2026 ballot guide

garco voters: don’t vote for Garfield County sheriff

Republican Brent Baker is running unopposed for Garfield County Sheriff with the full endorsement of current Sheriff Lou Villario (2002-present). The social justice law firm Towards Justice sent a cease and desist letter to Sheriff Vallario last February alleging multiple instances of the sheriff department illegally assisting ICE. Should similar behavior by soon-to-be-Sheriff Baker ever merit his recall, the required signatures on a recall petition would be 25% of all votes cast for that office in this year’s election. The fewer votes cast for that position, the easier a recall will be.

Ballot MEasures

Statewide measures

Vote YES on:

  • Income Tax Fairness Act

    Protect Colorado’s Future: A Yes vote means that giant corporations and the richest 3% of Coloradans, those who make over $500,000/year, will pay their fair share for our schools, health care, and child care.

  • Public Education Funding

    Colorado Education Association: “Vote yes on Prop NN to raise Colorado’s outdated revenue cap and allow the state to invest the revenue it already collects in K–12 public education without raising taxes.”

  • Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation

    Vote Yes on Prop 137: Without raising taxes, Prop 137 will allow the state to keep the money it receives from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods and equipment and invest that money in crucial conservation work. Rep. Elizabeth Velasco and AG Phil Weiser have both endorsed this proposition.

Vote NO on:

  • Colorado Notification of U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Certain Criminal Charges and Immigration Status Initiative

    Rocky Mountain Equality: "[This amendment] denies due process. An accusation, not a conviction, is enough to upend a person's and their family's life, if they cannot immediately prove their citizenship status.... Amendment 81 would expand ICE's power in Colorado, requiring local law enforcement to act as an arm of Trump's deportation machine.” NO On 81

  • Right to Natural Gas

    Who Is Advance Colorado: “Amendment 82 is a shameless corporate giveaway in defiance of all established climate science. It would amend the Colorado Constitution to enshrine a right for corporations to buy and sell natural gas.” Whose right is it anyway?

  • Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish

    Why Vote No on 83:  “Amendment 83 misleads Colorado voters into thinking they are protecting the right to hunt and fish when it actually takes away our voice in future wildlife decisions….[it is intentionally undefined and vague, creating uncertainty around future actions to address habitat, biodiversity, nongame species, disease, climate change, and other wildlife challenges.”

  • Mail Ballot Voter Identification

    Defend Our Ballots: Amendment 84 puts Colorado’s mail vote on the line. “Colorado's signature verification system is rigorous, accurate, and already working. Adding a new ID-number requirement won't improve security — it will only create new barriers and new risks.”

  • Plain Language Ballot Questions

    Who Is Advance Colorado: “Amendment 85 seeks to add language to the state constitution requiring all future ballot questions to be written “at no more than an 8th grade reading level,” and prohibits the legislature from mandating any language which interferes with that standard. It’s an attempt to make raising taxes on the wealthy harder than cutting them.”

  • Congressional Redistricting

    Who Is Advance Colorado: “In 2025, Trump and Republicans kicked off a push for states to redistrict in the middle of the decade, instead of waiting until after the next census, in hopes of gaining redrawn seats for Republicans. Amendment 86 is [conservative dark money group] Advance Colorado’s contribution to that effort.”

  • Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes

    Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition: “Sponsored by a conservative political organization, Prop 132 would significantly increase prison sentences for fentanyl offenses and is projected to substantially increase overdose deaths in Colorado.”

  • Require Life in Prison for Human Trafficking of Minors

    IIndivisible Colorado: “[This measure] this does not support best practice for supporting survivors. It is best practice to allow the experts in the court system to evaluate the details of each individual case to determine the appropriate sentences/outcomes. This may include, in part, the type and level of participation of the defendant, keeping in mind that the defendant may also be a victim.”

  • Colorado Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative.

    Nadine Bridges, Executive Director of One Colorado: "This proposition is vague, poorly written, and leave[s] critical questions unanswered. Who decides who gets questioned, who gets inspected, and which kids are going to be singled out? When laws are written this vaguely, they open the door to unintended consequences that can cause serious harm to all of our kids."  More info: Families Not Politics

  • Prohibit Surgeries for Treatment in Response to Minors' Perception of Sex or Gender

    Families Not Politics: “This measure takes healthcare decisions out of parents’ and doctors’ hands, with no way to appeal if the government gets it wrong.”

  • Income Tax Rate Cap

    Who Is Advance Colorado: “Trickle-down economics at its worst, Proposition 136 seeks to place a permanent cap on the individual and corporate income tax in Colorado. The policy would force cuts to vital services in order to pad the pockets of big business and the already wealthy.”

Garfield County measures

Vote YES on:

  • Maintain Our Garfield County Libraries: To continue library maintenance and operations without increasing the tax rate, the Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) Board of Trustees voted to place a 1 mill levy extension measure on the ballot. Garfield residents already pay it. This sustains that funding to maintain the libraries we love.

  • Yes on 5C: The Roaring Fork School District is now the fourth most expensive place to live in Colorado, with costs up nearly 19% since 2023, yet we rank in the bottom third of the state for per-pupil funding and only 16th in average teacher salary. 5C is an opportunity to invest directly in the success of our local students, teachers and schools.

  • Yes on 4A & 4B: Our students deserve consistent, talented teachers and staff. 4A provides locally controlled funding to make compensation more competitive with neighboring districts and the realities of living in our communities. 4B reauthorizes the district’s current bond tax rate so Garfield Re-2 can address priority facilities and learning spaces serving Rifle, Silt, and New Castle.

EAGLE County measures

Vote YES on:

  • Property tax increase to support Eagle County school staff, programs, and student services

    Yes on 5B: Our students deserve the same competitive advantage as their peers in neighboring districts. We can achieve this by voter approval of 5B which will generate the funds needed to invest in three critical areas: teachers & staff, academic programs, and mental health. In Colorado, school districts are legally mandated to share MLO revenue with their district-authorized charter schools.

additional info on ballot measures:

Over half of the statewide Balllot Measures the 2026 Colorado ballot have been spawned by a single dark money organization: Advance Colorado, a conservative political group seeking to expand ICE power, block clean energy policy, and cut taxes for the richest Coloradans. Read more.

voting on judges

We recommend reviewing the Bluebook for recommendations from the judicial committee regarding judges. Please don’t let your indecision on judges keep you from voting EARLY! It’s OK to skip some questions on your ballot.

it is OK to skip some questions on your ballot

The other votes cast on your ballot will still count.