Cathy’s 2026 Ballot Guide

Welcome to Cathy’s 202 Ballot Guide. Below are my recommendations for state and local issues on the ballot this November. I have done my best to include resources on both sides of every issue. If you have questions, please feel free to email me at cathy@cathykipp.com or call or text me at 970-219-5267. I’m always happy to share my thoughts. Thank you for engaging in our democratic process!

Voter Resources/Registration and Ballot-Dropoff

Blue Book Information

Blue Books have mailed out; you can also access information here.

It contains information on Judicial Retentions and Ballot Issues.

Too Long, Don’t Want To Read?

If you don’t want to read the entire guide, I am only recommending a YES vote on 5 of the ballot issues this year:

Full Issue List

You can click any of the amendments, propositions, or issues to be brought to it, or just scroll down.

Why are there so many Ballot Issues this year?

Advance Colorado is a conservative dark-money group that has taken to pushing ballot measures where otherwise they would be incapable of winning. The measures that they are pushing this year are incredibly harmful to vulnerable communities across Colorado and will cause great harm if approved.

Anti LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion groups have also come together to support other harmful issues.

Here are some news articles outlining the financial and political background of Advance Colorado and associated groups.

Ballot Issues

The following issues are in the order that they will appear on your Ballot, after the candidates and judicial retentions.

Statewide Ballot Issues

Amendment 81: Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements to Federal Authorities – No

This is the first of Advance Colorado’s measures (the dark-money group mentioned above). This constitutional amendment would require Colorado state and local law enforcement organizations to notify ICE when a person is charged with a crime of violence or has a prior felony conviction and the person’s immigration status cannot be determined. I am voting No on this amendment because we don’t need to give ICE additional authority or opportunities to abuse people.

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Amendment 82: Right to Natural Gas – No

This is another conservative dark-money ballot measure that would provide a constitutional right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating in homes and businesses and for distributors and utilities to sell natural gas for those purposes. I am voting no because this amendment locks in natural use as a “right” undoing existing laws and preventing any future transition away from fossil fuels, the burning of which contribute to climate change.

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Amendment 83: Right to Hunt and Fish – No

This constitutional amendment would establish a right to hunt, fish, and take fish and wildlife in the state constitution, through traditional methods, and allow the state legislature and executive agencies to regulate it. I am voting no because people already can hunt and fish in Colorado, this amendment weakens existing science-based wildlife management by making hunting the “preferred” method for wildlife management.

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Amendment 84: Mail Ballot Voter Identification – No

This is another conservative dark-money ballot measure that would require voters casting ballots by mail to place their signature and some form of real ID on their ballot. I am voting No because the intent of this measure is voter suppression and Colorado already has good systems in place to prevent voter fraud.

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Amendment 85: Plain Language Ballot Questions – No

This is another conservative dark-money ballot measure that would require ballot questions to be in plain language, at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. I am voting No on this amendment because current law already requires and plain language for ballot titles. In my view, this is an attempt to allow for deceptive language to be placed on future ballots under the guise of the language being “plain”.

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Amendment 86: Congressional Redistricting – No

This is another conservative dark-money ballot measure that would require congressional maps drawn in an off-cycle redistricting year to be approved by both a nonpolitical commission and the state supreme court. I am voting No because conservative dark money groups are trying to make it impossible for Colorado to retaliate in cases where other states start redrawing congressional maps off-cycle for partisan political benefit.

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Amendment 87: Graduated Income Tax – Yes

This constitutional amendment would establish a graduated income tax within the state of Colorado (which is currently prohibited in our state constitution). Under this proposal, 97% of Coloradans would get a tax cut and the wealthiest in our state – with the threshold for paying higher taxes being set at $500,000.

This constitutional amendment would establish a graduated income tax within the state of Colorado (which is currently prohibited in our state constitution). Under this proposal, 97% of Coloradans would get a tax cut and the wealthiest in our state who make above $500,000 annually, would pay a higher rate for the net amount of income over $500,000.

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Proposition NN: State Public K-12 Education Funding – Yes

Prop NN would increase TABOR cap by the amount of money the state of Colorado spends on K-12 education and will use this funding first to improve public K-12 education and then for expenses related to helping children be successful in school. I am voting Yes on this measure because we have been underfunding our public schools in Colorado for decades.

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Proposition 132: Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes – No

This is another conservative dark-money ballot measure that would increase penalties for possession and distribution, including the selling, transfer or sharing, of any amount of fentanyl; and eliminate the possibility of reduced penalties for certain possession and distribution offenses with mitigating circumstances. I am voting No because zero tolerance policies don’t stop crime or prevent substance abuse. Instead they fill up our jails and prisons and keep people from getting the substance abuse treatment they need. This measure would be very costly to our state and our counties and cause us to have to build and run new prisons. 

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Proposition 133: Require Life in Prison for Human Trafficking of Minors – No

This measure would mandate a sentence of life in prison without parole for child sex trafficking convictions; and expand child sex trafficking to include buying sexual activity with a minor. This measure is being supported by the anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ groups that are also supporting the anti-trans measures on the ballot. I am voting No because child sex traffickers typically force the children they are trafficking to traffick others. If this measure passes, these victims would also be subject to these same penalties. Colorado already punishes minor human trafficking as a severe class 2 felony with sentences up to 48 years and NONE of Colorado’s anti-sexual violence organizations support this measure.

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Proposition 134: Male and Female Participation in School Sports – No

This measure would require all K-12 and collegiate school sports teams to be separated based on biological sex, unless the team is co-ed. It would also prevent the government from taking action against discriminatory actions. This is part of the anti-trans hysteria that is being led by the federal administration.

I am voting No because participation in organized sports has been shown to improve the mental health and academic well-being of transgender youth. This measure is likely to increase stigma and discrimination against transgender students and worsen their well-being. It also opens the door for witch hunts i.e. accusations that players are secretly trans and puts the government and schools in the disgusting position of investigating the reproductive organs of students who just want to play sports. Meanwhile, there is no sound evidence that transgender participation in youth sports negatively impacts the well-being of cisgender youth.

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Proposition 135: Prohibit Certain Surgeries on Minors – No

This measure would prohibit healthcare professionals from providing surgeries to persons under age 18 for the purpose of “treatment in response to a minor’s perception of sex or gender”. I am voting no as this is another part of anti-trans agenda, the procedures are broad and ill-defined, and this opens the door for the government to intrude on the private medical care of individuals.

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Proposition 136: Income Tax Rate Cap- No

This is another conservative dark-money ballot measure that establishes a 4.4% cap on individual and corporate income tax rates. I am voting No because this proposition acts directly against Amendment 87, as an attempt to maintain a regressive tax system and benefit the wealthy.

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Proposition 137: Designate Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation- No

Allow the state to retain and spend sales tax revenue from sporting goods and equipment for water, land, forest, wildfire prevention, and outdoor recreation purposes. The measure also removes these funds from the TABOR cap. I support conservation and wildfire mitigation however, I am voting No on proposition 137 for two reasons. By earmarking specific funds at the ballot box, it makes budgeting in tight fiscal years even harder, because I also support healthcare, childcare, transportation funding and all levels of public education. Colorado is already facing annual billion dollar plus budget deficits, and we need to be able to make decisions while considering the entire budget, not one budget item at a time.

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Larimer County Ballot Issue 1A – Yes

Ballot Issue 1A is a .3% sales tax- that is, 3 cents on every $10 – (excluding sales of food for home consumption, gasoline, diapers, prescription drugs and certain other items) to improve resiliency, safety, and public access to natural areas in our community. I am a Yes vote because I want Larimer County to be able to support our communities’ needs and build strong foundations on which we can rely as we deal with the ongoing impacts of climate change.

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Front Range Passenger Rail District Ballot Issue 7A – Yes

Would raise $295 million annually via a new 0.333% regional sales tax and authorize $580 million in debt to build the “Colorado Connector” (CoCo) passenger rail line linking Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and other Front Range cities. Groceries, gas, medicine, and residential utilities are exempted from the tax. It includes a requirement for independent annual audits. Bringing rail to the front range will cut highway congestion and pollution,  and connect job centers, and give people options when travelling along the front range.

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Poudre Valley Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 7E- Yes

This ballot issue does NOT increase taxes; it allows the fire district to keep funding that goes above a cap instituted by the state government in 2024. I am a yes vote because it is important to have a functioning and appropriately funded fire department, especially given the impact of climate change increasing the frequency of wildfires and other natural disasters.

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Other Ballot Guides and Further Information