Make a 2026 Colorado Ballot Guide

Measure Amendment 85

Plain Language Ballot Titles

Official ballot language

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning ballot question language, and, in connection therewith, requiring all state and local ballot questions to be written in plain language and at no more than an 8th grade reading level and prohibiting a state statute from requiring language that conflicts with these requirements in ballot questions for citizen-initiated measures?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado's ballot questions be written in plain language? The standard would be an eighth grade reading level. Every state and local ballot question would have to meet it. No state law could require wording in a citizen initiative's title that conflicts with the standard.

Campaign recommendation from Vote Yes on Amendment 85

Yes

Amendment 85 is a basic good-government reform that makes Colorado’s elections more transparent and more accountable.

Measure Amendment 81

Law Enforcement Communication with Federal Immigration Authorities

Official ballot language

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution requiring law enforcement to notify the department of homeland security when a person is charged with either a violent crime or any crime if the person has a prior felony conviction if law enforcement cannot determine that the person is lawfully present in the United States?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should police have to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about certain people they charge with a crime? The rule would apply when police cannot confirm the person is lawfully in the United States. It would cover anyone charged with a violent crime. It would also cover anyone charged with any crime who has a past felony conviction.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Amendment 82

Constitutional Right to Purchase and Sell Natural Gas

Official ballot language

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution creating new law granting the right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses and for distributors and utilities to sell natural gas to consumers?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should the Colorado Constitution give people the right to buy natural gas? The right would cover gas for cooking and heating in homes and businesses. Utilities and distributors would have the right to sell it.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Amendment 83

Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish

Official ballot language

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution creating a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest fish and wildlife by traditional methods, including all species of fish and wildlife managed by the state except non-game species, endangered species, or any species that is illegal to hunt under federal law, and, in connection therewith, establishing hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations; and preserving the right of the state to regulate hunting, fishing, and wildlife management if necessary for sound scientific wildlife conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve the future of hunting and fishing opportunities for all species?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should the Colorado Constitution give people the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife by traditional methods? Hunting and fishing would become the preferred way to manage wildlife. The right would not cover nongame species, endangered species, or any species that federal law bars from hunting. The state could still set rules when needed for science-based conservation, for public safety, or to protect future hunting and fishing.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Amendment 84

Mail Ballot Voter Identification

Official ballot language

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution requiring a voter to sign and include the last four digits of their social security number or their Colorado driver’s license or identification card number on the outside of their mail ballot for any federal or state election, and, in connection therewith, allowing the voter to correct missing or incorrect information, including with alternative forms of identification; and prohibiting a county clerk and recorder from counting the mail ballot unless the problem is fixed?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should mail voters have to add their personal ID number to the outside of their ballot envelope? Voters would still sign it, as they do now. Voters would also write the last four digits of their Social Security number, driver's license, or Colorado ID card. If the number is missing or wrong, the voter could fix it, including with other forms of ID. The county clerk could not count the ballot until the problem is fixed.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Amendment 86

Requirements for Off‑Cycle Congressional Redistricting

Official ballot language

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning congressional redistricting, and, in connection therewith, reenacting the current process for congressional redistricting in the Colorado Constitution and prohibiting modifications to a final map unless at least three public meetings are held, the modifications do not have the effect of dividing communities of interest or purposefully favoring one political party, and are approved by the congressional redistricting commission and the Colorado Supreme Court?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado keep its current process for drawing congressional districts in the state constitution? It would also add limits on changing a final map. Any change would need at least three public meetings. It would need approval from the redistricting commission and the Colorado Supreme Court. And it could not split communities of interest or be made to favor one political party.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Amendment 87

Graduated Income Tax

Official ballot language

SHALL STATE TAXES BE INCREASED $2.7 BILLION ANNUALLY, IN ORDER TO INCREASE OR IMPROVE LEVELS OF PUBLIC SERVICES, INCLUDING K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, AND EARLY CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION SERVICES, BY AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION AND A CHANGE TO THE COLORADO REVISED STATUTES REPEALING EXISTING LAW AND CREATING NEW LAW TO REPLACE THE UNIFORM STATE INCOME TAX RATE WITH A GRADUATED INCOME TAX STRUCTURE, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, AMENDING THE TAXPAYER’S BILL OF RIGHTS TO ELIMINATE THE CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR ALL TAXABLE NET INCOME TO BE TAXED AT ONE RATE WITH NO ADDED TAX ON INCOME; ESTABLISHING VARIOUS INCOME TAX RATES BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF TAXABLE INCOME EARNED BY INDIVIDUALS, ESTATES, TRUSTS, AND CORPORATIONS, WHILE MAINTAINING THE CURRENT 4.4% TAX ON INCOME FROM THE SALE OF A PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE, WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE ESTIMATED CHANGE IN INCOME TAXES OWED BY INDIVIDUALS AS IDENTIFIED IN THE FOLLOWING TABLE; AND AUTHORIZING THE STATE TO RETAIN AND SPEND ANY INCREASED REVENUE FROM THE NEW TAX STRUCTURE, AS A VOTER-APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE, TO SUPPLEMENT CURRENT LEVELS OF FUNDING FOR K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, AND EARLY CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS?

Income-tax table referenced in the official question
Income Categories	Current Average Income Tax Owed	Proposed Average Income Tax Owed	Proposed Change in Average Income Tax Owed if Passed + or -
$25,000 or less	$59	$50	-$9
$25,001 - $50,000	$751	$632	-$119
$50,001 - $100,000	$1,877	$1,666	-$210
$100,001 - $200,000	$4,126	$3,828	-$298
$200,001 - $500,000	$9,344	$9,019	-$325
$500,001 - $1,000,000	$19,288	$18,963	-$325
$1,000,001 - $2,000,000	$29,432	$34,196	+$4,764
$2,000,001 - $5,000,000	$41,196	$55,110	+$13,914

Income categories use adjusted gross income reported to the federal Internal Revenue Service.

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado replace its flat income tax with rates that go up as income goes up? The table below shows the average change for each income group. People making under $1 million would see a small cut. People making over $1 million would pay more. The change would raise about $2.7 billion a year for the state. That money would go to K-12 schools, health care, and early child care. The state would keep and spend it above its normal revenue limit. The 4.4% tax on income from selling a main home would not change.

Official income-tax table from the certified question, reproduced without changes.

Scroll sideways to see all four columns →

Income-tax table referenced in the official question
Income Categories	Current Average Income Tax Owed	Proposed Average Income Tax Owed	Proposed Change in Average Income Tax Owed if Passed + or -
$25,000 or less	$59	$50	-$9
$25,001 - $50,000	$751	$632	-$119
$50,001 - $100,000	$1,877	$1,666	-$210
$100,001 - $200,000	$4,126	$3,828	-$298
$200,001 - $500,000	$9,344	$9,019	-$325
$500,001 - $1,000,000	$19,288	$18,963	-$325
$1,000,001 - $2,000,000	$29,432	$34,196	+$4,764
$2,000,001 - $5,000,000	$41,196	$55,110	+$13,914

Income categories use adjusted gross income reported to the federal Internal Revenue Service.

View certified question

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition NN

Keep and Spend Money for Education and Other Purposes

Official ballot language

Shall state investment in K-12 public education increase two percent each year for the next ten years, with investments used to increase teacher pay, improve teacher retention, lower class sizes, and increase access to career and technical courses, without raising taxes but instead funded by raising the annual limit on state fiscal year spending only by the amount spent on public K-12 education as a voter-approved revenue change, and requiring an annual publicly released, independent audit to show how the new investments are spent?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado increase state spending on K-12 public schools by 2 percent a year for the next ten years? The money would go to teacher pay, keeping teachers, smaller classes, and more career and technical courses. Taxes would not go up. Instead, the state's annual spending limit would rise by the amount spent on K-12 schools. An independent audit would be released each year to show how the money is spent.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition 132

Increase Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes

Official ballot language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning criminal penalties for fentanyl and certain synthetic opioids, and, in connection therewith, increasing the felony classifications of drug-related crimes for distribution, manufacturing, dispensing, sale, or possession of fentanyl and certain synthetic opioids; creating mandated treatment for certain drug felony violations based on possession amount; and changing sentencing provisions to narrow or eliminate exemptions for crimes related to fentanyl and certain synthetic opioids and drug-related deaths?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado raise the penalties for crimes involving fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids? Making, selling, dispensing, distributing, or possessing these drugs would become higher-level felonies. Some people found guilty of possession would have to get treatment, based on the amount. Some exceptions in sentencing rules for these crimes, and for deaths these drugs cause, would be narrowed or removed.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition 133

Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor

Official ballot language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes modifying existing law concerning human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, and, in connection therewith, creating new law expanding human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude to include knowingly trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor and increasing the penalty to be life in prison without parole or release?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado expand the crime of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude? It would also cover knowingly trading anything of value to buy or sell sex with a minor. The penalty would be life in prison with no parole or release.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition 134

Male and Female Participation in School and Collegiate Sports

Official ballot language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new law restricting participation in all K-12 and collegiate school sports based on the participant’s sex as determined by certain aspects of their biological reproductive system, and, in connection therewith, requiring a school, institution of higher education, or athletic association to designate each school or intramural athletic team or sport as male, female, or coeducational; only allowing participants to compete on the team or sport of their designated sex or to compete on a coeducational team; creating an exception to allow a female to participate on a male-designated team or sport if there is no female team available; prohibiting a government entity, licensing or accrediting organization, or athletic association from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation, or taking other adverse action against a school for maintaining separate teams or sports for females; and providing the commissioner of education with the authority to enforce the proposed initiative for K-12 school districts?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado limit who can play on K-12 and college sports teams based on sex? Sex would be defined by certain parts of a person's reproductive system. Every team would be labeled male, female, or coed. Athletes could play only on the team for their sex, or on a coed team. A female athlete could join a male team if there is no female team. Schools that keep separate female teams would be protected from complaints, investigations, and penalties by government agencies, licensing and accrediting groups, and athletic associations. The state education commissioner would enforce the rules in K-12 schools.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition 135

Prohibit Surgery on Minors in Response to Perception of Sex or Gender

Official ballot language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes modifying existing law by prohibiting surgery on a minor for the purpose of altering the minor’s biological sex characteristics, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting any health-care professional or other person from knowingly performing, prescribing, administering, or providing any surgery to a minor for the purpose of altering the minor’s biological sex characteristics and prohibiting the use of state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursement, or insurance coverage to pay for this type of surgery?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado ban surgery on anyone under 18 that is meant to change the person's biological sex characteristics? No doctor or other person could knowingly perform, prescribe, or provide this surgery. State and federal money, Medicaid, and insurance could not pay for it.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition 136

Income Tax Rate Limit

Official ballot language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes capping the state income tax rate at 4.4% of federal taxable income for individuals and corporations?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado cap its state income tax rate at 4.4% of federal taxable income? The cap would apply to individuals and corporations.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

Measure Proposition 137

Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation

Official ballot language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new law to increase water and land conservation funding without raising taxes, and, in connection therewith, through a voter-approved revenue change, allowing the state to keep and spend a portion of revenue from the state sales tax on sporting goods and equipment to conserve and protect Colorado’s water, land, and forests, prevent wildfires, support outdoor recreation training and activities, and reduce revenue spent on these conservation purposes if necessary to preserve funding for certain tax credits?

Colorado Secretary of State · certified ballot question

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Should Colorado spend part of the state sales tax on sporting goods on conservation? The money would protect water, land, and forests, prevent wildfires, and support outdoor recreation training and activities. Taxes would not go up. The state would keep and spend this money above its normal revenue limit. It could reduce the amount if needed to protect funding for certain tax credits.

How would you vote on this measure?

yesnoUndecided

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Plain Language Ballot Titles

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Law Enforcement Communication with Federal Immigration Authorities

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Constitutional Right to Purchase and Sell Natural Gas

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Mail Ballot Voter Identification

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Requirements for Off‑Cycle Congressional Redistricting

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Graduated Income Tax

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Keep and Spend Money for Education and Other Purposes

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Increase Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Male and Female Participation in School and Collegiate Sports

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Prohibit Surgery on Minors in Response to Perception of Sex or Gender

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Income Tax Rate Limit

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation

Official ballot language

Plain-language version (campaign draft, not official ballot language)

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