AURORA VOTE 2025: Dems winning all city council, school board races — new total updates

AURORA | While not official, election returns consistently show Democratic and left-leaning candidates for Aurora City Council, Cherry Creek schools board and Aurora Public Schools winning in all of the contests for school board and city council seats.

Incumbent Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky conceded her at-large race Wednesday evening.

“While last night’s election didn’t go the way we had hoped, I am deeply proud of the work we’ve accomplished together — the initiatives I led and the efforts I was privileged to support,” Jurinsky said in social media posts. “Four years ago, I was told I couldn’t win. But we did. And I have served my hometown and all of you with every ounce of passion, loyalty, and heart that I have.”

I want to thank each and every one of you who supported my campaign and shared in my love for Aurora. Your prayers, encouragement, and kindness over the past four years have meant the world to me.

While last night’s election didn’t go the way we had hoped, I am deeply proud of…

— Danielle Jurinsky (@DaniJurinsky) November 5, 2025

While the off-year election results were consistent, they were slow-coming. As many as 52,950 ballots were turned over to Arapahoe County on Election Day, most cast as mail-in ballots, according to county spokesperson Jill McGranahan. The county has approximately 7,000 additional ballots still to tally as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.

As the election returns came in both Tuesday and Wednesday, the margins of win and loss remained about the same, according to election returns in each of Aurora’s three counties.

Candidates who have led in the races throughout the count are preparing victory statements, most of the candidates say.

The surge in ballots could push voter turnout for the off-year election toward 50%, a normally unheard of number, election officials said.

At stake are two at-large council seats, currently held by Republican incumbents Danielle Jurinsky and Amsalu Kassaw. Voters decided three council ward seats, wards I, II and III. The Ward I seat is open. Incumbent Democrat Ruben Medina is vying for a second term in Ward III. Incumbent Republican Steve Sundberg is running for a second term to his Ward II seat.

Medina has held a comfortable lead against challenger Marsha Berzins for two days. Ward II challenger Amy Wiles has held a solid lead in her race against Sundberg as well.

As of Wednesday evening, the at-large city council race had Democratic challengers Rob Andrews and Alli Jackson winning the two available seats. Incumbent Republican Danielle Jurinsky was trailing Jackson by about 4,000 votes when she conceded.

Jackson credited team work among progressives for what looked to be a victory.

“When you run together, you gotta work together so that we can work together on city council,” at-large Democrat city council candidate Rob Andrews said about working with the rest of the Democrats and even sharing some of his resources with them.

“We were two strangers,” Jackson said about Andrews. “Who just met, because we wanted to run, we wanted to step up to the plate, and we worked together.”

Jackson said between her history and knowledge from growing up in Aurora, and Andrew “hitting the doors hard,” they think they were able to make it happen.

Both candidates held leads for the two at-large seats across the night as returns came in.

Democratic challenger Amy Wiles was about 700 votes ahead of Ward II Republican incumbent Steve Sundberg on Wednesday.

“I hope that the nation sees what Aurora is capable of, where our values really land, and if we can actualize it, then we can actualize it across our whole country,” Horton said.

All the candidates expressed gratitude to the community members who got involved and supported them. 

“I am feeling grateful,” Wiles said. “Grateful to our community members who voted, to our volunteers who helped us every day for the past 10 months and to my fellow candidates.”

Democratic and left-leaning school board candidates in both Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek Public Schools were leading in all available seats in both districts.

In what is technically a nonpartisan race, Republican leaders were pushing this year to keep their majority on city council while Democrats worked to disrupt it.

Aurora City Council elections, held on Election Day in odd years, result in more unpredictable and generally lower voter turnout, according to decades of Aurora voting history. Election results for 2023 in Arapahoe County reveal a 39% voter turnout. Last year’s general election drew 76% of voters. Like all local elections, this year’s election was conducted by mail ballot.

“I appreciate that people were willing to consider me as a candidate,” Stephen Elkins, Ward I candidate, said, conceding his race. “I enjoyed meeting people to hear what mattered to them. It was a tireless whirlwind for eight months. I appreciated working with a group of candidates who were focused on public safety, economic development, and a better Aurora.”

He said he was also happy the Downtown Development Authority, also known as the DDA, passed in Ward I for the east Colfax revival. Elkins’ opponent, Reid Hettich, who ran in Ward I, was also hopeful for the DDA to pass. 

Hettich said he had passed the 6,000-door mark, for the number of doors he knocked on during his campaign. 

“I am feeling grateful for all of my friends that are here and the hard work we put in, and confident that we’ve given the people of Aurora a chance to speak, and that’s always been the goal, to make sure that they have a voice,” Hettich said Tuesday. 

A variety of topics were on the minds of Aurora voters and candidates, including the city’s approach to crime and immigration, particularly in light of the changes being implemented by the Trump Administration.

In talking to at-large council candidates and attending campaign events over the last several weeks, The Sentinel focused recent coverage on policies that have been on the council dais and in the news over the past two years. Questions to candidates were linked to police officer-involved shootings and police reform, the city’s approach to homelessness, and how city council can work to make housing more affordable or obtainable for all income levels. 

Aurora is currently under a consent decree, imposed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in 2021. It was the result of investigations into allegations of the Aurora Police Department’s excessive use of force and discriminatory practices, particularly against people of color. Triggered in part by the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who died at the hands of police and rescuers after being stopped, unarmed, the decree mandates broad reforms in training, accountability, use-of-force policies, data systems and community engagement.

This year, four people have died in police involved shootings, and three were unarmed. Critics have concerns about whether the city is making changes to the police department quickly enough and whether the city should implement an independent police oversight structure, a long-standing issue that has been ongoing for years. 

Homelessness is also a compelling issue for people in Aurora, as a two-year-old camping ban was backed by a Supreme Court decision last year. For about three years, the city has increasingly made the ban more restrictive. Although the city is not required to offer shelter for the homeless while ticketing for it, the city council, spearheaded by Mayor Mike Coffman, is about to open the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus, which will offer a three-tier work-first approach to homelessness. This has been controversial between council and candidate factions because almost all national, credible studies point to the greatest short-term and long-term success for permanent housing and rehabilitation being linked to some variation of  “Housing First” policies. Candidates were asked whether they would keep the policies as they are or make changes.

Other campaign issues included affordable housing and how candidates might utilize policy or their position as a city council member to create more affordable and workforce housing for groups of all income levels.

VOTE TALLIES ARE CURRENT TO MIDNIGHT

2025 Aurora City Council Election: 2 At Large seats

2025 Aurora City Council Election: Ward I, northwest Aurora

2025 Aurora City Council Election: Ward II, northeast Aurora

2025 Aurora City Council Election: Ward III, west-central Aurora

Aurora Public Schools Board

Voters in the Aurora Public Schools district will choose four board members from a pool of seven candidates.

Board members are elected at-large and represent the entire school district. The candidates running are Tapsuru Ousman Ba, Gayla Charrier, Tramaine Duncan, Anne Keke, Hendrix Percival Lewis, Kristin Mallory and Nino Pepper. Duncan and Keke are incumbents running to keep their seats on the board.

2025 Aurora Public Schools Board of Education - 4 At-Large Seats

Cherry Creek schools Board

Four candidates are seeking two open district seats for the Cherry Creek Schools district board.

The candidates bring a wide range of ideas and backgrounds to the race. Both incumbents are not running for re-election.

Cherry Creek School District voters will select two new school board members this November, representing Districts D and E.

Two candidates, Terry Bates and Amanda Thayer, are running to be the next District D board member. District D includes Heritage Heights Elementary, Cherokee Trail High School and Legacy Stadium. The district is currently represented by Kelly Bates, who is stepping down after having served two terms. 

In District E, candidates Mike Hamrick and Tatyana Sturm are running. District E encompasses Rolling Hills Elementary, Grandview High School and the Cherry Creek Innovation Center. The district is currently represented by Kristin Allan, who is not running for a second term. 

Cherry Creek has held four candidate forums, but Thayer and Sturm did not participate in the last  forum. A press release from Thayer and Sturm said they didn’t take part in the final forum because of “personal attacks” from the other candidates. 

Bates is the Chief Financial Officer for RK Industries and has experience working in finance and accounting. Bates’ five children graduated from the school district and his wife served two terms on the school board. 

According to his campaign website, Bates’ campaign priorities are financial stability, maintaining academic excellence and expanding career and technical education.

Bates is endorsed by the local teachers’ union, the Cherry Creek Education Association, and he has received $3,250 from the Public Education Committee, a small donor committee. 

Thayer is a manager with aerospace company Raytheon. She formerly worked as a substitute teacher in the district and serves on the District Accountability Committee. In 2019, Thayer received the district’s exceptional volunteer award. 

Thayer’s campaign website says some of her priorities are improving student achievement, promoting parent partnerships and ensuring financial responsibility.

Thayer is endorsed by the Colorado GOP and conservative advocacy group Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN). 

Hamrick is a retired Air Force veteran whose two children graduated from CCSD. Hamrick serves on the district’s ​​Long Term Facility Planning Committee and his wife, Democratic state Rep. Eliza Hamrick, was a teacher in the district. 

According to Hamrick’s campaign website, his priorities include expanding career and technical education, supporting teachers and improving mental health resources for students.

Hamrick is endorsed by the local teachers’ union, the Cherry Creek Education Association, and he has received campaign donations from a number of elected Democrat officials, including Colorado Sen. Chris Kolker and Rep. Meg Froelich. He has also received $3,250 from the Public Education Committee and $4,000 from the Fund for Educational Progress, another small donor committee.

Sturm is a real estate agent with her own business and she has one child currently going to school in the district and another who graduated from CCSD. 

Some of the priorities listed on Sturm’s campaign website are ensuring fiscal responsibility, promoting parent partnerships and keeping politics out of schools. 

Sturm’s financial history includes five foreclosures in Arapahoe, Denver and El Paso counties from 2003 to 2009, as well as a 2008 Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. 

Sturm is endorsed by the Colorado GOP and conservative advocacy group Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN).

2025 Cherry Creeks schools Board of Education - District D

2025 Cherry Creek schools Board of Education - District E

City of Aurora Ballot Questions

Aurora voters will decide five amendments to the Aurora City Charter, touted as ways to modernize outdated provisions, improve clarity and promote fairness. One ballot question is reserved for residents and businesses along part of the East Colfax corridor.

The proposed changes span a variety of topics, from gender-neutral language to council vacancies and term limits. 

1. Question 3B: Gender-neutral language

If approved by voters, one of the proposed ordinances would update city charter with gender-neutral language. Many places in the city charter have gender-specific terms that would be updated without altering the intent or meaning of any provision.

The question is whether several articles should be amended to replace gender-specific language with gender-neutral terms to promote clarity, equality, and consistency.

2. Question 3C: Council vacancy procedures

Another ordinance addresses how vacancies on city council are filled, depending on the timing of the vacancy.

A council may appoint a qualified person to serve for up to two years, or call a special or regular election. This change would clarify when appointments versus elections are used and would likely influence political decisions about when members resign.

3. Question 3D: City manager residency

Currently, the charter requires the city manager to reside within city limits. A proposed amendment would eliminate that requirement, giving the city council discretion to decide residency conditions at the time of appointment.

City staff said the provision can be considered outdated compared to some other cities. With email, remote meetings, and digital tools, the city manager could be effective living nearby rather than being required to live within the city itself.

4. Question 3E: Holding multiple public offices

This amendment would remove a ban that prohibits elected city officials from holding another elected public office.

If approved, it would allow city council members to serve in more than one part-time elected position. This would not apply to full-time roles like mayor or county commissioner due to constitutional restrictions.

5. Question 3F: Term limits for council members

The proposal clarifies term limits for ward and at-large council members. Currently, the charter does not distinguish between the two, requiring a councilmember who has “termed out” after 12 years in a ward seat to take a break before they can run for an at-large seat. If approved by voters, ward and at-large term limits would be considered separate. 

6. Special district ballot question in northwest Aurora, Downtown Development Authority Election

There are two related proposals for the DDA for residents within the boundary, which aim to revitalize the East Colfax corridor.

The boundary encompasses the stretch of the Colfax Corridor between Yosemite Street and Oswego Street, and from East 14th Avenue to East 16th Avenue. 

The first question asked of voters in the area will be if they want to establish a Downtown Development Authority, which will serve as the legal and financial backbone to help revitalize that downtown area. 

The second question would be whether the residents in the area would want to finance the DDA with Tax Increment Financing (TIF), where future increases in property and sales tax revenue would be captured and reinvested within the DDA boundary.

2025 Aurora Ballot Questions

State Ballot Questions

2025 Statewide Ballot Questions