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    Democrat

    Lori Boydston

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  • Lori Boydston is a small-business owner, grandmother, and activist running to represent District 60. She has said she was called to action in 2015 after hearing a speech by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and became politically activated. Boydston has helped organize local climate strikes and protests in Salida and describes herself as “for all the progressive values.”

    As a representative, Boydston hopes to strengthen broadband access, expand health care, and bring green energy jobs to her community. She believes in Medicare for All and maintains an 11-acre ranch that’s powered in part by solar and thermal panels.

    Boydston faces significant opposition in a historically conservative district; her values align with progressive ideals, and she needs all the support she can get.

    Running for the same seat is Republican Ron Hanks. Hanks’ positions could be described as the polar opposite of Boydston’s. He is a socially and fiscally conservative veteran who sees his message as “based on Reagan’s conservative principles.” He relies on widespread right-wing conspiracies not based in fact to paint the rising threat of leftism and strengthen his pro-gun, anti-government, and pro-energy agenda. Progressives beware.

    Lori Boydston

    Lori Boydston es propietaria de una pequeña empresa, abuela y activista que se postula para representar al distrito 60. Ella ha dicho que fue convocada a la acción en el 2015 después de escuchar un discurso del senador de EE.UU. Bernie Sanders y se activó políticamente.

    Lori Boydston

    Lori Boydston es propietaria de una pequeña empresa, abuela y activista que se postula para representar al distrito 60. Ella ha dicho que fue convocada a la acción en el 2015 después de escuchar un discurso del senador de EE.UU. Bernie Sanders y se activó políticamente.

    • Endorsed By: AFSCME Council 18

House District 60

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Federal

President

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    Democrat

    Joe Biden

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  • Joe Biden is one of the nation’s most experienced public servants, having served as a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years and the U.S. vice president for eight years. Biden is running on a comprehensive progressive platform.

    Biden has championed individual rights throughout his career — from spearheading the Violence Against Women Act to passing laws that expanded the definition of hate crimes to include those based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Biden led the fight to pass the Brady Bill, which established the national firearms background check system, and helped secure a 10-year ban on assault weapons from 1994-2004. As vice president, Biden oversaw the implementation of one of the largest economic recovery plans in American history in 2009, saving the American automobile industry and millions of American jobs in all sectors of the economy. During the Obama/Biden administration, the United States made significant progress toward a clean energy economy and provided health coverage to millions of Americans via the passage of the Affordable Care Act — a law Biden has vowed to expand and improve.

    If elected president, Biden has pledged to work to reverse the damage from the last four years of partisan obstruction and executive branch policies solely benefiting the wealthy and well-connected. Biden supports a $15-per-hour minimum wage and 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for all workers. He also seeks to address the country's racial wealth disparity, equal opportunity, and jobs gaps by empowering small-business creation and expansion in economically disadvantaged areas. On the climate crisis, Biden proposes net-zero CO2 emissions in the U.S. by 2050 and rejoining the Paris climate accords. On the immediate front, Biden has proposed a national crisis response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden’s experience handling the economic recovery with Obama after the Great Recession of 2009 will inform his actions to help individuals, families, small businesses, and local and state governments that are struggling badly as a result of the botched response to the pandemic. Biden will restore the long-standing precedent that public health decisions are best made by public health professionals.

    Biden has pledged to defend abortion rights, expand and protect union membership, bring together an equitable and diverse group of experts to handle the nation’s institutional racism crisis, and restore dignity to the office of president of the United States.

    Biden is the clear presidential choice for progressive voters.

    In this election, he faces Donald Trump — considered by progressives to be the most corrupt, incompetent, anti-progressive president in recent memory and perhaps in American history. Trump’s biggest achievement as president was forcing through a massive tax cut that overwhelmingly favored the wealthiest Americans, making the nation’s historic income-disparity problem even worse. Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords, making the U.S. one of very few countries that are not signatories. Trump’s administration has encouraged repeated unsuccessful attempts by Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which has provided health coverage to millions of Americans, including a federal court challenge in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to dismantle the law. Trump has supported racist immigration practices that contravene international law on the treatment of refugees.

    Trump’s decisions have trickled into even the most mundane things, affecting Americans on a daily basis. Trump scrapped a bill requiring airlines to disclose bag fees, blocked consumers from suing banks, ignored the growing crisis over student loans, lifted bans on transferring military equipment to local law enforcement which has exacerbated police-citizen conflicts, particularly in relation to Black Lives Matter protests, and has set off a trade war with China that has done tremendous economic damage to American agricultural producers and manufacturers.

    Controversies involving Trump’s presidency are too numerous to list here but include lying about mail voting to such a degree that social media platforms have been forced to remove his misinformation, racist, sexist, and defamatory statements against his political opponents, dispatching federal police to attack protesters in unmarked vehicles, installing corrupt and incompetent tools of special interest into every level of government, nominating federal judges and Supreme Court justices who seek to overturn Roe v. Wade, banning transgender Americans from military service, helping spread baseless conspiracy theories, defending the actions of overt white supremacists and racist nationalists, downplaying the severity of the coronavirus pandemic to the public despite detailed foreknowledge of the coming disaster, pursuing diplomacy with dictators while scorning traditional American allies, and changing federal guidelines to undermine racial equality. For a more comprehensive list, we encourage you to visit the Wikipedia page for Trump administration controversies.

    Evidence abounds showing that Trump never disassociated himself from his businesses and has used his office for personal enrichment. And let’s not forget he was impeached over revelations he first blocked military aid to Ukraine and then pushed its president to dig up damaging info on his political opponent as a “favor.”

    Trump must not only be defeated, but the margin of victory must be so resounding as to prevent him from calling the results of the election into question as he has already pledged to do.

    Joe Biden is one of the nation’s most experienced public servants, having served as a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years and the U.S. vice president for eight years. Biden is running on a comprehensive progressive platform.

    Biden has championed individual rights throughout his career — from spearheading the Violence Against Women Act to passing laws that expanded the definition of hate crimes to include those based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Biden led the fight to pass the Brady Bill, which established the national firearms background check system, and helped secure a 10-year ban on assault weapons from 1994-2004. As vice president, Biden oversaw the implementation of one of the largest economic recovery plans in American history in 2009, saving the American automobile industry and millions of American jobs in all sectors of the economy. During the Obama/Biden administration, the United States made significant progress toward a clean energy economy and provided health coverage to millions of Americans via the passage of the Affordable Care Act — a law Biden has vowed to expand and improve.

    Joe Biden is one of the nation’s most experienced public servants, having served as a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years and the U.S. vice president for eight years. Biden is running on a comprehensive progressive platform.

    Biden has championed individual rights throughout his career — from spearheading the Violence Against Women Act to passing laws that expanded the definition of hate crimes to include those based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Biden led the fight to pass the Brady Bill, which established the national firearms background check system, and helped secure a 10-year ban on assault weapons from 1994-2004. As vice president, Biden oversaw the implementation of one of the largest economic recovery plans in American history in 2009, saving the American automobile industry and millions of American jobs in all sectors of the economy. During the Obama/Biden administration, the United States made significant progress toward a clean energy economy and provided health coverage to millions of Americans via the passage of the Affordable Care Act — a law Biden has vowed to expand and improve.

U.S. Senator

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    Democrat

    John Hickenlooper

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  • Former Colorado Gov. and incumbent U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper did not take the usual path into public office. After being laid off from his job as a geologist, he opened a successful brewpub. But as a small-business owner, he became involved in his community, and he ran for office. He served two terms each as mayor of Denver and governor of Colorado, using his unique perspective to bring people together to get things done.

    When Hickenlooper was sworn in as governor in 2010, Colorado ranked 40th among the states in job creation. By the time Hickenlooper left office eight years later, Colorado had the #1 economy in the nation. Under Hickenlooper, when he was governor, Colorado’s economy grew without leaving Coloradans behind. Hickenlooper expanded Medicaid to cover an additional 400,000 Coloradans and cut the uninsured rate by nearly two-thirds. He signed three landmark gun safety laws in 2013 that banned high-capacity magazines and required background checks for any firearm transfer. On the environment, Hickenlooper made Colorado the first state to limit methane pollution from oil and gas wells. Working with the General Assembly, Hickenlooper signed legislation to ensure every eligible registered voter in Colorado gets a mail-in ballot, made voter registration more accessible, and pushed for numerous other election reforms that have made Colorado a model for election innovation. He also signed historic legislation granting in-state tuition to DREAMers.

    Hickenlooper has vowed to improve and build on the Affordable Care Act and supports a federally administered public health coverage option. Hickenlooper recognizes the existential threat of climate change and favors a bold, science-based approach. He supports commonsense policies on gun violence, including restoring an assault weapons ban. Hickenlooper was the first governor of Colorado to apologize for the Sand Creek Massacre and has committed to listening to the voices of marginalized communities and rooting out systemic racism where it lurks in our society, from police brutality to immigration laws to racial disparities in economic status to access to quality education.

    Hickenlooper is the progressive voter’s best choice for U.S. senator.

    He faces incumbent U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in this election. While in the Senate, Gardner has been a reliable Republican vote on the overwhelming majority of issues. He has supported Donald Trump’s position on votes 89% of the time, and Politico notes that Gardner is “reliably conservative on most issues.” In 2014, Gardner promised in a campaign ad to speak out when his party is wrong and called on Donald Trump to pull out of the race for president in October of 2016. Since then, however, Gardner has fully embraced Trump and was one of the first senators to endorse Trump’s reelection.

    From his earliest votes in Congress, Gardner has consistently sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He has voted to repeal the ACA and to replace it with a bill that would dramatically decrease health care coverage and increase the cost of coverage. He was quoted at a private luncheon that failing to repeal the ACA would result in fewer donations to Republicans, suggesting he is not motivated by the common good.

    Gardner has rejected most gun safety legislation throughout his career and is a top recipient of donations from the National Rifle Association. He has voted against expanding background checks to include gun show sales, which has been the law in Colorado since just after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. He even voted against banning gun sales to people on the terrorist watch list.

    In a historic change of heart, The Denver Post editorial board declared in 2019 they made a mistake in their 2014 endorsement of Gardner, stating he “has been too busy walking a political tight rope to be a leader.”

    This race also has a Libertarian candidate: Raymon Doane. Doane is a Denver native who currently works for the Colorado Department of Revenue as a property tax specialist and business analyst. He previously ran for the state senate in 2016 as a Republican, and in 2018, he first filed to run for state treasurer and then for Congress against Democrat Diana DeGette as a Libertarian.

    Doane’s few public statements should give voters pause. While the country has been dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, Doane was quoted as saying, “The federal government should not have to intervene on behalf of local municipalities and states that make poor decisions during a pandemic.” He also has said he thinks public health mandates should be more like “suggestions.” Additionally, among the four policy positions Doane takes on his website, one statement endorsing an unregulated Second Amendment stands out: “The government should NEVER have a monopoly on force. The U.S. Senate must … refuse to vote for any legislation which limits an American’s right to self-defense.” These kinds of statements don’t represent Colorado progressives.

    Former Colorado Gov. and incumbent U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper did not take the usual path into public office. After being laid off from his job as a geologist, he opened a successful brewpub. But as a small-business owner, he became involved in his community, and he ran for office. He served two terms each as mayor of Denver and governor of Colorado, using his unique perspective to bring people together to get things done.

    When Hickenlooper was sworn in as governor in 2010, Colorado ranked 40th among the states in job creation. By the time Hickenlooper left office eight years later, Colorado had the #1 economy in the nation. Under Hickenlooper, when he was governor, Colorado’s economy grew without leaving Coloradans behind. Hickenlooper expanded Medicaid to cover an additional 400,000 Coloradans and cut the uninsured rate by nearly two-thirds. He signed three landmark gun safety laws in 2013 that banned high-capacity magazines and required background checks for any firearm transfer. On the environment, Hickenlooper made Colorado the first state to limit methane pollution from oil and gas wells. Working with the General Assembly, Hickenlooper signed legislation to ensure every eligible registered voter in Colorado gets a mail-in ballot, made voter registration more accessible, and pushed for numerous other election reforms that have made Colorado a model for election innovation. He also signed historic legislation granting in-state tuition to DREAMers.

    Former Colorado Gov. and incumbent U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper did not take the usual path into public office. After being laid off from his job as a geologist, he opened a successful brewpub. But as a small-business owner, he became involved in his community, and he ran for office. He served two terms each as mayor of Denver and governor of Colorado, using his unique perspective to bring people together to get things done.

    When Hickenlooper was sworn in as governor in 2010, Colorado ranked 40th among the states in job creation. By the time Hickenlooper left office eight years later, Colorado had the #1 economy in the nation. Under Hickenlooper, when he was governor, Colorado’s economy grew without leaving Coloradans behind. Hickenlooper expanded Medicaid to cover an additional 400,000 Coloradans and cut the uninsured rate by nearly two-thirds. He signed three landmark gun safety laws in 2013 that banned high-capacity magazines and required background checks for any firearm transfer. On the environment, Hickenlooper made Colorado the first state to limit methane pollution from oil and gas wells. Working with the General Assembly, Hickenlooper signed legislation to ensure every eligible registered voter in Colorado gets a mail-in ballot, made voter registration more accessible, and pushed for numerous other election reforms that have made Colorado a model for election innovation. He also signed historic legislation granting in-state tuition to DREAMers.

Congress

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below congressional districts on your ballot.

2nd Congressional District

U.S. Representative

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    Democrat

    Joe Neguse

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  • Incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse is running for reelection in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District. Neguse, a lawyer and the son of Eritrean refugees, is the first and so far only Black American to serve in Congress for Colorado.

    As a vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Neguse advocates for bold progressive policies to address the most pressing issues facing our nation, such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. His priorities to date in Congress have included lowering prescription drug prices, raising workers’ wages, ensuring greater accountability in government, and protecting public lands, which make up over 50% of his district.

    Although he was first elected just two years ago, he has introduced more legislation than any freshman lawmaker in the country and has had more legislation signed into law than any member of Colorado’s congressional delegation. Before Congress, Neguse fought to expand opportunities for families across Colorado in a variety of roles: as a co-founder of New Era Colorado, the state’s largest youth voter registration and mobilization nonprofit; as a six-term member of CU’s Board of Regents; and as leader of the state’s consumer protection agency for two years.

    Neguse is a self-described eternal optimist who will continue to provide Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District with enthusiastic, diligent, and bold representation if reelected.

    Running against Neguse is Charles Winn, a radiologist and first-time candidate. Winn asserts that he’s running to change a “false narrative” about the Republican Party, but it’s a challenge to see how he will do that with his public statements on Donald Trump and the coronavirus.

    When asked to assess the president’s response to the pandemic, Winn dodged the question and instead said it’s “tragic we need to point fingers.” He later tried to clarify that he thought Trump was “a good commanding officer.” Winn also tried to downplay the threat posed by COVID-19, blaming partisanship for the widespread virus and saying Americans “started politicizing [the pandemic].” Winn also claimed we should open the economy back up because “the risk is less than riding in a car.” He made comparisons to the 1968 flu pandemic to try to prove the U.S. can reopen its schools, but he wasn’t on-point about the facts; he said we should “do what we did in 1968: get on with our lives.”

    This kind of thinking has helped get us into the health crisis we’re in today and cannot be elected to office.

    Joe Neguse

    El representante titular Joe Neguse se postula para la reelección en el 2º distrito congresional de Colorado. Neguse, un abogado e hijo de refugiados eritreos, es el primer y hasta ahora único afroamericano en servir en el Congreso por Colorado.

    Como vicepresidente del Caucus Progresista del Congreso, Neguse aboga por políticas progresistas audaces para abordar los problemas más urgentes que enfrenta nuestra nación, como Medicare para Todos y el Green New Deal. Sus prioridades hasta la fecha en el Congreso han incluido reducir los precios de los medicamentos recetados, aumentar los salarios de los trabajadores, garantizar una mayor rendición de cuentas en el gobierno y proteger las tierras públicas, que representan más del 50% de su distrito.

    Aunque fue elegido por primera vez hace apenas dos años, ha introducido más legislación que cualquier legislador de primer año en el país y se convertido en ley más legislación que cualquier miembro de la delegación del Congreso de Colorado. Antes del Congreso, Neguse luchó para ampliar las oportunidades para las familias en todo Colorado en una variedad de roles: como cofundador de New Era Colorado, la organización sin fines de lucro de movilización y registro de votantes juveniles más grande del estado; como miembro durante seis términos de la Junta de Regentes de CU; y como líder de la agencia estatal de protección al consumidor durante dos años.

    Neguse se describe a sí mismo como un eterno optimista que continuará brindando al segundo distrito del Congreso de Colorado una representación entusiasta, diligente y audaz si es reelegido.

    En contra de Neguse se postula Charles Winn, radiólogo y candidato por primera vez. Winn afirma que se postula para cambiar una “narrativa falsa” sobre el partido republicano, pero es un desafío ver cómo lo hará con sus declaraciones públicas sobre Donald Trump y el coronavirus.

    Cuando se le pidió que evaluara la respuesta del presidente a la pandemia, Winn eludió la pregunta y, en cambio, dijo que es “trágico que tengamos que señalar con el dedo”. Más tarde intentó aclarar que pensaba que Trump era “un buen oficial al mando”. Winn también trató de restar importancia a la amenaza planteada por COVID-19, culpando al partidismo por el virus y diciendo que los estadounidenses “comenzaron a politizar [la pandemia]”. Winn también afirmó que deberíamos volver a abrir la economía porque “el riesgo es menor que viajar en automóvil”. Hizo comparaciones con la pandemia de gripe de 1968 para tratar de demostrar que EE.UU. puede reabrir sus escuelas, pero no estuvo al tanto de los hechos; dijo que deberíamos “hacer lo que hicimos en 1968: seguir con nuestras vidas”.

    Este tipo de pensamiento nos ha ayudado a meternos en la crisis de salud en la que nos encontramos hoy y no puede ser elegido para un cargo.

    Joe Neguse

    El representante titular Joe Neguse se postula para la reelección en el 2º distrito congresional de Colorado. Neguse, un abogado e hijo de refugiados eritreos, es el primer y hasta ahora único afroamericano en servir en el Congreso por Colorado.

    Como vicepresidente del Caucus Progresista del Congreso, Neguse aboga por políticas progresistas audaces para abordar los problemas más urgentes que enfrenta nuestra nación, como Medicare para Todos y el Green New Deal. Sus prioridades hasta la fecha en el Congreso han incluido reducir los precios de los medicamentos recetados, aumentar los salarios de los trabajadores, garantizar una mayor rendición de cuentas en el gobierno y proteger las tierras públicas, que representan más del 50% de su distrito.

    Aunque fue elegido por primera vez hace apenas dos años, ha introducido más legislación que cualquier legislador de primer año en el país y se convertido en ley más legislación que cualquier miembro de la delegación del Congreso de Colorado. Antes del Congreso, Neguse luchó para ampliar las oportunidades para las familias en todo Colorado en una variedad de roles: como cofundador de New Era Colorado, la organización sin fines de lucro de movilización y registro de votantes juveniles más grande del estado; como miembro durante seis términos de la Junta de Regentes de CU; y como líder de la agencia estatal de protección al consumidor durante dos años.

    Neguse se describe a sí mismo como un eterno optimista que continuará brindando al segundo distrito del Congreso de Colorado una representación entusiasta, diligente y audaz si es reelegido.

    En contra de Neguse se postula Charles Winn, radiólogo y candidato por primera vez. Winn afirma que se postula para cambiar una “narrativa falsa” sobre el partido republicano, pero es un desafío ver cómo lo hará con sus declaraciones públicas sobre Donald Trump y el coronavirus.

    Cuando se le pidió que evaluara la respuesta del presidente a la pandemia, Winn eludió la pregunta y, en cambio, dijo que es “trágico que tengamos que señalar con el dedo”. Más tarde intentó aclarar que pensaba que Trump era “un buen oficial al mando”. Winn también trató de restar importancia a la amenaza planteada por COVID-19, culpando al partidismo por el virus y diciendo que los estadounidenses “comenzaron a politizar [la pandemia]”. Winn también afirmó que deberíamos volver a abrir la economía porque “el riesgo es menor que viajar en automóvil”. Hizo comparaciones con la pandemia de gripe de 1968 para tratar de demostrar que EE.UU. puede reabrir sus escuelas, pero no estuvo al tanto de los hechos; dijo que deberíamos “hacer lo que hicimos en 1968: seguir con nuestras vidas”.

    Este tipo de pensamiento nos ha ayudado a meternos en la crisis de salud en la que nos encontramos hoy y no puede ser elegido para un cargo.

3rd Congressional District

U.S. Representative

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    Democrat

    Diane Mitsch Bush

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  • Diane Mitsch Bush, a former state representative, is now running for Congress. She is a retired sociology professor and previous Routt County commissioner who has lived in the Western Slope — a part of Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District — for over 43 years. She previously ran for this seat in 2018, when she came closer to winning than any Democrat had in the three prior elections.

    Colleagues from her other tenures have commended Mitsch Bush’s extreme attention to detail, her pragmatism, and her willingness to work with all sides. She has shown an ability to lead calmly through disasters, including the Great Recession, wildfires, floods, drought, and the swine flu epidemic. While in the state legislature, Mitsch Bush was a leading advocate for family agriculture, sustainable water infrastructure, and small rural communities. She sponsored many critically important bills, including ones to protect the environment and hold polluters accountable, lower health care and health insurance costs, and increase funding for rural schools. Over 80% of her bills were co-prime sponsored with rural Republicans.

    Mitsch Bush has said her family’s early struggles with financial insecurity taught her the importance of helping others through public service. Her goal is to have an America that provides opportunities for all, not just the wealthy and well-connected. She intends to fight to make health care affordable for everyone, to protect the environment for generations to come, and to bring more good-paying jobs to rural communities.

    Mitsch Bush is an experienced lawmaker and local leader who, if elected to Congress, will be ready on day one to get to work on policies that will benefit her district.

    Running against her is Republican Lauren Boebert. Boebert is the owner of Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado — a restaurant known mainly for the fact that the wait staff openly carry guns on their person. Guns are one of the few things Boebert talks about regularly. She once drove across the state to go to a rally for Beto O’Rourke just to confront him about his gun safety position.

    What voters really need to know, however, is that Boebert is a strong proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory: the wild idea that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against Democrats and movie stars who are running an international child trafficking ring. She has been quoted as saying, “I hope that this is real. … It only means America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values and that’s what I’m for.” She later added, “Everything that I have heard of this movement is only motivating and encouraging and bringing people together stronger ... it could be really great for our country.”

    Boebert hasn’t explained more of her own positions beyond generic talking points, but it seems clear she is very far from being a progressive choice.

    Diane Mitsch Bush

    Diane Mitsch Bush, exrepresentante estatal, se postula ahora para el Congreso. Es profesora de sociología jubilada y ex comisionada del condado de Routt que ha vivido en Western Slope, una parte del extenso 3º distrito congresional de Colorado, durante más de 43 años. Anteriormente se postuló para este escaño en 2018, cuando estuvo más cerca de ganar que cualquier demócrata en las tres elecciones anteriores.

    Compañeros de sus otros mandatos han elogiado la extrema atención de Mitsch Bush a los detalles, su pragmatismo y su voluntad de trabajar con todas las partes. Ha demostrado su capacidad para liderar con calma en los desastres, incluida la Gran Recesión, incendios forestales, inundaciones, sequías y la epidemia de gripe porcina. Mientras estuvo en la legislatura estatal, Mitsch Bush fue una destacada defensora de la agricultura familiar, la infraestructura hídrica sostenible y las pequeñas comunidades rurales. Patrocinó muchos proyectos de ley de importancia crítica, incluidos algunos para proteger el medio ambiente y responsabilizar a los contaminadores, reducir los costos del cuidado de salud y de los seguros médicos y aumentar los fondos para las escuelas rurales. Más del 80% de sus proyectos de ley fueron patrocinados conjuntamente por los republicanos rurales.

    Mitsch Bush ha dicho que las luchas tempranas de su familia con la inseguridad financiera le enseñaron la importancia de ayudar a los demás a través del servicio público. Su objetivo es tener unos Estados Unidos que brinden oportunidades para todos, no solo para los ricos y bien conectados. Tiene la intención de luchar para que el cuidado de salud sea asequible para todos, para proteger el medio ambiente para las generaciones venideras y para traer más empleos bien pagados a las comunidades rurales.

    Mitsch Bush es una legisladora experimentada y una líder local que, si es elegida al Congreso, estará lista desde el primer día para ponerse a trabajar en políticas que beneficiarán a su distrito.

    Se postula contra de ella la republicana Lauren Boebert. Boebert es la propietaria de Shooters Grill en Rifle, Colorado, un restaurante conocido principalmente por el hecho de que los camareros llevan armas encima abiertamente. Las armas son una de las pocas cosas de las que Boebert habla con regularidad. Una vez condujo por todo el estado para ir a un mitin por Beto O’Rourke solo para confrontarlo sobre su posición sobre el control de armas.

    Sin embargo, lo que los votantes realmente necesitan saber es que Boebert es una firme defensora de la teoría de conspiración QAnon: la idea descabellada de que Donald Trump está librando una guerra secreta contra los demócratas y las estrellas de cine que dirigen una red internacional de tráfico de niños. Ha sido citada diciendo: “Espero que esto sea real... Solo significa que los Estados Unidos se están volviendo más fuertes y mejores, y la gente está volviendo a los valores conservadores y eso es lo que yo sostengo”. Más tarde agregó: “Todo lo que he escuchado de este movimiento es solo para motivar, alentar y unir más fuerte a la gente... podría ser realmente grandioso para nuestro país”.

    Boebert no ha explicado más de sus propias posiciones más allá de los puntos de conversación genéricos, pero parece claro que está muy lejos de ser una elección progresista.

    Diane Mitsch Bush

    Diane Mitsch Bush, exrepresentante estatal, se postula ahora para el Congreso. Es profesora de sociología jubilada y ex comisionada del condado de Routt que ha vivido en Western Slope, una parte del extenso 3º distrito congresional de Colorado, durante más de 43 años. Anteriormente se postuló para este escaño en 2018, cuando estuvo más cerca de ganar que cualquier demócrata en las tres elecciones anteriores.

    Compañeros de sus otros mandatos han elogiado la extrema atención de Mitsch Bush a los detalles, su pragmatismo y su voluntad de trabajar con todas las partes. Ha demostrado su capacidad para liderar con calma en los desastres, incluida la Gran Recesión, incendios forestales, inundaciones, sequías y la epidemia de gripe porcina. Mientras estuvo en la legislatura estatal, Mitsch Bush fue una destacada defensora de la agricultura familiar, la infraestructura hídrica sostenible y las pequeñas comunidades rurales. Patrocinó muchos proyectos de ley de importancia crítica, incluidos algunos para proteger el medio ambiente y responsabilizar a los contaminadores, reducir los costos del cuidado de salud y de los seguros médicos y aumentar los fondos para las escuelas rurales. Más del 80% de sus proyectos de ley fueron patrocinados conjuntamente por los republicanos rurales.

    Mitsch Bush ha dicho que las luchas tempranas de su familia con la inseguridad financiera le enseñaron la importancia de ayudar a los demás a través del servicio público. Su objetivo es tener unos Estados Unidos que brinden oportunidades para todos, no solo para los ricos y bien conectados. Tiene la intención de luchar para que el cuidado de salud sea asequible para todos, para proteger el medio ambiente para las generaciones venideras y para traer más empleos bien pagados a las comunidades rurales.

    Mitsch Bush es una legisladora experimentada y una líder local que, si es elegida al Congreso, estará lista desde el primer día para ponerse a trabajar en políticas que beneficiarán a su distrito.

    Se postula contra de ella la republicana Lauren Boebert. Boebert es la propietaria de Shooters Grill en Rifle, Colorado, un restaurante conocido principalmente por el hecho de que los camareros llevan armas encima abiertamente. Las armas son una de las pocas cosas de las que Boebert habla con regularidad. Una vez condujo por todo el estado para ir a un mitin por Beto O’Rourke solo para confrontarlo sobre su posición sobre el control de armas.

    Sin embargo, lo que los votantes realmente necesitan saber es que Boebert es una firme defensora de la teoría de conspiración QAnon: la idea descabellada de que Donald Trump está librando una guerra secreta contra los demócratas y las estrellas de cine que dirigen una red internacional de tráfico de niños. Ha sido citada diciendo: “Espero que esto sea real... Solo significa que los Estados Unidos se están volviendo más fuertes y mejores, y la gente está volviendo a los valores conservadores y eso es lo que yo sostengo”. Más tarde agregó: “Todo lo que he escuchado de este movimiento es solo para motivar, alentar y unir más fuerte a la gente... podría ser realmente grandioso para nuestro país”.

    Boebert no ha explicado más de sus propias posiciones más allá de los puntos de conversación genéricos, pero parece claro que está muy lejos de ser una elección progresista.

5th Congressional District

U.S. Representative

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    Democrat

    Jillian Freeland

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  • Jillian Freeland, a retired midwife and entrepreneur, is challenging the Republican incumbent in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. She describes herself as a millennial mom “fighting for the future I want for my kids and my fellow humans.”

    Some of her top priorities are roundly accessible, complete health care coverage and a bigger shift to domestic energy. As a women’s health care provider, Freeland took on insurance companies to make them cover the services that people pay for. She understands what’s broken in the system and wants to work to fix it. On energy, she supports the federal government’s investment in domestic renewable resources as well as creating good-paying union jobs in the process. She also wants to see funding for the education and pensions of workers transitioning out of the fossil fuel industry to make sure they don't get left behind.

    In addition to being a fierce protector of reproductive rights, Freeland backs enacting gun safety regulations and eliminating loopholes in our tax code that allow corporations and the ultra-wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. She also thinks we must move away from a punitive criminal justice system to a rehabilitative one that doesn’t treat addiction and mental illness as crimes.

    Freeland’s campaign lays her out as an everyday citizen who has struggled to make student loan payments, used the Medicaid and food stamps systems, and owned a small business but one who has also been highly involved in serving her community. She can bring a perspective to Congress that is not often reflected there, and she is a solid choice to support in this election.

    Her opponent is incumbent U.S. Sen. Doug Lamborn, a career politician who has served the Colorado Springs area in various roles since his first election to the Colorado House in 1994. Since getting to Congress in 2006, Lamborn has laid low and had only three bills signed into law: a World War I commemorative coin, naming a road in Colorado Springs, and a procedural bill transferring land from the Department of Agriculture. Lamborn has toed the Republican Party line: He’s anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-gun-regulation and thinks raising the minimum wage will force businesses to fire workers. A progressive vote would be wasted on Lamborn.

    Jillian Freeland

    Jillian Freeland, una partera y empresaria jubilada, está desafiando al republicano en funciones en el 5º distrito congresional de Colorado. Se describe a sí misma como una madre millennial que “lucha por el futuro que quiero para mis hijos y mis semejantes”.

    Algunas de sus principales prioridades la cobertura de cuidado de salud completa y totalmente accesible y una mayor transición a la energía doméstica. Como proveedora de salud para mujeres, Freeland se enfrentó a las compañías de seguros para que cubrieran los servicios que paga la gente. Ella comprende lo que está fallando en el sistema y quiere trabajar para solucionarlo. En la energía, apoya la inversión del gobierno federal en recursos renovables nacionales, así como la creación de empleos sindicales bien remunerados en el proceso. También quiere ver fondos para la educación y las pensiones de los trabajadores que salen de la industria de los combustibles fósiles para asegurarse de que no se queden atrás.

    Además de ser una feroz protectora de los derechos reproductivos, Freeland respalda la promulgación de regulaciones de seguridad de armas y la eliminación de las lagunas en nuestro código fiscal que permiten que las corporaciones y los ultra ricos eviten pagar su parte justa. También cree que debemos pasar de un sistema de justicia penal punitivo a uno de rehabilitación que no trate la adicción y las enfermedades mentales como delitos.

    La campaña de Freeland la presenta como una ciudadana común que ha luchado para hacer los pagos de sus préstamos estudiantiles, ha utilizado los sistemas de Medicaid y cupones de alimentos y es propietaria de una pequeña empresa, pero que también ha estado muy involucrada en el servicio a su comunidad. Puede traer una perspectiva al Congreso que no se refleja a menudo allí y es una opción sólida para apoyar en esta elección.

    Su oponente es el titular Doug Lamborn, un político de carrera que ha servido en el área de Colorado Springs en varios roles desde su primera elección a la Cámara de Representantes de Colorado en 1994. Desde que llegó al Congreso en 2006, Lamborn no se ha destacado mucho y solo tres de sus proyectos de ley se convirtieron en leyes: una moneda conmemorativa de la Primera Guerra Mundial, el nombramiento de una carretera en Colorado Springs y un proyecto de ley procesal que transfiere tierras del Departamento de Agricultura. Lamborn ha seguido la línea del partido republicano: está en contra del derecho a decidir, es anti-LGBTQ y está en contra del control de armas y cree que aumentar el salario mínimo obligará a las empresas a despedir trabajadores. Un voto progresista se perdería votando a Lamborn.

    Jillian Freeland

    Jillian Freeland, una partera y empresaria jubilada, está desafiando al republicano en funciones en el 5º distrito congresional de Colorado. Se describe a sí misma como una madre millennial que “lucha por el futuro que quiero para mis hijos y mis semejantes”.

    Algunas de sus principales prioridades la cobertura de cuidado de salud completa y totalmente accesible y una mayor transición a la energía doméstica. Como proveedora de salud para mujeres, Freeland se enfrentó a las compañías de seguros para que cubrieran los servicios que paga la gente. Ella comprende lo que está fallando en el sistema y quiere trabajar para solucionarlo. En la energía, apoya la inversión del gobierno federal en recursos renovables nacionales, así como la creación de empleos sindicales bien remunerados en el proceso. También quiere ver fondos para la educación y las pensiones de los trabajadores que salen de la industria de los combustibles fósiles para asegurarse de que no se queden atrás.

    Además de ser una feroz protectora de los derechos reproductivos, Freeland respalda la promulgación de regulaciones de seguridad de armas y la eliminación de las lagunas en nuestro código fiscal que permiten que las corporaciones y los ultra ricos eviten pagar su parte justa. También cree que debemos pasar de un sistema de justicia penal punitivo a uno de rehabilitación que no trate la adicción y las enfermedades mentales como delitos.

    La campaña de Freeland la presenta como una ciudadana común que ha luchado para hacer los pagos de sus préstamos estudiantiles, ha utilizado los sistemas de Medicaid y cupones de alimentos y es propietaria de una pequeña empresa, pero que también ha estado muy involucrada en el servicio a su comunidad. Puede traer una perspectiva al Congreso que no se refleja a menudo allí y es una opción sólida para apoyar en esta elección.

    Su oponente es el titular Doug Lamborn, un político de carrera que ha servido en el área de Colorado Springs en varios roles desde su primera elección a la Cámara de Representantes de Colorado en 1994. Desde que llegó al Congreso en 2006, Lamborn no se ha destacado mucho y solo tres de sus proyectos de ley se convirtieron en leyes: una moneda conmemorativa de la Primera Guerra Mundial, el nombramiento de una carretera en Colorado Springs y un proyecto de ley procesal que transfiere tierras del Departamento de Agricultura. Lamborn ha seguido la línea del partido republicano: está en contra del derecho a decidir, es anti-LGBTQ y está en contra del control de armas y cree que aumentar el salario mínimo obligará a las empresas a despedir trabajadores. Un voto progresista se perdería votando a Lamborn.

Board of Education, 3rd Congressional District

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below board of education races on your ballot.

Board of Education, 3rd Congressional District

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    Democrat

    Mayling Simpson

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  • Mayling Simpson is a retired public and environmental health professional in Steamboat Springs. Simpson spent her career educating people on public health and helping set up health education in public schools across the world. Having been a teacher at both the high school and college levels, she has a lot of experience in and around education. Someone who knows directly how classrooms work is somebody who can really help on the state school board and is the progressive voter’s best choice in this race.

    Republican candidate Joyce Rankin is a former teacher and small-business owner. She supports using public taxpayer funds for private school education, taking much-needed funds away from public schools that really need the money. We recommend giving support instead to Simpson.

    Mayling Simpson

    Mayling Simpson es una profesional jubilada de la salud pública y ambiental en Steamboat Springs. Simpson dedicó su carrera a educar a las personas en materia de salud pública y a ayudar a establecer una educación de salud en las escuelas públicas de todo el mundo.

    Mayling Simpson

    Mayling Simpson es una profesional jubilada de la salud pública y ambiental en Steamboat Springs. Simpson dedicó su carrera a educar a las personas en materia de salud pública y a ayudar a establecer una educación de salud en las escuelas públicas de todo el mundo.

University of Colorado Board of Regents

CU Regent, 2nd Congressional District

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    Democrat

    Callie Rennison

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  • Callie Rennison has been a strong progressive leader in higher education for many years. A first-generation college student, she worked as a statistician before becoming an instructor, professor, and prominent voice of change at universities in the Midwest and Colorado. Her work has focused on victimization and violence against women and people of color with a particular interest in victims’ interactions with the criminal justice system. Rennison has served the University of Colorado as the associate dean of faculty affairs, director of equity, and Title IX coordinator and has participated in numerous public panels and boards. In her leadership roles, she proved her ability to successfully navigate various institutional levels and bring people together in discussing contentious issues. Rennison is committed to making college more affordable and accessible to low-income students, ending sexual assault and discrimination on campuses, and striving to make diversity and inclusion a priority among students, faculty, and staff.

    In the wake of recent changes to Title IX under Betsy DeVos, Rennison has pledged to work harder to ensure survivors are supported. Importantly, she champions accountability and transparency as key factors in combatting the businesslike model of CU’s institutions that centers around “returning investments” instead of prioritizing learning and a holistic higher education.

    Running against her are Republican Dick Murphy and Libertarian Christian Vernaza. Murphy is a longtime financial consultant who served as a deputy state treasurer from 2003 to 2004. He has made few public statements on his own policy positions, and his campaign website serves as a personal resume detailing a career in investment banking and management rather than a true statement of platform.

    Vernaza is a car sales associate in Fort Collins and a first-time Libertarian candidate for office. He has not made any public statements about his own positions on the issues, so it can only be assumed he supports the Libertarian Party of Colorado’s position to completely privatize education. For that reason, we cannot recommend voting for Vernaza.

    Rennison is the clear progressive choice for regent in this district.

    Callie Rennison

    Callie Rennison ha sido una sólida líder progresista en la educación superior durante muchos años.

    Callie Rennison

    Callie Rennison ha sido una sólida líder progresista en la educación superior durante muchos años.

Representative, District 60

State Representative

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    Democrat

    Lori Boydston

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  • Lori Boydston is a small-business owner, grandmother, and activist running to represent District 60. She has said she was called to action in 2015 after hearing a speech by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and became politically activated. Boydston has helped organize local climate strikes and protests in Salida and describes herself as “for all the progressive values.”

    As a representative, Boydston hopes to strengthen broadband access, expand health care, and bring green energy jobs to her community. She believes in Medicare for All and maintains an 11-acre ranch that’s powered in part by solar and thermal panels.

    Boydston faces significant opposition in a historically conservative district; her values align with progressive ideals, and she needs all the support she can get.

    Running for the same seat is Republican Ron Hanks. Hanks’ positions could be described as the polar opposite of Boydston’s. He is a socially and fiscally conservative veteran who sees his message as “based on Reagan’s conservative principles.” He relies on widespread right-wing conspiracies not based in fact to paint the rising threat of leftism and strengthen his pro-gun, anti-government, and pro-energy agenda. Progressives beware.

    Lori Boydston

    Lori Boydston es propietaria de una pequeña empresa, abuela y activista que se postula para representar al distrito 60. Ella ha dicho que fue convocada a la acción en el 2015 después de escuchar un discurso del senador de EE.UU. Bernie Sanders y se activó políticamente.

    Lori Boydston

    Lori Boydston es propietaria de una pequeña empresa, abuela y activista que se postula para representar al distrito 60. Ella ha dicho que fue convocada a la acción en el 2015 después de escuchar un discurso del senador de EE.UU. Bernie Sanders y se activó políticamente.

    • Endorsed By: AFSCME Council 18

District Attorney, 11th Judicial District

District Attorney, 11th Judicial District

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    Kaitlin Turner

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  • Kaitlin Turner was appointed as the district attorney for District 11 in 2019. In that short time, she has earned the trust and reelection endorsement of critical partners in law enforcement like Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw, Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly, and Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper. It’s no surprise why: Her experience is incredible — she was selected to be a U.S. Bureau of Prisons attorney and received law enforcement training in addition to her legal expertise, then she was invited to serve as a federal prosecutor for the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office. In 2018, she additionally took on a role as a council member in Cañon City. Across all this, her priorities have been finding alternatives to incarceration to ensure community safety and facilitating cooperation among agencies.

    Turner is an impressive person and dedicated public servant no matter how you slice it, and we strongly recommend reelecting her as district attorney.

    Taking her on for the office is Republican candidate Linda Stanley, a former police officer and municipal prosecutor. She has a different kind of experience on her side, but as she pointed out in a July 4 campaign statement, possibly the key issue to consider this year is a candidate’s approach to Black Lives Matter protests and law enforcement accountability. In describing her stance on this, however, she only seemed to say having spent years learning the criminal statutes and traffic codes is what will make the difference on the issue. Without more context, it’s hard to say who she wants the laws to provide justice to—protesters or police (or both or neither). Supporting Turner’s reelection is a much more clear path for those who want to continue to see positive change.

    Kaitlin Turner

    Distrito 11 — Condados de Chaffee, Custer, Fremont y Park

    Kaitlin Turner

    Distrito 11 — Condados de Chaffee, Custer, Fremont y Park

Statewide Ballot Measures

Amendment #B

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Amendment B

  • Amendment B, Repeal Property Tax Assessment Rates

    The Gallagher Amendment Repeal and Property Tax Assessment Rates Measure (Amendment B) would repeal the Gallagher Amendment of 1982, which fixed residential and business property tax rates at 45% residential and 55% business. This measure is intended to relieve downward pressure on local public school funding across the state through the repeal of the current property tax assessment formula. The Gallagher Amendment has skewed the tax assessment of residential property in Colorado, resulting in significant shortfalls for school districts reliant on property tax revenue for their funding. Maintaining the Gallagher Amendment’s ratio of residential to business property tax has forced the state to step in with dwindling general fund revenue, causing budget cuts to critical services and an overall proportional reduction in total education funding over time.

    Full text on the ballot: Without increasing property tax rates, to help preserve funding for local districts that provide fire protection, police, ambulance, hospital, kindergarten through twelfth grade education, and other services, and to avoid automatic mill levy increases, shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution to repeal the requirement that the general assembly periodically change the residential assessment rate in order to maintain the statewide proportion of residential property as compared to all other taxable property valued for property tax purposes and repeal the nonresidential property tax assessment rate of twenty-nine percent?

    Amendment B, Repeal Property Tax Assessment Rates

    The Gallagher Amendment Repeal and Property Tax Assessment Rates Measure (Amendment B) would repeal the Gallagher Amendment of 1982, which fixed residential and business property tax rates at 45% residential and 55% business. This measure is intended to relieve downward pressure on local public school funding across the state through the repeal of the current property tax assessment formula. The Gallagher Amendment has skewed the tax assessment of residential property in Colorado, resulting in significant shortfalls for school districts reliant on property tax revenue for their funding. Maintaining the Gallagher Amendment’s ratio of residential to business property tax has forced the state to step in with dwindling general fund revenue, causing budget cuts to critical services and an overall proportional reduction in total education funding over time.

    Full text on the ballot: Without increasing property tax rates, to help preserve funding for local districts that provide fire protection, police, ambulance, hospital, kindergarten through twelfth grade education, and other services, and to avoid automatic mill levy increases, shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution to repeal the requirement that the general assembly periodically change the residential assessment rate in order to maintain the statewide proportion of residential property as compared to all other taxable property valued for property tax purposes and repeal the nonresidential property tax assessment rate of twenty-nine percent?

Amendment #C

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Amendment C

  • Amendment C, Bingo Raffles Allow Paid Help and Repeal Five-Year Minimum

    The Charitable Bingo and Raffles Amendment (Amendment C) reduces the time period a charitable organization must exist before receiving a charitable gaming license from five years to three years. It also permits charitable organizations to hire staff to manage gaming activities. Charitable gaming in Colorado includes bingo, lotteries, raffles, and certain other games conducted by charitable organizations for fundraising purposes.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the conduct of charitable gaming activities, and, in connection therewith, allowing bingo-raffle licensees to hire managers and operators of games and reducing the required period of a charitable organization's continuous existence before obtaining a charitable gaming license?

    Amendment C, Bingo Raffles Allow Paid Help and Repeal Five-Year Minimum

    The Charitable Bingo and Raffles Amendment (Amendment C) reduces the time period a charitable organization must exist before receiving a charitable gaming license from five years to three years. It also permits charitable organizations to hire staff to manage gaming activities. Charitable gaming in Colorado includes bingo, lotteries, raffles, and certain other games conducted by charitable organizations for fundraising purposes.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the conduct of charitable gaming activities, and, in connection therewith, allowing bingo-raffle licensees to hire managers and operators of games and reducing the required period of a charitable organization's continuous existence before obtaining a charitable gaming license?

Amendment #76

  • VOTE NO

    Vote NO for Amendment 76

  • Amendment 76, Citizenship Qualification of Electors

    The Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative (Amendment 76) purports to amend Section 1 of Article VII of the Colorado Constitution to state that “only a citizen” of the United States who is 18 years of age or older can vote in federal, state, and local elections in Colorado. Currently, Article VII Section 1 of the Colorado Constitution states that “Every citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, has resided in this state for such a time as may be prescribed by law, and has been duly registered as a voter if required by law shall be qualified to vote at all elections.” While the sole change made by the Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative is to replace the word “every” with “only a,” it also would upend current law which allows 17-year-olds who would be 18 by the general election to vote in that cycle’s primary. This seemingly simple change, therefore, has the effect of eliminating an otherwise valid group of young voters from the full election process, to say nothing of the fact that it is a clear attempt to confuse voters into believing that current Colorado law permits noncitizens to vote, which it does not.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution requiring that to be qualified to vote at any election an individual must be a United States citizen?

    Amendment 76, Citizenship Qualification of Electors

    The Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative (Amendment 76) purports to amend Section 1 of Article VII of the Colorado Constitution to state that “only a citizen” of the United States who is 18 years of age or older can vote in federal, state, and local elections in Colorado. Currently, Article VII Section 1 of the Colorado Constitution states that “Every citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, has resided in this state for such a time as may be prescribed by law, and has been duly registered as a voter if required by law shall be qualified to vote at all elections.” While the sole change made by the Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative is to replace the word “every” with “only a,” it also would upend current law which allows 17-year-olds who would be 18 by the general election to vote in that cycle’s primary. This seemingly simple change, therefore, has the effect of eliminating an otherwise valid group of young voters from the full election process, to say nothing of the fact that it is a clear attempt to confuse voters into believing that current Colorado law permits noncitizens to vote, which it does not.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution requiring that to be qualified to vote at any election an individual must be a United States citizen?

Amendment #77

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Amendment 77

  • Amendment 77, Local Voter Approval of Gaming Limits in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek

    The Allow Voters in Central, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek Cities to Expand Authorized Games and Increase Maximum Bets Initiative (Amendment 77) would allow voters in these three gambling towns to vote to increase the maximum single bet allowed for any game beyond the current statewide limit of $100. Additionally, Amendment 77 would allow voters to approve games other than those currently allowed by Colorado law; currently allowed games in Colorado casinos include blackjack, craps, poker, roulette, and slot machines. The proposed measure would also change the distribution of gaming tax funds for community colleges to prioritize student retention and credit completion.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution and a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning voter-approved changes to limited gaming, and, in connection therewith, allowing the voters of Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek, for their individual cities, to approve other games in addition to those currently allowed and increase a maximum single bet to any amount; and allowing gaming tax revenue to be used for support services to improve student retention and credential completion by students enrolled in community colleges?

    Amendment 77, Local Voter Approval of Gaming Limits in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek

    The Allow Voters in Central, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek Cities to Expand Authorized Games and Increase Maximum Bets Initiative (Amendment 77) would allow voters in these three gambling towns to vote to increase the maximum single bet allowed for any game beyond the current statewide limit of $100. Additionally, Amendment 77 would allow voters to approve games other than those currently allowed by Colorado law; currently allowed games in Colorado casinos include blackjack, craps, poker, roulette, and slot machines. The proposed measure would also change the distribution of gaming tax funds for community colleges to prioritize student retention and credit completion.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution and a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning voter-approved changes to limited gaming, and, in connection therewith, allowing the voters of Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek, for their individual cities, to approve other games in addition to those currently allowed and increase a maximum single bet to any amount; and allowing gaming tax revenue to be used for support services to improve student retention and credential completion by students enrolled in community colleges?

Proposition #EE

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Proposition EE

  • Proposition EE, Cigarette, Tobacco and Nicotine Products Tax

    The Colorado Tobacco and E-Cigarette Tax Increase for Health and Education Programs Measure (Proposition EE) would close a tax loophole on vaping products that currently leaves these products untaxed in Colorado, bringing the tax in line with other tobacco products. The measure would also increase cigarette taxes from $0.84 per pack currently to $2.64 per pack by 2027. The revenue from this measure would provide $375 million to public schools over the next three years to offset budget cuts from COVID-19, with $90 million specifically going to rural school districts. The revenue would also provide access to free, universal preschool to all four-year-olds in Colorado. The measure would also provide $110 million in additional money for smoking and vaping education and cessation programs as well as $35 million for affordable housing and eviction programs over the next three years.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall state taxes be increased by $294,000,000 annually by imposing a tax on nicotine liquids used in e-cigarettes and other vaping products that is equal to the total state tax on tobacco products when fully phased in, incrementally increasing the tobacco products tax by up to 22% of the manufacturer's list price, incrementally increasing the cigarette tax by up to 9 cents per cigarette, expanding the existing cigarette and tobacco taxes to apply to sales to consumers from outside of the state, establishing a minimum tax for moist snuff tobacco products, creating an inventory tax that applies for future cigarette tax increases, and initially using the tax revenue primarily for public school funding to help offset revenue that has been lost as a result of the economic impacts related to COVID-19 and then for programs that reduce the use of tobacco and nicotine products, enhance the voluntary Colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free, and maintain the funding for programs that currently receive revenue from tobacco taxes, with the state keeping and spending all of the new tax revenue as a voter-approved revenue change?

    Proposition EE, Cigarette, Tobacco and Nicotine Products Tax

    The Colorado Tobacco and E-Cigarette Tax Increase for Health and Education Programs Measure (Proposition EE) would close a tax loophole on vaping products that currently leaves these products untaxed in Colorado, bringing the tax in line with other tobacco products. The measure would also increase cigarette taxes from $0.84 per pack currently to $2.64 per pack by 2027. The revenue from this measure would provide $375 million to public schools over the next three years to offset budget cuts from COVID-19, with $90 million specifically going to rural school districts. The revenue would also provide access to free, universal preschool to all four-year-olds in Colorado. The measure would also provide $110 million in additional money for smoking and vaping education and cessation programs as well as $35 million for affordable housing and eviction programs over the next three years.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall state taxes be increased by $294,000,000 annually by imposing a tax on nicotine liquids used in e-cigarettes and other vaping products that is equal to the total state tax on tobacco products when fully phased in, incrementally increasing the tobacco products tax by up to 22% of the manufacturer's list price, incrementally increasing the cigarette tax by up to 9 cents per cigarette, expanding the existing cigarette and tobacco taxes to apply to sales to consumers from outside of the state, establishing a minimum tax for moist snuff tobacco products, creating an inventory tax that applies for future cigarette tax increases, and initially using the tax revenue primarily for public school funding to help offset revenue that has been lost as a result of the economic impacts related to COVID-19 and then for programs that reduce the use of tobacco and nicotine products, enhance the voluntary Colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free, and maintain the funding for programs that currently receive revenue from tobacco taxes, with the state keeping and spending all of the new tax revenue as a voter-approved revenue change?

Proposition #113

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Proposition 113

  • Proposition 113, National Popular Vote

    The Colorado National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Referendum (Proposition 113) would affirm the Colorado General Assembly’s passage of Senate Bill 19-042, which entered Colorado into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact to ensure Colorado's Electoral College votes are awarded to the winner of the nationwide popular vote in presidential elections. Colorado has been carried by the winner of the nationwide popular vote in every presidential election since 2004, and the compact would end the unequal valuation of American votes in presidential elections. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would not take effect until an Electoral College majority of states joins. As of August 2020, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation that would trigger the compact in the event 270 Electoral College votes are achieved.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall the following Act of the General Assembly be approved: An Act concerning adoption of an agreement among the states to elect the President of the United States by national popular vote, being Senate Bill No. 19-042?

    Proposition 113, National Popular Vote

    The Colorado National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Referendum (Proposition 113) would affirm the Colorado General Assembly’s passage of Senate Bill 19-042, which entered Colorado into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact to ensure Colorado's Electoral College votes are awarded to the winner of the nationwide popular vote in presidential elections. Colorado has been carried by the winner of the nationwide popular vote in every presidential election since 2004, and the compact would end the unequal valuation of American votes in presidential elections. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would not take effect until an Electoral College majority of states joins. As of August 2020, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation that would trigger the compact in the event 270 Electoral College votes are achieved.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall the following Act of the General Assembly be approved: An Act concerning adoption of an agreement among the states to elect the President of the United States by national popular vote, being Senate Bill No. 19-042?

Proposition #114

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Proposition 114

  • Proposition 114, Restoration of Gray Wolves

    The Colorado Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative (Proposition 114) directs the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to reintroduce and manage the population of gray wolves in specific areas of the state by the end of 2023. The commission would be required to develop a plan to reintroduce gray wolves to locations west of the Continental Divide that it will determine, manage reintroduced wolf populations, and compensate property owners who may be affected. Reintroducing gray wolves in Colorado would restore an unbroken connection of protected wolf populations from Canada to Mexico.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the restoration of gray wolves through their reintroduction on designated lands in Colorado located west of the continental divide, and, in connection therewith, requiring the Colorado parks and wildlife commission, after holding statewide hearings and using scientific data, to implement a plan to restore and manage gray wolves; prohibiting the commission from imposing any land, water, or resource use restrictions on private landowners to further the plan; and requiring the commission to fairly compensate owners for losses of livestock caused by gray wolves?

    Proposition 114, Restoration of Gray Wolves

    The Colorado Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative (Proposition 114) directs the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to reintroduce and manage the population of gray wolves in specific areas of the state by the end of 2023. The commission would be required to develop a plan to reintroduce gray wolves to locations west of the Continental Divide that it will determine, manage reintroduced wolf populations, and compensate property owners who may be affected. Reintroducing gray wolves in Colorado would restore an unbroken connection of protected wolf populations from Canada to Mexico.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the restoration of gray wolves through their reintroduction on designated lands in Colorado located west of the continental divide, and, in connection therewith, requiring the Colorado parks and wildlife commission, after holding statewide hearings and using scientific data, to implement a plan to restore and manage gray wolves; prohibiting the commission from imposing any land, water, or resource use restrictions on private landowners to further the plan; and requiring the commission to fairly compensate owners for losses of livestock caused by gray wolves?

Proposition #115

  • VOTE NO

    Vote NO for Proposition 115

  • Proposition 115, Prohibition on Abortions Later in Pregnancy

    The Colorado 22-Week Abortion Ban Initiative (Proposition 115) would prohibit abortion procedures after 22 weeks of gestational age. Under the rule, an abortion after 22 weeks would only be permitted in an immediate life-threatening emergency with no exceptions for rape, incest, a lethal fetal diagnosis, or the health or medical needs of the patient. Abortion after 22 weeks only accounts for about 1% of total abortion procedures and in many cases is the result of major gestational complications that are found later in pregnancy. Colorado has emerged as a national safe haven for abortion care in these complex circumstances because of gestational bans in other states. Any physician who performs an abortion after 22 weeks would be found in violation of this initiative and face criminal charges and suspension of their medical license by the Colorado Medical Board.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning prohibiting an abortion when the probable gestational age of the fetus is at least twenty-two weeks, and, in connection therewith, making it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine to perform or attempt to perform a prohibited abortion, except when the abortion is immediately required to save the life of the pregnant woman when her life is physically threatened, but not solely by a psychological or emotional condition; defining terms related to the measure including “probable gestational age” and “abortion,” and excepting from the definition of “abortion” medical procedures relating to miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy; specifying that a woman on whom an abortion is performed may not be charged with a crime in relation to a prohibited abortion; and requiring the Colorado medical board to suspend for at least three years the license of a licensee whom the board finds performed or attempted to perform a prohibited abortion?

    Proposition 115, Prohibition on Abortions Later in Pregnancy

    The Colorado 22-Week Abortion Ban Initiative (Proposition 115) would prohibit abortion procedures after 22 weeks of gestational age. Under the rule, an abortion after 22 weeks would only be permitted in an immediate life-threatening emergency with no exceptions for rape, incest, a lethal fetal diagnosis, or the health or medical needs of the patient. Abortion after 22 weeks only accounts for about 1% of total abortion procedures and in many cases is the result of major gestational complications that are found later in pregnancy. Colorado has emerged as a national safe haven for abortion care in these complex circumstances because of gestational bans in other states. Any physician who performs an abortion after 22 weeks would be found in violation of this initiative and face criminal charges and suspension of their medical license by the Colorado Medical Board.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning prohibiting an abortion when the probable gestational age of the fetus is at least twenty-two weeks, and, in connection therewith, making it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine to perform or attempt to perform a prohibited abortion, except when the abortion is immediately required to save the life of the pregnant woman when her life is physically threatened, but not solely by a psychological or emotional condition; defining terms related to the measure including “probable gestational age” and “abortion,” and excepting from the definition of “abortion” medical procedures relating to miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy; specifying that a woman on whom an abortion is performed may not be charged with a crime in relation to a prohibited abortion; and requiring the Colorado medical board to suspend for at least three years the license of a licensee whom the board finds performed or attempted to perform a prohibited abortion?

Proposition #116

  • VOTE NO

    Vote NO for Proposition 116

  • Proposition 116, Decrease Income Tax Rate from 4.63% to 4.55% Initiative

    The Decrease Income Tax Rate from 4.63% to 4.55% Initiative (Proposition 116) would reduce the state income tax rate for individuals and corporations, resulting in state budget cuts of over $150 million per year, forever. Large businesses and people with incomes over half a million dollars per year will receive 70% of the benefit from this tax reduction. Meanwhile, the average Colorado family will get a tax cut of only $37 per year. The state is currently facing billions of dollars in budget shortfalls due to economic contraction from the COVID-19 pandemic, and this tax cut would have to be paid for by cuts to education, public safety, health care, and transportation to the tune of over $200 million in just the first year.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes reducing the state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.55%?

    Proposition 116, Decrease Income Tax Rate from 4.63% to 4.55% Initiative

    The Decrease Income Tax Rate from 4.63% to 4.55% Initiative (Proposition 116) would reduce the state income tax rate for individuals and corporations, resulting in state budget cuts of over $150 million per year, forever. Large businesses and people with incomes over half a million dollars per year will receive 70% of the benefit from this tax reduction. Meanwhile, the average Colorado family will get a tax cut of only $37 per year. The state is currently facing billions of dollars in budget shortfalls due to economic contraction from the COVID-19 pandemic, and this tax cut would have to be paid for by cuts to education, public safety, health care, and transportation to the tune of over $200 million in just the first year.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes reducing the state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.55%?

Proposition #117

  • VOTE NO

    Vote NO for Proposition 117

  • Proposition 117, Require Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises Exempt from TABOR Initiative

    The Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises (Proposition 117) would require a statewide vote on new state enterprises generating over $100 million in revenue within the first five years of operation. Enterprises were authorized by the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) as independent entities that administer fee-based programs for specific goods and services such as unemployment insurance, road and bridge construction, cleaning up chemical waste and oil spills, the sale of hunting and fishing licenses by the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife, higher education institutions, and the Colorado State Fair. This initiative is entirely funded by out-of-state billionaires and corporations who often pay the fees this measure would limit. Proposition 117 is confusing and poorly written and will lead to years of lawsuits, unintended consequences, and future cuts in education, transportation, and health care.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes requiring statewide voter approval at the next even-year election of any newly created or qualified state enterprise that is exempt from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado constitution, if the projected or actual combined revenue from fees and surcharges of the enterprise, and all other enterprises created within the last five years that serve primarily the same purpose, is greater than $100 million within the first five fiscal years of the creation or qualification of the new enterprise?

    Proposition 117, Require Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises Exempt from TABOR Initiative

    The Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises (Proposition 117) would require a statewide vote on new state enterprises generating over $100 million in revenue within the first five years of operation. Enterprises were authorized by the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) as independent entities that administer fee-based programs for specific goods and services such as unemployment insurance, road and bridge construction, cleaning up chemical waste and oil spills, the sale of hunting and fishing licenses by the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife, higher education institutions, and the Colorado State Fair. This initiative is entirely funded by out-of-state billionaires and corporations who often pay the fees this measure would limit. Proposition 117 is confusing and poorly written and will lead to years of lawsuits, unintended consequences, and future cuts in education, transportation, and health care.

    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes requiring statewide voter approval at the next even-year election of any newly created or qualified state enterprise that is exempt from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado constitution, if the projected or actual combined revenue from fees and surcharges of the enterprise, and all other enterprises created within the last five years that serve primarily the same purpose, is greater than $100 million within the first five fiscal years of the creation or qualification of the new enterprise?

Proposition #118

  • VOTE YES

    Vote YES for Proposition 118

  • Proposition 118, Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Initiative

    The Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Initiative (Proposition 118) would establish a paid family and medical leave benefit for most Colorado workers. It would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave, allowing 2.6 million Coloradans to take time to care for themselves, a new child, or a seriously ill family member. Eight states including California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have successfully passed or implemented similar, solvent paid family leave programs. Employees and employers fund the program together, each contributing 0.45% of an employee’s wages to the fund, with the average Colorado worker contributing $3.83 per week. When workers need to take leave, they are paid up to 90% of their salary during that time. Employers may optionally contribute up to 100% of the cost of coverage; businesses with fewer than 10 employees are exempt from paying the premium, but their employees are still covered. Employers that offer paid leave benefits equivalent to the state plan may opt out and keep their plans.


    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the creation of a paid family and medical leave program in Colorado, and, in connection therewith, authorizing paid family and medical leave for a covered employee who has a serious health condition, is caring for a new child or for a family member with a serious health condition, or has a need for leave related to a family member’s military deployment or for safe leave; establishing a maximum of 12 weeks of family and medical leave, with an additional 4 weeks for pregnancy or childbirth complications, with a cap on the weekly benefit amount; requiring job protection for and prohibiting retaliation against an employee who takes paid family and medical leave; allowing a local government to opt out of the program; permitting employees of such a local government and self-employed individuals to participate in the program; exempting employers who offer an approved private paid family and medical leave plan; to pay for the program, requiring a premium of 0.9% of each employee’s wages, up to a cap, through December 31, 2024, and as set thereafter, up to 1.2% of each employee’s wages, by the director of the division of family and medical leave insurance; authorizing an employer to deduct up to 50% of the premium amount from an employee’s wages and requiring the employer to pay the remainder of the premium, with an exemption for employers with fewer than 10 employees; creating the division of family and medical leave insurance as an enterprise within the department of labor and employment to administer the program; and establishing an enforcement and appeals process for retaliation and denied claims?

    Proposition 118, Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Initiative

    The Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Initiative (Proposition 118) would establish a paid family and medical leave benefit for most Colorado workers. It would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave, allowing 2.6 million Coloradans to take time to care for themselves, a new child, or a seriously ill family member. Eight states including California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have successfully passed or implemented similar, solvent paid family leave programs. Employees and employers fund the program together, each contributing 0.45% of an employee’s wages to the fund, with the average Colorado worker contributing $3.83 per week. When workers need to take leave, they are paid up to 90% of their salary during that time. Employers may optionally contribute up to 100% of the cost of coverage; businesses with fewer than 10 employees are exempt from paying the premium, but their employees are still covered. Employers that offer paid leave benefits equivalent to the state plan may opt out and keep their plans.


    Full text on the ballot: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the creation of a paid family and medical leave program in Colorado, and, in connection therewith, authorizing paid family and medical leave for a covered employee who has a serious health condition, is caring for a new child or for a family member with a serious health condition, or has a need for leave related to a family member’s military deployment or for safe leave; establishing a maximum of 12 weeks of family and medical leave, with an additional 4 weeks for pregnancy or childbirth complications, with a cap on the weekly benefit amount; requiring job protection for and prohibiting retaliation against an employee who takes paid family and medical leave; allowing a local government to opt out of the program; permitting employees of such a local government and self-employed individuals to participate in the program; exempting employers who offer an approved private paid family and medical leave plan; to pay for the program, requiring a premium of 0.9% of each employee’s wages, up to a cap, through December 31, 2024, and as set thereafter, up to 1.2% of each employee’s wages, by the director of the division of family and medical leave insurance; authorizing an employer to deduct up to 50% of the premium amount from an employee’s wages and requiring the employer to pay the remainder of the premium, with an exemption for employers with fewer than 10 employees; creating the division of family and medical leave insurance as an enterprise within the department of labor and employment to administer the program; and establishing an enforcement and appeals process for retaliation and denied claims?