City of Everett Proposition No. 261 — Amendment to Everett City Charter Sections 2.2 and 4.10 (Snohomish County)

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Everett voters

What it does
City of Everett Proposition No. 261 Amendment to Everett City Charter Sections 2.2 and 4.10 The amendment to Section 2.2 would require candidates for Mayor and City Council to have registered to vote in the City of Everett and resided in the City (and district if applicable) for at least one year before the deadline for filing for office; and would prohibit elected officials from holding other elected offices simultaneously. Finally, Section 4.10 would be amended to only require elected officials to take an official oath of office. Should these amendments to the Everett City Charter be enacted into law?
A YES vote means
Everett Mayor and Council candidates would have to be registered and live in the city (and district) for at least one year before filing, elected officials could not hold another elected office at the same time, and officials would only need to take an oath of office.
A NO vote means
Everett's charter rules on candidate residency, holding other offices and the oath would stay as they are.
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).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

  • Everett's City Charter sets the qualifications for Mayor and City Council. The Herald reports the current wording is ambiguous about whether candidates must be registered voters when they file or for a year before the election.
  • A 2025 court ruling found a council candidate ineligible over residency after he had won the primary.
  • The Charter does not now bar the Mayor or Council members from holding another elected office at the same time.

If it passes

  • Candidates for Mayor and City Council would have to be registered to vote in Everett and have lived in the City for at least one year before the deadline for filing for office.
  • Candidates for district Council seats would also have to have lived in their district for at least one year before filing.
  • The Mayor and Council members could not hold another elected office while serving.
  • Section 4.10 would say that only elected city officials must take the oath of office.

Who would notice

People who want to run for Everett Mayor or City Council, and current city elected officials. It does not change any tax.

How it got here

Everett's Charter requires a Charter Review Committee every 10 years. The 15-member committee recommended these changes; the City Council modified them (the one-year rule is measured from the end of filing week rather than the general election) and on July 15, 2026 sent five charter amendments to the ballot.

In the news

Written by SpectrumVote from 3 linked sources (1, 2, 3). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Background

According to the explanatory statement in the Snohomish County voters' guide, Everett's Charter requires a Charter Review Committee every 10 years to recommend amendments. The City Council can adopt those recommendations, change them and send them to the ballot, or reject them.

The statement says Proposition 261 makes three changes the Committee recommended, as modified by the Council. Candidates for Mayor and Council would have to have lived in the City, and been registered to vote there, for at least one year before filing; district candidates would also need one year of residency in the district. The Mayor and Council members could not hold another elected office while serving, and the oath of office would clearly apply only to elected city officials.

The Everett Herald reported that the Committee proposed requiring one year of voter registration before the general election, and the Council changed it to require both registration and residency for one year before the end of filing week.

The voters' guide prints a statement in favor; no statement against was submitted.

Put on the ballot by Everett City Council, July 15, 2026 (one of five charter amendments sent to the ballot, per the Everett Herald; the vote count wasn't found because the city's website blocked automated access); ballot title approved by the City Attorney's Office August 3, 2026.

From official source.

In the news

Who's for and against

Supporting (YES)

Opposing (NO)

No organized campaign found.

A sourced selection, not a complete list. Who supports a measure is listed so you can see who is behind each side; SpectrumVote takes no position.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Everett Proposition No. 261 mean?
Everett Mayor and Council candidates would have to be registered and live in the city (and district) for at least one year before filing, elected officials could not hold another elected office at the same time, and officials would only need to take an oath of office.
What does a NO vote on City of Everett Proposition No. 261 mean?
Everett's charter rules on candidate residency, holding other offices and the oath would stay as they are.
Could an unhoused resident still run?
The pamphlet's argument for the measure says unhoused residents could still run as long as they live and are registered to vote where they file.
Is there an argument against in the voters' pamphlet?
No. The Auditor's office says no one in the city came forward to write a statement against this measure.
What vote does it need?
A simple majority.
How many votes does City of Everett Proposition No. 261 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 Everett Proposition No. 261?
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.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Snohomish County ballot.

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