Vote on the Ballot Measures!

In 2026 city of Boulder voters have 22 measures: 14 state, 3 county, 4 city and 1 rail district.

With the state legislature having close to a Democratic supermajority in both chambers, those who oppose the efforts of the Democrats realize that they don’t have much hope getting things passed in the legislature. Colorado allows for “citizen” (millionaire?) initiatives so well-funded groups like Advance Colorado are going the initiative route to get their ideas enshrined in the constitution or put in statute. Advance Colorado Institute President Michael Fields is considered the biggest conservative influencer in Colorado, and he doesn’t hold publicly elected office. (See Westword, March 4, 2025 and Denver Post, Sept 13, 2026.)

In 2022, this site changed how it approached most tax measures. Rather than weigh in on whether or not you should vote for a tax or debt question, this site started putting the word “Tax” and, starting in 2025, “Debt” in the Recommendation field, neither supporting nor opposing the measure but sometimes giving you some things to consider. An exception: this site has been a consistent supporter of debrucing measures, at least when asking for new funding.

Each of the ballot measures has its own post with more information and a space to make a comment on the specific ballot measure. Please limit comments on this introductory post to general comments about the process or the election.

In general, the further down the ballot you go, the more influence you have! Please research the issues and candidates and vote the entire ballot, although leaving uncontested races blank is entirely reasonable. Encourage your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and anyone else eligible to vote to do likewise. This year there has been a big push to vote early, with that being the main theme of the No Kings rally on Oct 17.

With this year’s election, the city of Boulder has fully transitioned to even-numbered-year city council elections, making our ballot even longer and orphaning school board elections on odd-numbered years. Fortunately, we have mail-in voting so you have some time to think about this year’s very long ballot.

At the bottom of this post are other ballot measure websites as well as a link to the Boulder County Clerk’s website. The links are updated as more resources become available.

Ballots were mailed out starting October 3. Please make a plan for getting your ballot if you have moved. Remember that in Colorado you can register and vote as late as Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 7pm. Most people vote a paper ballot in one of 3 ways:
1) Drop off your ballot at any Colorado polling place or ballot drop box, even outside of your county
2) In person at one of your county’s Voter Service and Polling Centers
3) It’s TOO LATE to mail your ballot if you want it to arrive in time


VOCABULARY

Amendment = Constitutional change
Amendments 81-86 require 55% approval for passage because they would add language to the constitution
Amendment 82 passes with a simple majority because it would deletes language from the constitution that passed in 1992 with a simple majority

Proposition = Statutory change
Propositions pass with a simple majority
Propositions can be modified later by the Colorado General Assembly

State Initiatives - denoted by numbers
Electors signed petitions to put these on the ballot.

State Referenda - denoted by letters
The General Assembly put referenda on the ballot – only Prop NN this year.


Local Ballot Issues = Tax or debt measures
Local Ballot Questions = Others


2026 BALLOT MEASURES

STATE OF COLORADO

Amendment 81
Law Enforcement Communication with Federal Immigration Authorities
Requires law enforcement to notify Dept of Homeland Security of people charged with certain crimes who might not be lawfully present in the US
NO

Amendment 82
Constitutional Right to Purchase and Sell Natural Gas
Gives consumers and businesses the right to purchase and sell natural gas
No

Amendment 83
Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish
Gives hunters and anglers the right to use traditional hunting and fishing methods
No

Amendment 84
Mail Ballot Voter Identification
Require voters to include personal ID information on the outside of a mail ballot envelope
NO

Amendment 85
Plain Language Ballot Titles
Requires all ballot measure language to be written at no more than an 8th-grade reading level
NO

Amendment 86
Requirements for Off Cycle Congressional Redistricting
Prohibits mid-decade redistricting that favors a political party or divides communities of interest
No

Amendment 87
Graduated Income Tax
Decreases the tax rate for the first $100K, maintains the 4.4% tax rate for the next $400K, and increases the tax rate for other income
Tax


Proposition NN
Keep and Spend Money for Education and Other Purposes
Increases the TABOR limit on K-12 public education by 2% annually – incremental debrucing
Yes

Proposition 132
Increase Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes
Makes possession of fentanyl a felony and increases penalties for possession and distribution of fentanyl
No

Proposition 133
Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor
Increases penalties for and expands the definition of child sex trafficking
No

Proposition 134
Male and Female Participation in School and Collegiate Sports
Restricts most participation in K-12 and collegiate single-sex sports teams based on the participant’s biological reproductive systems
No

Proposition 135
Prohibit Surgery on Minors in Response to Perception of Sex or Gender
Prohibits gender-affirming surgery on minors
No

Proposition 136
Income Tax Rate Limit
Caps the state income tax limit at 4/4% - no change to current law
No

Proposition 137
Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation
Removes the TABOR limit on a portion of sporting goods sales tax revenue and dedicates that revenue to conservation, wildfire risk mitigation and outdoor recreation
No


COUNTY OF BOULDER

County of Boulder Issue 1A
Early Childhood Care and Education Mill Levy Increase and Voter-Approved Revenue Change
Imposes a permanent 2.579 property tax mill levy to address the shortage and high cost of child care for Boulder County families
Tax

County of Boulder Question 200
Increase Number of County Commissioners from 3 to 5
Part 1 of 2-part question: Asks voters to increase the size of its board of county commissioners
leaning yes

County of Boulder Question 201
Vote for Only 1 District Commissioner or for 3 Commissioners (1 District and 2 At-Large)
Part 2 of 2-part question: Choose between 5 district cmsrs or 3 district cmsrs and 2 at-large cmsrs
3 district commissioners, 2 at large


CITY OF BOULDER

City of Boulder Issue 2J
Residential Vacancy Excise Tax
Imposes a $4,000 tax on homes that are occupied less than 184 days per year
Tax

City of Boulder Issue 2K
Recreation and Safety Bond
Increases property taxes to pay for a $400M loan to update municipal buildings, including rec centers, fire stations and the Public Safety Building
Tax

City of Boulder Question 2L
Bargaining Rights Union Firefighters in City Charter
Enshrines bargaining rights for the firefighters union in the city charter
leaning against the measure

City of Boulder Question 2M
Debt Limit City Charter Language Change
Changes the city’s debt limit from 3% of assessed valuation of taxable property to 3% of the actual value
Debt


FRONT RANGE PASSENGER RAIL DISTRICT

Front Range Passenger Rail District Issue 7A
Tax for Rail Service
Imposes a 0.333% sales tax in perpetuity to construct and operate CoCo passenger rail service
Tax



ELECTION ADMINISTRATION SITES

Colorado Secretary of State – Go Vote Colorado page
http://govotecolorado.gov

Boulder County Clerk and Recorder
303 413 7740
https://www.bouldercounty.org/elections/
Look up your voter registration, see a sample ballot, check your ballot status, and find the county Voter Service and Polling Center locations.
https://bouldercounty.gov/elections/ballot-information/


GOVERNMENT SITES

Blue Book / Folleto Informativo (Colorado Legislative Council)
https://leg.colorado.gov/initiatives/ballot-information-booklet-blue-book
The real name of the Blue Book is the 2026 State Ballot Information Booklet – available in English and Spanish.
State Ballot Analysis - https://leg.colorado.gov/BallotAnalysis

Colorado Secretary of State
Amendments and Propositions on the 2026 Ballot
https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/Initiatives/ballot/contacts/2026.html

Boulder County
https://bouldercounty.gov/government/county-ballot-measures/
TABOR Notice - https://assets.bouldercounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-TABOR-Notice.pdf

City of Boulder
https://bouldercolorado.gov/elections


INFORMATION-ONLY SITES

League of Women Voters – a different LWV website is listed under Advocacy Sites
https://www.vote411.org/
See your ballot, learn about the issues and the candidates

Ballotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_2026_ballot_measures
Entries for each ballot measure include supporters and opponents and campaign finance information


NEWS MEDIA SITES
Some of these sites take positions on ballot measures.

Daily Camera 2026 Voter Guide and Endorsements
https://www.dailycamera.com/2026/10/09/colorado-2026-election-guide/
https://www.dailycamera.com/2026/10/19/daily-camera-editorial-board-endorsements-2026-colorado-miderm-election/

Boulder Reporting Lab 2026 Election Guide
https://boulderreportinglab.org/2026/10/07/boulder-2026-voter-guide-what-to-know-before-election-day-nov-3/

Yellow Scene Election Guide 2026 with Endorsements
https://yellowscene.com/2026/10/09/2026-election-guide/

Denver Post Election Page and Endorsements
https://www.denverpost.com/tag/election-2026/
https://www.denverpost.com/opinion/endorsements/

Colorado Public Radio 2026 Voter Guide
https://www.cpr.org/2026/09/24/vg-2026-colorado-midterm-election-voter-guide/

Colorado Sun 2026 Election Guide
https://coloradosun.com/2026/09/29/colorado-election-guide-2026/


ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION SITES
These sites provide analysis through their advocacy lens.

League of Women Voters of Boulder County 2026 Ballot Measures (English and Spanish)
https://lwvbc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=629866&module_id=807082

PLAN-Boulder County 2026 Ballot Issue Endorsements
https://www.planboulder.org/2026-ballot-issue-endorsements

New Era Colorado Voter Guide
https://www.neweracoloradovoterguide.com/

Bell Policy Center 2026 Ballot Guide
https://bellpolicy.org/colorado-ballot-guide-2026/

Colorado Fiscal Institute 2026 Voter Guide
https://coloradofiscal.org/2026-ballot-guide/

Common Sense Institute 2026 Ballot Issues Webpage
https://commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/?topic=ballot-issues

ACLU Colorado 2026 Voter Guide
https://www.aclu-co.org/voterguide2026/


POLITICAL PARTY AND PARTY-ADJACENT SITES

Boulder County Democratic Party 2026 Voter Guide
https://www.bocodems.org/2026-voter-guide/

Boulder County Republican Party 2026 Voter Guide
https://bocogop.org/voter-information/

Boulder Progressives 2026 Voter Guide
https://www.boulderprogressives.org/voter-guide

ProgressNow Colorado 2026 Voters Guide
https://www.progressivevotersguide.com/colorado/2026/general/county/boulder

Independence Institute (Libertarian) 2026 Voter Guide
https://i2i.org/2026-voter-guide/


TALK SHOW HOSTS AND CITIZEN SITES

Richard Valenty
https://richardvalenty.com/election-guide-2026-home/

Eric Budd
https://bouldercoloradovoterguide.com/

Kim Monson – KLZ 560 Denver, but her voter guide covers the entire state
https://kimmonson.com/colorado-voter-guide/2026/

Mandy Connell – KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM
https://themandyconnell.substack.com/p/mandy-connell-2026-election-guide

Ross Kaminsky – 630 KHOW
https://rosskaminsky.substack.com/p/rosss-2026-colorado-voter-guide