Proposition KK - Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax

✔ VOTE YES

This amendment would create a new tax on firearm sellers of 6.5% of sales of firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition, and exempts this money from the state’s revenue limit as a voter-approved revenue change. The new tax revenue will be used to fund crime victim support services, mental health services for veterans and youth, and school safety programs.  

CDP recommends voting YES because:

Securing reliable funding for victim and mental health services for communities and individuals impacted by gun violence is an important goal of this measure. This initiative will address funding insecurity for veterans, crime victims, and behavioral health programs while exempting law enforcement officers, agencies and active-duty military service members from the tax.

Proposition JJ - Retain Additional Sports Betting Revenue

✔ VOTE YES

This amendment would allow the state to keep sports betting tax revenue above the current amount allowed and use this money for water projects, rather than refunding it to casinos and sports betting operators.

CDP recommends voting YES because:

Retaining all collected tax revenue from sports betting will strengthen financial support for water conservation and protection projects in Colorado, particularly as national demands on Colorado water increase. Voters approved retention of revenue from sports betting and capped it at $29M in 2019; this initiative allows for collection of all sports betting revenue as the industry grows and revenue surpasses that cap.

Amendment 79 - Right to Abortion

✔ VOTE YES

This initiative would make abortion a constitutional right in Colorado and repeal the existing constitutional ban on state and local government funding for abortion

CDP recommends voting YES because:

People enrolled in state health insurance plans – teachers, firefighters, and other state employees – should have access to abortion coverage. We all deserve the freedom to make personal, private healthcare decisions – and that right shouldn’t depend on the source of their health insurance or who is in office.

More info: Protect the Right to Abortion in Colorado

Amendment K - Modify Constitutional Election Deadlines

✔ VOTE YES

This amendment would make deadlines 1 week earlier for citizens to submit signatures for initiative and referendum petitions and for judges to file declarations of intent to seek another term. It would also require that the content of ballot measures be published 30 days earlier than under current law.

CDP recommends voting YES because:

This measure will assist election officials in conducting elections to the best of their ability. It will give election officials more time to format, translate, and review ballots for accuracy before they are sent to voters. It ensures that newspapers publish the content of ballot measures sooner and before voters receive their ballots.

Amendment J - Repealing the Definition of Marriage in the Constitution

✔ VOTE YES

This amendment would repeal the definition that states that only a union of one man and one woman is a valid or recognized marriage in Colorado.

CDP recommends voting YES because:

LGBTQ+ members of our community deserve the same access to marriage as anyone, and this initiative will allow our Constitution to better reflect our values that marriage is a basic right for all Coloradans. It will also protect Coloradans’ right to marriage should the Supreme Court overturn previous decisions.

Amendment I - Bail Exception for First Degree Murder

✔ VOTE YES

This amendment would restore the ability of judges to deny bail to people charged with first degree murder when certain criteria are met.

CDP recommends voting YES because:

This measure closes a loophole that allows those charged with first-degree murder to post bail. This loophole was inadvertently opened in 2020 when Colorado abolished the death penalty.

Amendment H - Judicial Discipline Procedures and Confidentiality

✔ VOTE YES

This initiative aims to increase the transparency, independence, and integrity of the judicial discipline process. It would: 

• Create an independent adjudicative board to preside over ethical misconduct hearings; 

• Allow for increased public access to judicial discipline proceedings and records. 

CDP recommends voting YES because:

This measure is a compromise recommended by nearly all members of the General Assembly and formally by the Judicial Branch. Should this pass, Colorado’s judicial system will be more accountable and transparent to the public.

Amendment G - Modify Property Tax Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities

✔ VOTE YES

This amendment would change the state constitution to extend eligibility for the homestead exemption to veterans who have unemployability status. Currently, veterans can only qualify if they have a service-connected disability rated as 100 percent. 

CDP recommends voting YES because:

3,400 veterans in Colorado will qualify for this property tax exemption if the amendment passes, and it will expand existing law to capture all veterans with unemployability status. Qualifying individuals can reduce their property taxes by exempting 50 percent of the first $200,000 of the value of their home. In 2023, the homestead exemption reduced property taxes for veterans and Gold Star spouses by an average of $586.