3 To 5 Initiative nears signature deadline in Douglas County

Supporters of the 3 To 5 Initiative spent Friday at Lone Tree Brewing pushing for the last signatures they need to put Douglas County’s commissioner expansion on the November ballot.

Angela Thomas said the campaign needed a little more than 15,000 verified signatures and had a little more than 11,000 in hand. The group was racing a 13-day deadline, with every signature still subject to verification by the county clerk and limited to Douglas County residents.

The proposal would ask voters whether Douglas County should move from three county commissioners to five, a change supporters say is overdue in a county that now carries far more people, more development pressure and more countywide decisions than the current structure was built to handle. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Douglas County’s population at 399,396 on July 1, 2025, up 11.6% from the 2020 census base of 357,993.

Backers have framed the issue as one of representation and control. They argue that a county approaching 400,000 residents needs a larger board to oversee land use, budgets and policy in a way that reflects how much Douglas County has changed since it was governed by a much smaller population. In May, supporters pointed to the county’s growth from about 70,000 residents to almost 400,000 while still operating with only three commissioners.

The fight is not only about size. It is also about who gains influence if the board expands. In a follow-up report, Commissioner George Teal backed a version with three district commissioners and two at-large commissioners. That structure would change how power is distributed at county offices in Castle Rock and across the unincorporated areas, while keeping open the debate over whether the proposal would effectively end term limits.

Critics have warned that a bigger board could add bureaucracy or shift the balance of power in ways they do not trust. Supporters counter that a larger electorate already exists in practice, and that the current setup leaves too much authority concentrated in three seats for a county that is still shaping growth, roads, budgets and major land-use decisions.

The campaign is unfolding against a tense local backdrop. Douglas County voters previously rejected a home-rule charter effort in a special election, and county commissioners ended general public comment at meetings in January 2026, prompting backlash from residents who saw it as another sign of narrowing access. That history has helped make the 3 To 5 Initiative more than a ballot question about board size. It has become a test of who gets a say in Douglas County’s next phase of growth and governance.