Boulder Direct Democracy Online supports the electronic endorsement of municipal (non-charter) initiatives, referendums and recalls.
A Petition Committee Group can gather petition endorsements through both paper signatures AND endorsements in the Boulder Direct Democracy Online.
Thank you for your interest in the City of Boulder for Municipal Initiatives.
Please note: This system is available utilizing most browsers including Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, as well as from iPhone and Android phones. It is not available through Microsoft Internet Explorer as this browser is no longer supported by Microsoft.
Visit govotecolorado.gov and click the "find my registration" link. You will then have to input personal information in order to access your registration. Once that is complete, you are able to add a phone to your registration.
This is because your phone number is designated as "unlisted" in your voter registration. The County is not authorized to provide the City with unlisted telephone numbers. This causes an error message of “no phone number on file” when the voter can see one in their voter registration. The required two-factor authentication relies on a "publicly listed" phone number. To update your "unlisted" phone number, reach out to the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder’s Office/Elections at 303-413-7740.
The process for endorsing petitions is the same on a mobile phone as a computer.
Voter registration is verified by using electronic attestation and multi-factor authentication.
Constituents enter or confirm the following information:
A Confirmation Code is then distributed to the Phone Number listed in the voter registration.
Note: You must have a phone number included as part of your voter registration with the Colorado Secretary of State.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a secure sign-in method that verifies your identity by asking for two or more credentials. In addition to asking for the entry of voter registration information, the MFA for the Boulder Direct Democracy Online entails distributing a Confirmation Code to Phone Number included in your voter registration to act as an additional line of security against fraud and unauthorized access.
The Confirmation Code is good for 24 hours starting from the time you successfully log into the Boulder Direct Democracy Online.
Confirm your voter registration information (including your residential address and phone number) is correct at GoVoteColorado.gov.
Voters who participate in the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) or choose to become a confidential voter are not able to endorse paper or electronic petitions.
Your electronic endorsements are counted within seconds.
Yes. All active Petitions display their endorsement counts on the Boulder Direct Democracy Online home page. Total endorsement counts for each Petition are updated within seconds of an endorsement being made. Note that you may need to refresh the page in your web browser to see the latest numbers.
No. The Boulder Direct Democracy Online does not store or use any confidential voter data. The Colorado Secretary of State considers the following information confidential voter data and the Boulder Direct Democracy Online does not rely on or have access to this information for electronic attestation or multi factor authentication of City of Boulder registered voters:
The petition has been approved and the circulation period is active for voter endorsements.
The petition is no longer available to endorse because the petition has reached the end of the petition circulation period or because the petition has been submitted to be certified.
When a Petition has been reviewed after the Petition is CLOSED, a certification status is determined. Certified petitions can be classed Sufficient or Insufficient or Withdrawn.
Constituents are able to log onto the system from any publicly available computers (e.g., library, school, Wi-Fi café) or on a mobile phone.
Yes. The City of Boulder now has capabilities to run dual petitions both in online format and paper format. Please contact the Petition Committee Group regarding their petition selection. Each petition includes the committee contact information under the section “Committee Members” on the Petition introduction page.
The petition endorsement end date is displayed as “Ends mm/dd/yyyy” on the home page of the Boulder Direct Democracy Online.
Yes. All active Petitions display their endorsement counts on the Boulder Direct Democracy Online home page. Total endorsement counts for each Petition are updated within seconds of an endorsement being made. Note that you may need to refresh the page in your web browser to see the latest numbers.
No. You will not be able to sign into the Boulder Direct Democracy Online without a phone number listed in your voter registration. The security of the system relies on multi-factor authentication, which requires a Phone Number included in your voter registration to help verify your identity. Therefore, you will have to update your voter registration files with a phone number in order to endorse a Petition.
However, if you do not wish for your phone number to be stored in your voter registration files you may:
Yes. Have the person assisting you log into the system. When you are prompted with the statement: “I attest that I have given permission for someone else to log into the system as my representative,” the person assisting you needs to select Yes and provide their first name and last name before continuing. Please note that City of Boulder staff are not available to assist you with endorsing a petition.
All petitions must be submitted to the City Clerk.
Boulder Direct Democracy Online is available utilizing most browsers including Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, as well as from iPhone and Android phones. It is not available thru Microsoft Internet Explorer as this browser is no longer supported by Microsoft.
The Boulder Direct Democracy Online supports English and Spanish.
The City of Boulder Petitions that are endorsable within the Boulder Direct Democracy Online include the following. For more information see the Boulder Charter to Direct Legislation
Petitions are used to gather endorsements from City of Boulder registered voters. If enough endorsements are obtained and a petition is Certified Sufficient, then City Council will determine the final action as follows:
If you choose to not endorse a particular Petition, then there is no action required. Voters can only opt to endorse a Petition or take no action on it.
No. There is no way to un-endorse a petition. This process is similar to the paper petition process where a constituent is unable to remove their signature from a form once they have signed a petition.
Potentially. A municipal initiative proposes an ordinance, resolution or other measure to the City Council. If a petition receives enough endorsements and is Certified Sufficient, then the City Council will determine the final action as follows:
Yes. The Boulder Direct Democracy Online includes a publicly available report that generates a list of voter name and endorsement date. This information has always been available to the public for paper petitions.
Yes. Only people eligible to vote in the City of Boulder are able to endorse a Municipal Initiative, Referendum, or Recall.
You can register to vote or update your voter registration information at GoVoteColorado.gov
It can take 2-4 business days for updated voter registration information to be updated in the Secretary of State’s voter registration files and to be included in the Boulder Direct Democracy Online.
No. The City of Boulder does not have access to confidential voter information. Therefore, voters that choose to be confidential are unable to endorse an electronic or paper petition.
No. Voter registration information within the Boulder Direct Democracy Online will not be shared with anyone.
Contact the Petition Committee Group for the Petition. Each petition includes the committee contact information under the section “Committee Members” on the Petition home page.
The system includes a link to the City of Boulder constituent relationship management system, Inquire Boulder. Constituents can submit a question via the link and receive a response from City of Boulder staff in 1 - 2 business days.
