City of Danbury Question 1 — Charter: four-year terms for municipal elected offices (Western Connecticut Planning Region)
Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Danbury Township voters
Results: the official election results site. Counts are unofficial until certified.
- What it does
- Shall the Charter of the City of Danbury be revised, as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission and approved by the City Council, to provide that the terms of office for all municipal elected offices, including Mayor, Town Clerk, Treasurer, City Council, Zoning Commission, Zoning Commission Alternates, and Constable, upon the municipal election to be held November 2027, be four (4) years, and to provide that the terms of office for all Board of Education members be revised according to Section 2.2.A(c)(1) of the proposed revised Charter of the City of Danbury?
- A YES vote means
- Starting with the November 2027 election, Danbury's elected offices, including Mayor, Town Clerk, Treasurer, City Council, Zoning Commission and Constable, would have four-year terms, and Board of Education terms would be revised under the proposed charter.
- A NO vote means
- Danbury's charter would not be revised to set four-year terms for these offices or change Board of Education terms.
- Needed to pass
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Left–right lean
- Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).
Explained
Today
- Under Danbury's charter, the city holds a general municipal election every odd-numbered year. The Mayor, all 21 City Council members, the Treasurer, the Town Clerk, five Constables and the nine-member Zoning Commission (plus three alternates) each serve two-year terms.
- The 11-member Board of Education serves staggered four-year terms, with five or six seats elected at each odd-year election.
- The charter was last comprehensively revised in 2009.
If it passes
- Starting with the November 2027 city election, the Mayor, City Council, Treasurer, Town Clerk, Constables, Zoning Commission and Zoning Commission alternates would be elected to four-year terms. City elections would then be held every four years (2027, 2031, and so on) instead of every two.
- Board of Education terms would shift so all 11 members are elected together: six members for four-year terms in 2027, five members for two-year terms in 2029, and all 11 for four-year terms starting in 2031.
- If Question 1 fails, terms stay at two years and Board of Education seats stay staggered as they are now; the City Council amended the question on August 4 to make that explicit, according to the News-Times.
- Other charter changes, such as raising the city's non-referendum borrowing authority from $2 million to $5 million and updating ethics and reapportionment rules, are in a separate Question 2.
Who would notice
Danbury voters and the people who hold or run for city elected offices and the Board of Education. It does not change any tax.
How it got here
The City Council appointed a nine-member Charter Revision Commission in 2026, which held public hearings on April 30 and June 25, 2026. On August 4, 2026, the Council voted 14–6 to approve the commission's final report and send the revisions to voters as two ballot questions; three Republicans and three Democrats voted no, according to the News-Times.
What each side says
Supporters
- With two-year terms, the mayor and council spend too much time fundraising and campaigning. Four-year terms would let elected leaders govern rather than campaign, see long-term projects through, give voters a full record to judge, and reduce election costs; four-year terms are standard in many Connecticut municipalities.
- The revisions modernize a charter that hasn't been comprehensively revised in nearly two decades, and give voters a direct say in how their government works.
Opponents
- The revisions as presented consolidate power within the mayor's office, and the process was flawed; several residents and council members spoke against the longer terms.
- Two-year terms give voters twice as many chances to judge the mayor's performance, no measurable problem has been shown to justify cutting that in half, and officials who want to serve longer can run again.
In the news
Background
Danbury's City Council appointed a nine-member Charter Revision Commission in 2026, and the Council approved the Commission's final report on August 4, 2026, according to the city's Charter Revision Commission page.
Under the proposed charter text, Danbury would hold its general city election every four years starting in November 2027 instead of every odd-numbered year, and the Mayor, all 21 City Council members, the Treasurer, Town Clerk, five Constables and the Zoning Commission would serve four-year terms instead of two-year terms.
The Board of Education would move to a schedule in which all eleven members are elected together for four-year terms starting in 2031, with transitional elections in 2027 and 2029, according to the report.
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Also on Western Connecticut Planning Region ballots
- City of Danbury Question 2 — Charter: all other proposed revisions
- Town of New Canaan Question 1 — Charter: Town officers accountable to the First Selectman
- Town of New Canaan Question 2 — Charter: Town Council confirmation of Planning and Zoning appointments
- Town of New Canaan Question 3 — Charter: Town Council approval for changes to Town-owned real property
- Town of New Canaan Question 4 — Charter: Board of Finance members need not be real property taxpayers
- Town of New Canaan Question 5 — Charter: three alternate members of the Ethics Board
- Town of New Canaan Question 6 — Charter: clarify definitions and update provisions
- Town of Weston Question 1 — Charter: majority party representation on boards and commissions
- Town of Weston Question 2 — Charter: Annual Town Budget Meeting may not reduce budget items
- Town of Weston Question 3 — Charter: remaining proposed amendments
Quick answers
- What does a YES vote on City of Danbury Question 1 mean?
- Starting with the November 2027 election, Danbury's elected offices, including Mayor, Town Clerk, Treasurer, City Council, Zoning Commission and Constable, would have four-year terms, and Board of Education terms would be revised under the proposed charter.
- What does a NO vote on City of Danbury Question 1 mean?
- Danbury's charter would not be revised to set four-year terms for these offices or change Board of Education terms.
- Does this affect the mayor elected in 2027?
- Yes. Four-year terms would begin with offices filled at the November 2027 municipal election, so those officials would serve until December 2031. Terms begin at noon on the first business day of December after the election.
- Is this the only charter question on the Danbury ballot?
- No. Question 2 asks voters to approve all other proposed charter revisions as a package. The two questions are voted on separately.
- Does it impose term limits?
- No. The question changes the length of terms, not how many terms a person may serve.
- How many votes does City of Danbury Question 1 need to pass?
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Should I vote yes or no on City of Danbury Question 1?
- SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
- When is the vote?
- The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.
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