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2024 ELECTION GUIDE

How can I vote?

You can vote in person or you can vote by mail.

How can I check if I’m registered to vote in Colorado?

Check your registration status here.

How do I register to vote?

To receive a ballot in the mail, you’ll need to register or change your mailing address by Monday, October 28. If you miss those deadlines, you may register in person up to and including Election Day at a voter service and polling center in your county.

How do I make changes to my voter registration?

You can check and edit your registration status on the Secretary of State’s website if you change your name, move to a new city or state, or even decide to change your political affiliation.

Voting by mail:

Every registered voter will receive a ballot through the mail. Ballots will be mailed to voters beginning October 11. To receive a mail-in ballot you must register to vote by October 28. 

Can I vote in person?

You can find where to vote in person at your local County Clerk and Recorder office. Find your local office here.

You can register to vote in person through 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5.

Can I vote early?

What do I need to bring?

If you choose to vote in person in Colorado, you will need to show ID. If your form of identification shows your address, that address must be in Colorado. Find acceptable forms of ID here.

Acceptable forms include:

  • Colorado driver’s license
  • valid ID card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue
  • US passport
  • employee ID with photo issued by any entity of the US government or Colorado
  • pilot’s license issued by the FAA or other authorized agency of the US
  • US military ID with photo
  • ID card issued by a federally recognized tribal government
  • Medicare or Medicaid card
  • certified copy of your US birth certificate
  • certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood
  • certified documentation of naturalization
  • student ID with photo issued by a Colorado institute of higher education
  • veteran’s ID with photo issued by the VA
  • current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing name and address (within the last 60 days)

Under a law passed in 2023, Colorado considers state-approved digital IDs an acceptable form of identification.

Voters without ID: If you cannot provide ID, you can vote a provisional ballot. After Election Day, your local election official will evaluate your eligibility to vote and determine if your ballot should be counted.

What should I do if I do not receive my mail ballot or make a mistake, damage, or lose my mail ballot?

You may request a replacement mail ballot from your county clerk. You may also vote in person at a voter service and polling center.

Colorado also allows people to register and vote until 7 p.m. on Election Day when polls close. You’ll need to register in person at a polling place where you’ll then get a ballot and be able to vote. 

How do I vote if I am a college student?

As a college student, you can vote either in your hometown or in the city where you attend college. Students attending college and university or college in Colorado have the right to register and vote in the state if they reside here. A student does not automatically reside in Colorado just because they are attending college or university here. It is up to the student to decide where they reside, whether that be in Colorado or another state. Check your registration here. Find out more about voting in college here.

How can I check the status of my ballot?

You can check the status of your ballot on Colorado’s Ballot Trax site.

Where can I find more information about voting?

If you have further questions about the voter registration process, visit the Secretary of State’s website or your local elections office.

Recent voting changes in Colorado

A 2024 law allows voters who are displaced because of a natural disaster to receive an emergency replacement ballot within eight days before Election Day. First responders and healthcare workers unable to vote on Election Day will also be eligible for an emergency replacement ballot.

At A Glance 

Early voting starts  October 21 
Deadline to request a mail-in/absentee ballot  October 28
Deadline to register to vote In-person by 7:00 PM, November 5 

By mail October 28
Deadline for all ballots to be returned All ballots, including mail ballots, must be received by the county clerk and recorder no later than 7:00 PM on Election Day, November 5. Postmarks do not count; ballots must be in the hands of the county clerk by 7:00 PM on Election Day to be counted.

 

WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT IN COLORADO?

There are 14 statewide ballot measures on the 2024 ballot, along with local, statewide, and federal races. There’s more to read about these measures in the state’s ballot information “Bluebook.” 

STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES

Amendment G: Expanding the property tax exemption to include more veterans

Amendment G proposes amending the state Constitution to expand eligibility for reduced property tax obligations under the state’s homestead exemption laws. Current law provides the property tax exemption to veterans rated as 100% permanently disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This amendment would expand the property tax exemption for veterans with a disability to veterans with individual unemployability status beginning in 2025. Individual unemployability status is given to veterans who are unable to remain employed due to having at least one service-connected disability with a rating of 60% or higher or two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one of them being rated at 40% and a combined disability rating of 70%. 

Amendment H: Creating an independent judicial discipline board

Amendment H proposes amending the Constitution to reform the state’s judicial discipline procedures. It would create a new independent board to adjudicate disciplinary issues within the state’s judicial department. Under the amendment, judicial discipline cases would become public once formal proceedings begin, rather than confidential until the process is complete. The board would consist of four district court judges, four attorneys, and four citizens.

Amendment I: Making first-degree murder a non-bailable offense

Amendment I is a proposed constitutional amendment that would make first-degree murder a non-bailable offense. The amendment would resolve what lawmakers and prosecutors called an “unintended consequence” of the state’s 2020 repeal of the death penalty since courts are currently permitted only to deny bail for “capital offenses,” and no such offense exists any longer under Colorado law.

Amendment J: Repealing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage

Amendment J is a proposed constitutional amendment that would repeal a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. This measure would remove the provision of the state constitution that says “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.”

Supporters of this year’s “Freedom to Marry” amendment say it’s necessary to protect LGBTQ rights that have been put at risk by the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority.

Amendment K: Earlier deadline to set the ballot 

Amendment K proposes amending the Constitution to modify several election-related deadlines, including a requirement that initiative petitions be submitted one week earlier than under current law. This would move the deadline for justices and judges to file declarations of intent to run for another term by one week and allow one extra week for the secretary of state to certify ballot order and content and election officials’ deadline to transmit ballots.

Amendment 79: Protecting the right to an abortion in Colorado 

Amendment 79 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect the right to abortion. The initiative would prohibit the state or local governments from denying or impeding the right to an abortion and allow abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans. The initiative would repeal Section 50 of Article V of the Colorado Constitution, adopted in 1984, which prohibited the use of public funds for abortion.

It’s backed by Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, a coalition of abortion rights groups and other progressive organizations. 

Amendment 80: Constitutional right to school choice 

Amendment 80 would enshrine the “right to school choice” in the Colorado Constitution, with language that aims to protect neighborhood, charter, private, and home schools, open enrollment options, and future innovations in education. However, some contend the measure is about diverting money away from public schools to fund private schools by permanently creating a right to private schools in Colorado’s constitution.

Proposition 127: Ban on trophy hunting big cats

Proposition 127 is a statutory measure that proposes a ban on trophy hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, or lynx. This initiative would define and prohibit trophy hunting as “intentionally killing, wounding, pursuing, or entrapping a mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx; or discharging or releasing any deadly weapon at a mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx.”

The ballot initiative would provide exceptions, such as killing a mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx to defend human life. It would also allow for non-lethal methods to defend livestock, property, or motor vehicles. There would be other exceptions for accidents, veterinarians, and special licenses.

Under the initiative, mountain lions would no longer be considered big game. This would make mountain lion livestock incidents ineligible for big game damage claims made with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Proposition 128: ‘Upping’ the parole eligibility for people convicted of violent crimes

Proposition 128 is a statutory “truth in sentencing” measure that would make people convicted of certain violent crimes (murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery, and serious cases of assault, kidnapping, arson, and burglary) ineligible for parole until they have served at least 85% of their sentences. Currently in Colorado, one can apply for parole after serving 75% of their sentence. Their sentences can further be reduced by earned time for good behavior yet anyone convicted of the listed offenses three or more times must serve their complete sentence, without any chance of early release.

The measure is sponsored by Advance Colorado, a conservative nonprofit that has spent millions to influence state elections in recent years but is not required to disclose its donors.

Proposition 129: Creating a new position in the veterinarian field 

Proposition 129 is a statutory measure that would allow certain veterinary services to be practiced by associates without a full state-issued veterinarian’s license, to address what industry proponents call a severe veterinary workforce shortage.

The initiative would create the profession of veterinary professional associate (VPA), which would require a master’s degree and registration with the State Board of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, in Colorado, veterinarians must earn a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree while veterinary technicians must earn an associate’s degree. VPAs would be allowed to practice veterinary medicine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

All Pets Deserve Vet Care supports Prop 129 but the group Keep Our Pets Safe does not support the initiative.

Proposition 130: $350 million in state funds for law enforcement 

Proposition 130 is another Advance Colorado measure that would make a one-time appropriation of $350 million to a new police officer training fund under the Colorado Department of Public Safety.

This initiative would create the Peace Officer Training and Support Fund to provide additional supplemental funding for law enforcement including increasing salaries for police officers, sheriffs, and other law enforcement officials and providing a one-time hiring, retention, or merit bonus to attract, maintain, or reward exceptional law enforcement officials. The initiative would also create a death benefit of $1 million for the surviving spouse, children, or estate of a peace officer killed in the line of duty. 

Proposition 131: Rank-choice voting 

Proposition 131 is an election reform measure that would replace partisan primaries with a single “all-candidate” primary for each state and federal office, and enact a top-four, ranked-choice voting system to decide general elections. 

Instead of having each party pick its candidate for the general election, all qualified contenders in a given race would be placed on the same primary ballot. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, would move on to the general election.

That would mean that ahead of the November election, voters would get a ballot listing the four candidates, ranking some or all of them in order of preference. All voters’ rankings would be combined in a mathematical process to determine the winner. This version of ranked-choice voting is also known as “instant runoff voting.” The initiative would be set to take effect in 2026 if approved by voters. 

The measure is backed by Kent Thiry, an influential Colorado mega donor, and Unite America, a nonprofit that touts its model as a cure for partisan polarization and political dysfunction.

Proposition JJ: Allowing the state to keep all sports betting taxes

Proposition JJ is a referred statutory measure seeking voter approval to allow the state to retain tax revenue collected above $29 million annually from the tax on sports betting proceeds authorized by voters in 2019 (Proposition DD). The additional revenue estimated at between $2.8 and $7.2 million annually over the next three years, would fund water and conservation projects rather than being refunded to taxpayers.

Proposition KK: New excise tax on guns, gun parts, and ammo

Proposition KK is a referred statutory measure that asks voters to approve a new 6.5% excise tax on sales of guns, gun parts, and ammunition. The tax would generate approximately $39 million in state tax revenue per year. The revenue would be used to fund mental health services, gun safety programs, and support services for victims of domestic violence.

Sales to peace officers, law enforcement agencies, and active duty military would be exempt from the excise tax. 

Local Ballot Measures

https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/14539/TABOR-112024?bidId=

Here is the link to learn more about local ballot measures including Town of Mt. Crested Butte Ballot Issue 2A, Montrose School District RE-1J Ballot Issue 5A, Gunnison County Library District Ballot Issue 6A.

How can I learn more about the issues and candidates?

KBUT and the Crested Butte News host a Gunnison County Commissioner Candidate Forum Thursday, October 10th from 6 to 7:30pm at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte 

The Gunnison Country Times will host a Gunnison County Commissioner Candidate Forum Monday, October 14th from 7 to 8:30pm at the Gunnison Arts Center. 

Additional Reminders:

  • Ballots will be mailed out on October 11th, 2024
  • Dropboxes will be opened on October 16th, 2024
  • Blackstock VSPC will open on October 21st, 2024
  • Queen of All Saints Parish Hall (Crested Butte) VSPC will open on November 1st, 2024
  • Western Colorado University VSPC will open on November 4th, 2024

Refer to the Elections page for more information regarding any election information.

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