This November, Colorado will vote for a new governor. This race, as well as many others, will be followed closely throughout the year on the evening news and in the papers; however, there are other important local races to watch that will affect Castle Pines North residents.

Key Races to Follow

Many local races will appear on the CPN ballot. Listed below are some key political races that will receive
coverage as Election Day approaches.

State Representative - District 45

One important local election that CPN will vote for in November is the Colorado State Representative for District 45. Jim Sullivan currently holds this position.

County Commissioner - District 1

The County Commissioner for District 1 is also up for election this November. Commissioner Walter “Mike” Maxwell holds this office, and will not seek re-election.

Douglas County Sheriff

September 1, 2005, Sheriff David A. Weaver was appointed by the County Commissioners to fulfill the remaining term of the Office of Sheriff that was opened by resignation. This term will be up for election in November, 2006. Sheriff Weaver has announced that he will seek election to the office.

Douglas County School Bond

A bond measure will be on the November ballot for projects in the Douglas County School District that include the building of nine new schools.

Precinct Caucuses Scheduled in March

November 7th is months away; however, the candidates are being chosen now.
On Tuesday, March 21st the process kicks off and local political parties will hold their precinct caucuses. Caucuses are held in a public place or in a private home that is open to the public. No invitation is required. Registered voters from the neighborhood simply attend and participate. Issues may be discussed and committee people are selected to represent the precinct at the county convention.

To participate in the precinct caucus, a voter must be a resident of the precinct for 30 days, be registered to vote 29 days before the caucus, and be affiliated with the political party for two months.

A caucus is held at each precinct for each political party. To find out where caucuses will be held throughout Castle Pines North, visit the respective political party website. The Douglas County Democrats website is www.douglasdemocrats.org, or call 303-539-9048. The Douglas County Republican website is www.dcgop.org, or call 303-730-0100.

Once precinct caucuses are complete, the next steps in this multi-level process are the county and state conventions, followed by August primaries.

How does CPN Vote?

How is CPN divided when looking at political party affiliation? CPN is divided into six different precincts throughout the community. As of December 31, 2005, there were 5,812 registered Douglas County voters that reside in CPN.

17 percent are registered Democrats
55 percent are registered Republicans
28 percent are unaffiliated.

When comparing these numbers with voter registration in all of Douglas County, CPN’s make-up is similar.

In elections held last November, one important item on the ballot was the debate over Referenda C & D. State-wide Referendum C passed, but D failed. In Douglas County, both referenda failed. However, in CPN both referenda passed with a stronger percentage "yes" votes than the State of Colorado. For more details, visit www.cpnhoa.org.

Throughout the year, coverage for the key races of 2006 will be prevalent. Watch for information in "The Connection" and on the CPN website at www.cpnhoa.org.