Petition drive seeks to expand Douglas County commissioners to five members

Douglas County voters could be asked this November whether to replace the county’s three-member commission with a five-seat board, a change supporters say would better match a county now estimated at 399,396 people and still governed by Abe Laydon, George Teal and Kevin Van Winkle.

A citizen-led petition drive is gathering signatures for the ballot question, arguing that the current setup no longer fits the workload in a county stretched across Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and Castle Pines. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Douglas County’s population at 393,995 on July 1, 2024, up from 357,978 in the 2020 census and 285,465 in 2010. Kelly Mayer, a supporter of the effort, said, “We’ve gone from 70,000 residents to almost 400,000 residents, and we still only have three county commissioners.”

Backers say the issue is about more than bigger numbers. They argue that a five-member board would give more people a direct voice when the county decides on transportation, public safety, land use, open space, elections and the daily services that affect fast-growing neighborhoods. A larger board would also likely mean redrawing commissioner districts, which could change which communities are grouped together and how often residents can reach the elected official responsible for their area.

County leadership has shown little enthusiasm for the idea. Laydon said in May 2025, “Few problems are solved by more politicians,” a comment that reflects the argument from critics that adding two more commissioners could increase costs and bureaucracy without necessarily improving results. The financial tradeoff is part of the debate: a five-member board would mean two additional elected offices, while supporters say the county is already paying a different price in stretched representation as growth continues.

The broader home-rule discussion gives the petition added significance. On June 10, 2025, Douglas County commissioners unanimously voted to support formation of a Home Rule Charter Commission, and the county manager’s office said that process would include two countywide elections and three public meetings. If the charter effort advances, the size of the board could become part of a larger decision over how Douglas County organizes power for the years ahead.

Colorado legislative materials also place Douglas County in a wider statewide pattern. Counties with populations of 70,000 or more may be structured around five commissioners, and Adams, Arapahoe, El Paso and Weld already use that model. Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson, Mesa, Larimer and Pueblo remain among the counties still operating with three commissioners under the cited bill, leaving Douglas County at the center of a question many fast-growing Colorado counties have already answered.