Welcome to my Colorado/Denver voting guide. Elsewhere folk, this doesn’t concern you. Disclaimer: some of my opinions may have slipped in here. Ignore at will. Haven’t a clue how I’m voting. Writing this blog is the first step of my decision-making.
2021 Election Info
The state ballot has only two propositions and one amendment. That’s the blue 2021 State Ballot Information Booklet you got in the mail. I know looking at it fills you with dread. Don’t be scared! Remember half of it is duplicated in a language you don’t need. Pick English and it’s just 22 pages. Two pages if you only read the summaries on pages 1 – 2.
Amendment 78: shall all state funding be allocated by the state legislature
Proposition 119: shall we increase marijuana taxes to fund aid for new tutoring and out-of-school enrichment/instruction programs
Proposition 120: shall we lower property tax assessment rates for multifamily housing and lodging. My question: what do the current taxes pay for now that we’ll lose if we pass this? If it’s fire departments, I’m not on board.
On your ballot these are first, along with school board candidates if you’re in Denver. If you’re not, I don’t know what else is on your ballot. And that’s it for non-Denverites. Go away now.
Denver voters, stay with me.
Some years ago, Jefferson County school board members tried to ban history books for being too critical. (The effort to hide from our past is not new, people.) A Jefferson County resident said, “I’ll never ignore a school board election again.”
Word to the wise. School Board Elections Matter!
All of Denver votes for one of five candidates for the at-large position. You’ll see another race to vote on if you’re in District 2, 3, or 4. Can’t remember your district? No worries. Your ballot tells you. Mine tells me I’m in District 4 and have four candidates to choose from, except not really. I have three because Andrea Mosby dropped out too late to have her name removed. Don’t vote for her, District 4. Choose between Michelle Quattlebaum, Gene Fashaw, and José Silva.
Various groups support various of these candidates and have provided information about them. Here are two:
https://ballotpedia.org/Denver_Public_Schools,_Colorado,_elections_(2021)
Denver, we’re not done yet. We have thirteen measures to vote yea or nay on. Thirteen. We’re now in the Denver ballot information booklet, which you also got in the mail weeks ago, but haven’t looked at yet because, like me, you needed to rearrange your sock drawer.
Referred measures, first in our booklet, were put there by local lawmakers, i.e., city council. Referred measures 2A – 2E ask to issue bonds to fund infrastructure and other needs and promise not to raise taxes. These are important. See the links.
2F, 2G and 2H are referred also, but deal with other matters, namely, (2F) should we repeal the ordinance city council passed to allow five unrelated people to live in one house, (2G) should we amend the city charter to let the citizen oversight board select the independent monitor and (2H) should we change our city election from May to April.
Initiated measures come after the alphabeticals. Citizen groups circulated petitions you signed at your grocery store which is why we’re voting on them now. This year, Initiated Ordinances 300 – 304. Disclaimer: my descriptions are oversimplified.
300: raise marijuana taxes (different from the State measure) to fund pandemic recovery, preparedness and research at UCD.
301: shall we keep the Park Hill Golf course as a park/open land
302: or shall we allow developers to build on it? (Both require rereading to understand what they say, and my descriptions don’t cover the matter)
303: shall the city be required to enforce the ban on unauthorized camping within 72 hours after a citizen complaint. This proposal also includes creating 4 authorized camping sites, but the city is already doing that. (Is it just me, or does this one seem harsh? I like 2B, which provides funds for homeless housing. I think most people prefer living inside and would do so given the chance.)
304: shall we reduce our sales and use tax. My question, again: what do those taxes pay for now that we won’t have if we cut them?
General information follows:
https://denverite.com/2021/10/07/denver-ballot-measures-vg-2021/
https://www.cpr.org/2021/10/07/colorado-voter-guide-2021-election/
Westword has detailed pro and con on the more controversial measures, like 2F and 301 – 303:
https://www.westword.com/news/denver-ballot-election-colorado-2021-12543161
Ballotpedia has one sentence summaries of what Yes or No votes mean. Also, previous years are easy to pull up, for example, 2017, when we last passed a cultural facilities bond:
https://ballotpedia.org/Denver_County,_Colorado_ballot_measures
Decisions on these bond requests and other matters will impact and shape our city and state for years to come. Because this is Colorado, you can sit at your table with a cup of coffee, take your time, then seal it up and drop it in any secure ballot drop off box, after which you’ll get an email from BallotTrace letting you know your ballot has been received for counting. So easy. So safe. Do it!