Colorado State Ballot Issues Election 2024
Condensed Information Guide to Ballot Issues
Colorado voters will receive a ballot in the mail in the next few weeks that may well be the longest ballot in the history of the state. The sheer number of ballot initiatives often becomes a deterrent in turning in the ballot (voting) for many voters.
Incomplete ballots are completely valid, and all votes marked on a ballot will be counted. You do not have to vote on everything on the ballot for it to count.
To help voters complete their ballots we offer this Condensed Information Guide to Ballot Issues. They do not reflect any official endorsement, nor do they attempt to be completely neutral. The discussion points and recommendations are the opinions of me, Bill Baker, a retired teacher, 25-year Chaffee County resident, registered Democrat and progressive patriotic American. The positions suggested on this list are the positions we think most progressive voters would support.
The State of Colorado publishes the “Blue Book” which is available to all voters for free with details on all the initiatives. (add link here when available). The league of Women Voters (link when available) and Ballotpedia (https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_2024_ballot_measures)also offers a guide on Ballot Initiatives. The 2024 State Ballot Information Booklet has been released by the State.
If you have questions about retaining judges, please go to https://judicialperformance.colorado.gov/ and click on 2024 evaluations. Scroll down and find Chaffee County.
| Initiative number | Title / Description | Recommend | Urgency 1-3=most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 79 | Right to Abortion. Put the Right to Abortion in the Colorado Constitution. Can’t be changed by legislation | YES | 3 |
| Proposition 127 | Prohibit trophy hunting for Mountain Lions, Lynx, Bobcats. Wildlife is managed by Park and Wildlife officials who, by in large, are guided by science, unlike in other nearby states where wildlife management and hunting are influenced by politics and wealth. Wildlife management by ballot box can result is management problems unanticipated by nonscientists who voted their conscious in good faith. |
No rec. | 1 |
| Proposition 128 | Concerning Eligibility for Parole Institutes mandatory minimum sentences and “three strikes” law. Does not allow parole boards and judges to consider such things as good behavior and extenuating circumstances when considering parole. Will result in more in prison at millions more cost. Makes the unfairness in the system worse without addressing root causes of crime nor utilizing demonstrated effective rehabilitation interventions. |
NO | 2 |
| Amendment 80 | School Choice in K-12 Education. This unnecessary initiative and proposed constitutional amendment would divert public tax money to support private schools who would not be regulated by state laws. Colorado guarantees free public education to all students in the state and already allows parents to choose from many options including charter schools, private schools, and home schooling. |
NO | 3 |
| Proposition 129 | Establish Veterinary Professional Associates. Creates a veterinary professional associate certification defined by language in this initiative. State certifications for professionals should be determined by government agencies staffed by trained professionals, in consultation with experts not citizen initiatives |
NO | 2 |
| Proposition 130 | Funding for Law enforcement. Directs the state to spend $350 million to recruit, train, and retain local law enforcement officers but with no revenue source to pay for it. Maybe a good concept, but unfunded mandates are a bad idea. |
NO | 2 |
| Proposition 131 | Establishing All-Candidate Primary and Ranked Choice Voting for General Elections. This would allow all voters regardless of party affiliation to vote in an all-candidate primary election for some state and federal offices where the top four candidates advance to the general election. Voters could rank candidates in the general election. Votes would be counted in rounds to determine a winner. This would certainly complicate an already complicated process without checks and balances from the Colorado Secretary of State. County Clerks were not consulted on this change, and there are many opportunities for dark money and complications that could result in delays and expensive procedures. Many agree that the current two-party process and current caucus system is unnecessarily complicated, deters participation form many common voters, especially unaffiliated. Ranked choice voting has been instituted in some districts (never a state) with some success. But it has never been structured in the way that is proposed. Needs more work |
NO | 2 |
| Amendment G | Property tax amendment for Veterans with disabilities. Extends homestead tax exemption to disabled veterans with unemployability status and their Gold Star Spouses. |
YES | 2 |
| Amendment H | Judicial Discipline Procedures and Confidentiality. Discipline over State judges has been the province of those same judges. This expands the process for judicial discipline and makes it more transparent. |
YES | 2 |
| Amendment I | Constitutional Bail Exception for First Degree Murder. Passage would close a loophole that forbids Judges to deny bail to those charged with first degree murder |
YES | 2 |
| Amendment J | Repealing the definition of Marriage in the Constitution. LGBTQ+ citizens deserve the same access to marriage as anyone as upheld by the courts in Colorado. The current definition in the state constitution could deny basic rights associated with marriage if certain court decisions were overturned. |
YES | 3 |
| Amendment K | Modify Constitutional Election Deadlines. Gives Election officials sufficient time to format, translate, and review ballots for accuracy before they are sent out. |
YES | 2 |
| Proposition JJ | Retain Additional Sports Betting Tax Revenue. This removes a cap on revenue collected and would be a revenue source to protect water conservation. |
YES | 2 |
| Proposition KK | Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax. Common sense gun reform that doesn’t deny anyone any perceived Second Amendment right. This measure levies a 6.5% excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and gun parts from retailers and manufacturers in Colorado. The revenue from the tax will create a state-based fund to provide funds to mental and behavioral health services, school violence prevention, veterans services, and services for domestic and sexual violence survivors. The measure will not restrict access to firearms or ammunition in any way. |
YES | 2 |
| Chaffee Ballot | Allow Chaffee Housing Authority to keep state, local, grant funding, and intergovernmental revenues above the constitutional TABOR caps (de-Brucing). |
YES | 3 |
| Chaffee Ballot | Sales Tax increase in Chaffee of .5% for Chaffee Housing Authority for increasing affordable housing and housing security within the community |
YES | 3 |