The U.S. midterm elections are set for Nov. 3, and Colorado ballots have already been sent to registered voters. Here is a guide to the statewide initiatives on the ballot.
Amendment 81
Amendment 81 would require Colorado law enforcement to notify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when someone is charged with a violent crime if law enforcement “cannot determine that the person is lawfully present in the United States.”
According to The Colorado Sun, this amendment would give law enforcement 72 hours to notify DHS after the person is formally charged with a crime. Charging someone with a crime usually happens at the time of the arrest but before someone is convicted.
This amendment is supported by conservative political groups Advance Colorado and Brighter Colorado, as well as Eagle County Republican Women Club.
This amendment is opposed by the issue committee Colorado Communities First, The People’s No and Vote Common Sense.
Because this amendment would add language to the state constitution, it needs 55% approval to pass.
Amendment 82
Amendment 82 would give consumers the right to buy natural gas for cooking or heating across the state. According to Colorado’s Ballot Information Booklet, this amendment would make it more difficult for the state to enforce natural gas restrictions.
This amendment is supported by Advance Colorado, Affordable Colorado and Energy Freedom Alliance of the Rockies.
This amendment is opposed by No Pollution in the Constitution and Vote Common Sense.
Because this amendment would add language to the state constitution, it needs 55% approval to pass.
Amendment 83
Amendment 83 would make hunting and fishing using traditional methods a constitutional right in Colorado. If approved, this would make hunting and fishing the primary method of managing wildlife populations.
The Colorado legislature would not be able to regulate hunting and fishing in the future, according to The Colorado Sun. Hunting and fishing are already used to manage wildlife by state law, but that could be removed through the legislature if not enshrined in the state constitution.
This amendment is supported by Let’s Go Colorado, T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance, Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better and Hunt to Conserve Colorado.
The amendment is opposed by Protect Colorado’s Constitution and Colorado Hunters and Anglers for Sensible Wildlife Conservation.
Because this amendment would add language to the state constitution, it needs 55% approval to pass.
Amendment 84
Amendment 84 would require Colorado voters to write the last four digits of their Social Security number, driver’s license or identification card on the outside of their ballot.
According to The Colorado Sun, this would also require voters to be notified if any of this information is missing or incorrect and correct it up to eight days before the election.
This amendment would require the state to spend up to $2.7 million in the first year it is in effect and up to $1.2 million each following year to pay for the extra staffing and voter outreach such changes would require.
This amendment is supported by the Colorado Voter Trust Initiative.
It is opposed by the Defend Our Ballots Issue Committee and Vote Common Sense.
Because this amendment would add language to the state constitution, it needs 55% approval to pass.
Amendment 85
Amendment 85 would require all state and local ballot questions to be written at an eighth-grade reading level.
This amendment is supported by Advance Colorado, who say the amendment will make ballots easier to read. Brighter Colorado also supports this initiative.
This amendment is opposed by Vote Common Sense because they believe it could cause ballot writers to leave out the nuance of complex topics, according to The Colorado Sun.
Because this amendment would add language to the state constitution, it needs 55% approval to pass.
Amendment 86
Amendment 86 would allow the court to reject any map that was not aligned with “communities of interest” or favored one political party. It would require at least three public meetings and approval from the Colorado Supreme Court before the state could redraw the congressional districts between census years.
The amendment is supported by Advance Colorado, Brighter Colorado and Fair Redistricting Colorado.
According to The Colorado Sun, there is little organized opposition to the amendment, although Val Beck, executive director of Colorado Draws the Line, said, “While Republicans freely redraw congressional maps in red states to eliminate Democratic seats, Advance Colorado is trying to make sure Colorado can never fight back.”
Because this amendment would add language to the state constitution, it needs 55% approval to pass.
Amendment 87
Amendment 87 would increase taxes by $2.7 billion each year through graduated income tax brackets in order to improve public services like K-12 education, health care and early childhood education. Taxes would be raised by replacing the flat income tax with graduated tax brackets.
Currently, everyone in Colorado pays 4.4% income tax regardless of income. Amendment 87 would change how much income tax someone pays based on how much they make annually.
Amendment 87 is supported by Protect Colorado’s Future Coalition,
It is opposed by Americans For Prosperity Colorado Issue Committee, Your Family’s Future Alliance, Brighter Colorado, Affordable Colorado, Let’s Go Colorado and Don’t Price Us Out.
Amendment 87 would not add new language to the state constitution, so it only needs a majority to pass.
Ballot Issue 7A
Ballot Issue 7A would raise sales taxes by 0.333% in order to pay for a Front Range passenger train service.
According to The Colorado Sun, this tax increase is projected to generate revenue of $295 million.
This proposition will only appear on ballots in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Sterling Ranch, Littleton, Denver, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins. These are the cities where at least 20% of the population lives within five miles of the planned train stations.
Ballot Issue 7A is supported by Coloradans for CoCo.
It is opposed by Let’s Go Colorado and Affordable Colorado.
Proposition NN
Proposition NN would increase state investment in K-12 education by 2% each year for the next 10 years. This increase would allow the state to improve teacher pay and retention, lower class sizes and increase career and technical courses.
This proposition would increase the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) cap on government spending, which currently stands at $4.6 billion. If approved, taxpayers would no longer receive TABOR refunds.
This proposition is supported by Yes for Colorado Kids.
It is opposed by Brighter Colorado, Affordable Colorado, Let’s Go Colorado, Keep Colorado Affordable and Don’t Price Us Out.
Proposition 132
Proposition 132 would make the manufacturing, distributing or selling of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, a Level 1 drug felony, making it punishable by eight to 32 years in prison. Under current law, possession is only a felony if there are more than 50 grams of a substance containing fentanyl.
This proposition would also make the possession of one to four grams of a substance containing synthetic opioids a Level 3 felony charge, punishable by up to four years in prison, according to The Colorado Sun.
Legislative Council Staff estimate that this initiative would cost the Colorado Department of Corrections $142 million over the course of five years.
This proposition is supported by Brighter Colorado and the Eagle County Republican Women Club.
It is opposed by The People’s No, Coloradans For Real Safety Solutions and Vote Common Sense.
Proposition 133
Proposition 133 would require that child sex trafficking be punishable by life in prison without parole. This punishment is the same as for first-degree murder.
This proposition would also expand the definition of human trafficking of a minor to include anything monetary being traded for sexual activity with a minor.
Proposition 133 would increase prison spending by $180,000 in 2041 and $540,000 in 2043, according to The Colorado Sun.
It is supported by Protect Kids Colorado and Protect Our Children.
It is opposed by Vote Common Sense, who say victims of sex trafficking could end up in prison because they are often coerced into transporting other victims.
Proposition 134
Proposition 134 would require schools to require athletes to participate on sports teams that align with their assigned sex at birth or on a co-ed team.
In Colorado, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) requires athletes to disclose if they are transgender and will then “perform a confidential evaluation to determine the gender assignment,” according to KTSM. This evaluation determines whether they will be allowed to play for the team that matches their gender identity.
This proposition is supported by Protect Kids Colorado and Protect Our Children.
It is opposed by The People’s No, Families not Politics, No on 109 and 110, Protect Trans Kids and Vote Common Sense.
Proposition 135
Proposition 135 would ban gender-affirming surgeries for minors and prohibit any medical professional from helping alter a minor’s biological sex. It would also ban the use of state or federal funds (Medicaid or private insurance) for paying for these surgeries. This proposition is not limited to only transgender youth.
The proposition does not ban non-surgical forms of gender-affirming care like counseling or hormone blockers to delay puberty.
Proposition 135 is supported by Protect Kids Colorado and Protect Our Children.
It is opposed by The People’s No, Families not Politics, No on 109 and 110, Protect Trans Kids and Vote Common Sense.
Proposition 136
Proposition 136 would change the Colorado Revised Statutes to cap income tax at 4.4% of federal taxable income.
On its own, Proposition 136 does not do much, according to Legislative analysis, because the state income tax is already 4.4%. However, if passed alongside Amendment 87, this proposition would preclude a $2 million tax increase on the wealthiest people and most profitable businesses in the state. If voters do not pass Amendment 87 but do pass Proposition 136, there would be minimal change for Colorado taxpayers.
Proposition 136 is supported by Brighter Colorado and Keep Colorado Affordable.
It is opposed by Vote Common Sense.
Proposition 137
Proposition 137 would increase funding for water and land conservation by allowing the state to keep a portion of the sales tax on sporting goods.
According to the Secretary of State website, this would “protect Colorado’s water, land and forests, prevent wildfires, support outdoor recreation training and activities and reduce revenue spent on these conservation purposes.”
If approved, this ballot measure would split $83 million between the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado State Forest Service for wildfire mitigation, with another $83 million going to Great Outdoors Colorado, according to The Colorado Sun.
Proposition 137 is supported by Protect Colorado’s Land and Water, Prevent Wildfires.
It is opposed by Protect Colorado’s Land, Communities and Tax Dollars.
For more information on the election and Colorado ballot measures, visit the Colorado Secretary of State website, The Colorado Sun or Colorado Public Radio (CPR) voting guide and the 2026 State Ballot Information Booklet.