10/21/2026
Why I Will Vote YES on 200 but NO on 1A
As Douglas County continues to grow, an important question deserves consideration: Does a three-member Board of County Commissioners still provide adequate representation for nearly 400,000 residents?
Colorado law allows qualifying counties to expand their boards from three to five commissioners, subject to voter approval. Question 200 gives Douglas County residents that choice. I support expanding the board, while opposing Question 1A’s proposal to preserve at-large voting for every commissioner.
Douglas County has restructured government before.
In 2018, county officials began advocating for the creation of the 23rd Judicial District, separating Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties from the former 18th Judicial District. Then-State Rep. Kevin Van Winkle, now a Douglas County commissioner, subsequently became a Republican prime sponsor of bipartisan legislation establishing the new district.
The transition required investment. Douglas County budgeted $2.5 million in one-time technology funding for the new District Attorney’s office. Its approximately $14.3 million operating budget largely incorporated existing prosecution functions transferred from the former judicial district, rather than representing entirely new expenditures.
Douglas County also established its own Health Department to provide locally directed public health services. Its first full-year budget in 2023 was $7.4 million, including $2 million from the County General Fund.
Neither restructuring was necessarily cost-free. Both illustrate that county leaders have previously accepted organizational changes and transition expenses when they believed local needs justified them.
Representation is another question worth examining.
Douglas County is Colorado’s sixth-largest county, with approximately 400,000 residents, yet it continues to operate with just three commissioners.
Consider the governing bodies of much smaller communities. Larkspur, with roughly 200 residents, has five elected governing-body members, including its mayor. Lone Tree also has five. Town of Parker, and Town of Castle Rock each have seven, including their mayors. The Douglas County School Board has seven directors.
These governing bodies have different responsibilities, so their membership numbers are not directly comparable. Nevertheless, they illustrate that a larger governing body is not an unfamiliar concept in local government.
Douglas County is also geographically diverse. Suburban Highlands Ranch has different transportation, housing, and development concerns from rural Franktown and Larkspur, where agricultural land, open space, and rural infrastructure may be more prominent. Parker and Castle Rock likewise have distinct development patterns, community identities, and priorities.
Under a countywide election system, every commissioner must campaign across the entire county. I believe district-based representation would create a more direct relationship between residents and the commissioners accountable to their geographic communities.
Expanding to five commissioners would also change the decision-making structure. Today, two commissioners can form a majority of the three-member board. With five members, three votes would be required. I see value in distributing responsibilities and requiring broader agreement among elected representatives.
Question 200 concerns board expansion, while Question 201 addresses alternative district-based election structures. Question 1A would preserve at-large voting for all commissioners if the board expands. These are related but distinct decisions.
Douglas County’s history demonstrates that governmental structures can change as community needs evolve. I believe our growing population and the differences among our communities warrant a five-member commission with geographically accountable representation.
That is why I will vote YES on Question 200 and NO on Question 1A.
3 to 5 Douglas County
