2026 Conservative Voter Guide for Colorado's November 3 election
Yes on 81, 82, 85, 86, 132 and 136. No on 87 and NN.
Brighter Colorado's recommendations on eight statewide ballot measures, in the order they appear on your ballot. Mark your ballot the way we did below, then read why.
The quick guide
| Measure | Our vote | What it does | Why | More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 81 Violent offender reporting | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesPolice must notify Homeland Security within 72 hours when someone charged with a violent crime, or charged after a prior felony, can't be confirmed as lawfully present. | WhyToday an officer can be fined $50,000 for making that call. Amendment 81 requires it: notice only, no new arrest powers. | Details on Amendment 81 |
| Amendment 82 Right to natural gas | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesAdds a constitutional right to buy natural gas for cooking and heating in homes and businesses, and for utilities to sell it. Keeps the lower-cost option available so families aren't forced into higher utility bills. | WhyState regulators are phasing gas out of Colorado homes. Amendment 82 keeps your furnace and stove your choice. | Details on Amendment 82 |
| Amendment 85 Plain language ballot questions | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesRequires state and local ballot questions to be written in plain language, at no more than an 8th‑grade reading level. | WhyYou shouldn't need a graduate degree to understand what's on your ballot. | Details on Amendment 85 |
| Amendment 86 Congressional redistricting | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesAny change to a congressional map needs three public meetings plus approval from the independent commission and the Colorado Supreme Court. | WhyVoters chose independent maps in 2018. Amendment 86 stops politicians from redrawing them mid-decade and bans maps drawn to benefit only one political party. | Details on Amendment 86 |
| Amendment 87 Graduated income tax | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesReplaces the flat 4.4% income tax with six brackets from 3.7% to 8.4%, and removes TABOR's rule that all income be taxed at one rate. | WhyThis is a blank check, a $2.7 billion-a-year tax increase that ends Colorado's flat tax and TABOR's one-rate protection for good. | Details on Amendment 87 |
| Proposition NN K‑12 funding and the TABOR cap | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesPermanently raises the TABOR revenue cap by the amount the state spends on K‑12 schools, about $4.6 billion this year. Allows the legislature to collect billions more in fees without a vote of the people. | WhyThe school money lasts ten years. Losing your TABOR refund lasts forever. Voters already rejected Prop CC and Prop HH. | Details on Proposition NN |
| Proposition 132 Fentanyl penalties | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesMakes dealing any amount of fentanyl a Level 1 drug felony (8 to 32 years) and mandates treatment for low-level possession. | WhyA tiny amount of fentanyl can kill. Proposition 132 treats dealing it that way and gets users into treatment. | Details on Proposition 132 |
| Proposition 136 Income tax rate cap | YES/FORNO/AGAINST | What it doesCaps the state income tax rate at today's 4.4% for individuals and corporations. | WhyKeeps the 4.4% flat rate. If 87 and 136 both pass, whichever gets more yes votes decides the rates. | Details on Proposition 136 |
Constitutional amendments need 55% to pass, except Amendment 87, which only removes language and needs a simple majority. Propositions need a simple majority.
Why we're voting this way
The reasoning behind each recommendation, with the exact wording you'll see on your ballot.
Amendment
81
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote yes
Close the violent offender loophole.
Amendment 81: Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements to Federal Authorities
Requires law enforcement to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours when a person charged with a violent crime, or charged with any crime after a prior felony conviction, cannot be confirmed as lawfully present in the United States.
Why we say yes
- Right now, the phone call is the offense. Senate Bill 25-276, signed in May 2025, made intentionally sharing this information with federal authorities punishable by a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation. Colorado has already sued a sheriff's deputy under these provisions.
- It's narrow on purpose. Notice is required only when all three are true: a prosecutor has filed charges, the charge is a violent crime or the person is a repeat felon, and a reasonable effort can't confirm lawful presence. Not on a traffic stop, not on a hunch, not on an arrest alone.
- It's a notice, nothing more. Amendment 81 creates no detention, no transfer of custody, and no new power to stop, search or arrest anyone. The criminal case moves through Colorado courts exactly as it would today.
- Timing saves lives. In December 2016, Denver released Ever Valles on bond after ICE said notice arrived too late to take custody. Seven weeks later, Tim Cruz was killed at an RTD light rail station. Under Amendment 81, notice would have been due within 72 hours of the original charges, about two months before his release.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the Yes on 81 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Amendment
82
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote yes
Keep your heat. Keep your stove. Keep your choice.
Amendment 82: Right to Natural Gas
Adds two sentences to the Colorado Constitution: consumers have the right to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses, and distributors and utilities have the right to sell it.
Why we say yes
- Regulators are phasing gas out of homes. On December 1, 2025, the three appointed members of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission required utilities to cut system emissions 41% by 2035, with a push toward 100% by 2050. The legislature's own statute, SB 21-264, set a 22% cut by 2030. The legislature never voted for the rest.
- Seven in ten Colorado homes run on gas. About 70% of Colorado households heat with natural gas, and it's the cheaper way to do it. Households with gas service save roughly $1,000 a year on utility bills compared with running an all-electric home.
- A forced switch costs more than most families have. The bare minimum conversion (a heat pump, a panel upgrade and a new water heater) runs about $26,000 before you touch the kitchen. That's an upfront bill most households can't absorb, on top of higher monthly costs after.
- Gas keeps working when the grid doesn't. About 1.9 million Coloradans heat with gas delivered through an underground system that runs separately from power lines. When Winter Storm Uri knocked out the Texas grid in 2021, hypothermia was the leading cause of 246 storm-related deaths.
- It takes nothing away. Amendment 82 doesn't require anyone to use gas, doesn't repeal a single air-quality or methane rule, doesn't block wind, solar, heat pumps or induction stoves, and doesn't raise taxes or spend public money.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the Yes on 82 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Amendment
85
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote yes
Ballot questions voters can actually read.
Amendment 85: Plain Language Ballot Questions
Requires every state and local ballot question to be written in plain language at no more than an 8th‑grade reading level, and bars state statutes from requiring conflicting language on citizen-initiated measures.
Why we say yes
- You shouldn't need a graduate degree to read your ballot. Ballot questions routinely run hundreds of words in a single sentence, printed in capital letters and stacked with legal cross-references. A voter should be able to read a question once and know what a yes vote does.
- Titles shouldn't be sales pitches. Proposition NN's title says it works “without raising taxes” while it permanently raises the state's TABOR revenue cap. Plain language makes it harder to bury the part that matters.
- It applies to every question. The requirement covers all state and local ballot questions, no matter who puts them on the ballot.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the Yes on 85 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Amendment
86
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote yes
Independent maps, every time they're drawn.
Amendment 86: Congressional Redistricting
Re-enacts Colorado's current independent redistricting process and bars changes to a final congressional map unless at least three public meetings are held, the change doesn't divide communities of interest or purposefully favor a political party, and both the independent commission and the Colorado Supreme Court approve it.
Why we say yes
- You already chose independent maps. In 2018, more than 70% of Colorado voters approved Amendment Y and created a 12-member citizen commission: four Democrats, four Republicans and four unaffiliated voters. No map passes without eight votes, including two from unaffiliated members.
- That system was built around the census. Lately, politicians in both parties across the country have been redrawing congressional maps mid-decade to gain an edge. Amendment 86 makes the rule plain: any time Colorado's map changes, the independent commission has to approve it.
- Maps drawn to favor a party are banned. A map drawn on purpose to help one party can't be approved, and changes can't split communities that share a local economy, water, schools and a way of life.
- The public is heard first. At least three public meetings have to happen before a map changes, so Coloradans can testify on the record.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the Yes on 86 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Amendment
87
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote no
Keep Colorado's flat tax.
Amendment 87: Graduated Income Tax
Replaces Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax with six brackets, from 3.7% up to 8.4% on income over $1 million, for individuals, estates, trusts and corporations. It also deletes the TABOR requirement that all taxable income be taxed at one rate. Because it only removes language from the constitution, it needs a simple majority rather than 55%.
Why we say no
- The ballot calls it a $2.7 billion tax increase. The question on your ballot begins, “Shall state taxes be increased $2.7 billion annually.” The new money is kept and spent outside TABOR's revenue limit.
- The flat tax is a protection, not just a rate. Colorado has taxed all income at one rate since 1987, and TABOR has required it since 1992. Once that rule is gone, future tax increases can be aimed at whichever group is smallest at the ballot box.
- The small cut is the sales pitch. The ballot's own estimate shows most households paying $9 to $325 less a year. What you give up is permanent: the one-rate protection in the constitution won't come back without another statewide vote.
- Employers pay the top rates. The higher brackets apply to corporations, including many small businesses that pay through the individual income tax. The Common Sense Institute projects Colorado would lose residents and businesses, which means jobs leave with them. Massachusetts replaced its flat tax with a surtax on high earners in 2022, and IRS data show about 150,000 people moved out of the state in 2023, the first year it applied. California placed a similar measure on the ballot, and $27 billion in expected revenue left the state.
- Voters have said no before. In 2018, Coloradans rejected Amendment 73, which would also have replaced the flat tax with graduated rates.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
On the ballot this question is printed in all capital letters, followed by a table of estimated tax changes by income.
Read the No on 87 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Proposition
NN
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote no
They're at it again. Vote No on NN.
Proposition NN: State Public K‑12 Education Funding
Raises the state's TABOR revenue limit, permanently, by the amount the state spends on K‑12 education (roughly $4.6 billion this year and more every year after) in exchange for ten years of added school funding.
Why we say no
- The schools get a decade. You lose your refund for good. The school formula ends after ten years; the higher cap never expires. Nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff simulations show $47.5 billion in refunds kept by the state from FY 2026-27 through FY 2036-37, roughly $7,300 for the average taxpayer.
- It's a blank check. After the school formula is funded, the bill's fiscal note says the rest may be spent for any purpose. Because NN is a statute, a future legislature can redirect that money with a simple majority and no trip back to voters.
- It makes room for billions in new fees. A higher cap leaves roughly $4 billion of headroom for fees and surcharges that never require a vote of the people.
- This is the third time they've asked. Voters rejected Prop CC in 2019 (53.7% no) and Prop HH in 2023 (59.3% no). The ask underneath never changes: let the state keep your refund.
- The money went up. The results didn't. Public education spending rose 24% since 2020, to $18.1 billion, while K‑12 enrollment fell for a fifth straight year.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the No on NN campaign page Bill text, SB 26-135Back to the quick guide
Proposition
132
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote yes
A tiny amount can kill. The law should say so.
Proposition 132: Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes
Makes manufacturing, selling or distributing any amount of fentanyl or certain synthetic opioids a Level 1 drug felony, punishable by 8 to 32 years in prison. It also requires treatment for people caught with a gram or less.
Why we say yes
- Colorado is moving the wrong way. Colorado's synthetic-opioid overdose deaths rose 17% from December 2024 to August 2025, the third-fastest increase of any state, while the national rate declined. Fentanyl-related emergency room visits rose 15.4% from 2024 to 2025.
- Weight shouldn't be a loophole. Under the 2022 law, penalties depend largely on how much a dealer is caught with. Fentanyl is potent enough that a tiny amount can be lethal, so Proposition 132 applies the highest drug-felony level to distributing any amount.
- No more “I didn't know it was fentanyl.” The measure removes the current option to reduce a charge when a defendant says they didn't know the drug contained fentanyl.
- Treatment for users. Knowingly possessing a gram or less becomes a treatment-mandated felony that is reduced to a misdemeanor once the person completes treatment.
- When it starts. If voters approve Proposition 132, the new penalties take effect January 1, 2027.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the Yes on 132 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Proposition
136
YES/FORNO/AGAINSTVote yes
Lock in the 4.4% rate.
Proposition 136: Income Tax Rate Cap
Caps Colorado's state income tax rate at its current 4.4% of federal taxable income for individuals and corporations.
Why we say yes
- It's the backstop against Amendment 87. If both 87 and 136 pass, the conflict is settled by whichever measure gets more yes votes. A strong yes on 136 keeps the 4.4% rate even if 87 squeaks through.
- Cast both votes. Even if 136 wins, Amendment 87's removal of the one-rate rule from the constitution could still take effect. Voting No on 87 and Yes on 136 gives the flat tax two layers of protection.
- It doesn't raise or cut anything today. It holds the rate where it is. Any future rate increase would still need voter approval under TABOR.
How it reads on your ballot
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?
Read the Yes on 136 campaign page Full text (Secretary of State)Back to the quick guide
Get your ballot in on time
- October 2First day ballots can be mailed outCounty clerks can begin mailing ballots to voters, so start watching your mailbox.
- October 19Voting centers openVote in person or drop off your ballot.
- October 26Last day to mail it backAfter this, use a drop box or voting center. It's also the deadline to register and still get a ballot by mail.
- November 3Election DayBallots must be received, or you must be in line to vote, by 7 p.m.
Check your registration and track your ballot at GoVoteColorado.gov.
Pass it on.
Constitutional amendments need 55%, so every vote counts. Send this guide to a friend or print a copy for the kitchen table.