Young People’s Priority Ballot Measures

Here’s our top takes:

Vote YES on Amendment 79: The Right to Abortion

What does it do? Protects the right to abortion from government interference and discrimination in the Colorado constitution, thereby repealing a funding ban that prevents state-provided insurance from covering abortion care.
Why? This measure will protect abortion care against the whims of politicians who seek to outlaw or restrict access in Colorado. It will be easier for over one million more Coloradans—including teachers and other public employees—who currently lack coverage to access essential health care through their insurance. Amendment 79 will ensure that people who live on low incomes and are Black and brown can make the best decision for themselves about their reproductive care.
Who else says YES? Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Cobalt.

Vote YES on Amendment J: Repealing the Definition of Marriage in the Constitution.

What does it do? Repeals a Colorado law that defines marriage as only “between a man and a woman.”

Why? Marriage is a basic freedom, and no one should be denied the privilege of marrying the person they love. Passing Amendment J ensures LGBTQIA+ marriages will remain legal and recognized by the state of Colorado in the potential event of a future Supreme Court ruling that overturns same-sex marriage protections.
Who else says YES? One Colorado, Rocky Mountain Equality, and Colorado Working Families Party

Vote YES on Amendment H: Judicial Discipline Procedures and Confidentiality.

What does it do? Creates an independent body to hold justices or judges accountable for misconduct. Complaints and investigation trends will also be made available publicly.

Why? Our criminal justice system needs independent boards, which are more likely to produce unbiased results and findings, to hold people in positions of power accountable.

Vote YES on Amendment K: Modify Constitutional Election Deadline

What does it do? The measure, at county clerks’ request, would add an extra week to two election-related deadlines: the time clerks are given to certify a list of ballot initiatives and candidates for the Secretary of State’s office and the deadline to finalize the ballot.

Why are we voting YES? As Colorado’s ballots continue to get longer and more complicated, county clerks need additional time to ensure that the ballots voters will receive are accurate. This measure will reduce the chance of voters receiving multiple ballot corrections over the course of an election. Amendment K ensures voters will receive error-free ballots, which will keep our elections free, fair, and accessible.

Vote NO on Proposition 131: Establishing All-Candidate Primary and Ranked Choice Voting General Elections.

What does it do? Proposition 131 will make it so candidates running for certain offices will compete in the same primary election, regardless of their political party. All voters will get one non-partisan primary ballot and vote for only one candidate. The four candidates who receive the most votes will then advance to the general election, where voters will rank the candidates in order of preference. The candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes wins.
- This will apply to the following races: U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, CO Governor + Colorado Lieutenant Governor, CO Secretary of State, CO Treasurer, CO Attorney General, Members of the CO State Board of Education, CU Regents, and CO state Senators + CO state Representatives.
Why? Election clerks and recorders are concerned that this election system is overly complicated and will create errors, long delays in tallying votes, and some votes not being counted. People who already face barriers to voting, like young people and people of color, are at a higher risk of being further disenfranchised by this system—which is not good for a representative democracy. This measure is also being backed by billionaires who seek to influence our elections.
Who else says NO? American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Colorado Common Cause, and Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition

Vote NO on Amendment 80: Constitutional Right to School Choice.

What does it do? Creates a constitutional right to private schools, religious schools, and homeschooling. This will be a permanent first step towards creating a voucher system, which would use taxpayer dollars to bankroll elite private school tuitions.
Why? Amendment 80 would siphon money away from all students in Colorado to schools that can deny students with LGBTQ+ parents or parents of kids with special needs and intensify existing inequities that hurt Black and brown students.
Who else says NO? Colorado Education Association, American Federation of Teachers Colorado (AFT Colorado), ACLU of Colorado

Vote NO on Proposition 130: Funding for Law Enforcement

What does it do? Requires the state to provide $350 million to local law enforcement agencies to improve recruitment and retention; it also adds a $1 million death benefit to families of police officers killed in the line of duty to existing benefits.
Why are we voting NO? Proposition 130 throws money at problems instead of funding solutions like co-response programs and other mental or behavioral health-focused response programs. Colorado spends enough on law enforcement already, allocating more funding per capita than 75% of states in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Our tax dollars would be better used to support our underfunded education system and mental health services.
Who else says NO? Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Colorado Fiscal Institute, ACLU of Colorado

Vote NO on Proposition 128: Parole Eligibility for Crimes of Violence

What does it do? Requires a person convicted of certain violent crimes to serve at least 85% of their sentence in prison before being eligible for earned time or discretionary parole.
Why are we voting NO? Instead of investing in restorative justice or rehabilitative programs, Proposition 128 would waste $56 million annually on prolonged imprisonment of people who have already served long sentences and disproportionately incarcerated Black and brown people.
Who else says NO? Colorado Freedom Fund, Soul 2 Soul Sisters, and Together Colorado

Vote NO ON Amendment I: Constitutional Bail Exception for First Degree Murder

What does it do? This measure allows judges to deny bail to a person charged with first degree murder.
Why are we voting NO? One of the most basic principles underlying our criminal justice system is that a person is “innocent until proven guilty,” and denying bail assumes that the person charged is already guilty. This measure reinforces pretrial detention, which disproportionately harms Black and brown communities.