proceeding, and gives respondents an early chance to “cure” violations or pay a presumptive fine before a matter is referred to municipal court. Sarah Arfmann, assistant city attorney, and Goode said the draft also clarifies that when a…