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Ballot question

City of Everett Proposition 261: candidate residency, no dual elected office

On the ballot in
City of Everett
Vote
Yes or no
Election
Nov 3, 2026

The question, as printed on the ballot

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

Mayor and council candidates would need one year of residency and voter registration in Everett (and their district) before filing; officials could not hold another elected office.

A “No” vote means

The charter's current candidate qualification, dual-office and oath provisions would stay as they are.

Official plain English statement

The City of Everett's Charter requires the City to have a Charter Review Committee to review the City Charter every 10 years to make recommendations to the City Council for proposed amendments. The Council can adopt those suggestions or modify those suggestions and have then proposed amendments placed on the ballot or reject the Committee's suggestions. Proposition 261 would make three substantive changes recommended by the Committee as modified by the Council. First, it would require all candidates for Mayor and the City Council to have been a resident of the City and a registered voter within the City for at least one year before filing for office. It would also require candidates for District Council positions to have resided in the District for at least one year prior to filing for office. Second, it would prohibit the Mayor and Council Members from holding another elected office while serving in office at the City. Third, it would make it clear that only the elected city officials are required to take the oath of office.

Sources

The question and plain English statement are copied word for word from official election materials. The Gist does not take a side on ballot questions.