Denver Coordinated Election 2019 Voter's Guide

DENVER, CO — Voters will decide who fills three seats on the Denver Public Schools Board and which ballot measures will pass Nov. 5. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

How to vote

Ballots were mailed to voters beginning Oct. 14, and Oct. 28 was the last day to return ballots via mail; however ballots can be dropped off at 24-hour drop boxes across the city. You can also choose to vote in-person at vote centers, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

View an interactive sample ballot.

Voter registration

You can register to vote at voting centers in Denver. Voting registration can be checked at Go Vote Colorado.

24-hour ballot drop box and vote center locations

*The city provides an interactive map to help voters find their nearest location.

24-hour ballot drop boxes:

• Barnum Recreation Center
• Bear Valley Branch Library
• Blair-Caldwell Library
• Carla Madison Recreation Center
• Central Park Recreation Center
• Cook Park Recreation Center
• Denver Botanic Gardens
• Denver Elections Division
• Denver Human Services
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• Denver Police Department District 1
• Denver Police Department District 3
• Eisenhower Recreation Center
• Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center
• Harvey Park Recreation Center
• Hiawatha Davis Jr Recreation Center
• Highland Recreation Center
• La Familia Recreation Center
• Montbello Branch Library
• Montbello Recreation Center
• Montclair Recreation Center
• RTD - I-25 and Broadway Station
• RTD - Light Rail at Union Station
• RTD - Southmoor Station
• Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales Branch Library
• Ross - Cherry Creek Branch Library
• Scheitler Recreation Center
• Southwest Recreation Center
• Stapleton MCA Administrative Offices
• Swansea Recreation Center
• Washington Park Recreation Center
• Wellington Webb Municipal Building
• Westwood Branch Library / SWIC

Voter service and polling centers:

• Barnum Recreation Center
• Blair-Caldwell Library
• Christ Church United Methodist
• Christ Community Church
• Denver Elections Division
• Denver Police Department District 3
• Harvey Park Recreation Center
• Hiawatha Davis Jr Recreation Center
• Highland Recreation Center
• Montbello Recreation Center
• Tivoli Student Union at Auraria

Voters can use Ballot Trace to track their ballots.

Ballot questions

Denver officials have put four questions on the Nov. 5 ballot — 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D, which ask voters about government departments, elected officials' residency and fire department positions. Denver voters will also help decide the outcome of statewide questions: Proposition DD, about a sports betting tax; and Proposition CC, about TABOR tax refunds.

Statewide ballot questions

Proposition CC

Question as it will appear on the ballot:
WITHOUT RAISING TAXES AND TO BETTER FUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND ROADS, BRIDGES, AND TRANSIT, WITHIN A BALANCED BUDGET, MAY THE STATE KEEP AND SPEND ALL THE REVENUE IT ANNUALLY COLLECTS AFTER JUNE 30, 2019, BUT IS NOT CURRENTLY ALLOWED TO KEEP AND SPEND UNDER COLORADO LAW, WITH AN ANNUAL INDEPENDENT AUDIT TO SHOW HOW THE RETAINED REVENUES ARE SPENT?

Voters are being asked whether they will allow the state to keep revenue that's above the state's spending cap. That revenue would then be spent on education and transportation. If voters decide against the measure, the state will continue to give any money over its revenue limit back to taxpayers, as required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

Proposition DD

Question as it will appear on the ballot:

SHALL STATE TAXES BE INCREASED BY TWENTY-NINE MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY TO FUND STATE WATER PROJECTS AND COMMITMENTS AND TO PAY FOR THE REGULATION OF SPORTS BETTING THROUGH LICENSED CASINOS BY AUTHORIZING A TAX ON SPORTS BETTING OF TEN PERCENT OF NET SPORTS BETTING PROCEEDS, AND TO IMPOSE THE TAX ON PERSONS LICENSED TO CONDUCT SPORTS BETTING OPERATIONS?

Voters are being asked whether sports betting should be legalized and taxed in Colorado. If the measure passes, the taxes from sports betting would be used to fund water projects and 'water-related obligations,' officials said. The taxes would also fund the regulation of sports betting, a hold harmless fund and gambling addiction services.

Denver ballot questions

2A

Question as it will appear on the ballot:

Shall the Charter of the City and County of Denver be amended to create the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, to require the department to perform the powers and duties formerly performed by the Department of Public Works, and to assign to the department new powers and duties in regard to transportation services, transportation safety programs, and non-motorized transportation facilities?

Voters are being asked whether a new Department of Transportation and Infrastructure should be created in Denver, or if transportation should continue to be run by the city's Department of Public Works. The new department wouldn't require any new hiring, but would cost about $200,000 to update communications and marketing materials.

2B

Question as it will appear on the ballot:

Shall the charter of the City and County of Denver be amended to remove from the Department of General Services the management and control of facilities owned or leased by the City and County for theatre, concert, auditorium or arena purposes, in order to conform the charter to other laws of the City and County assigning the responsibility to manage such facilities to the agency known as Denver Arts and Venues?

The city's Arts & Venues agency currently oversees publicly-owned venues such as the Red Rocks Park & Ampitheatre; however, formally the Department of General Service is in charge of those venues. This ballot is simply asking voters to make Arts & Venues "officially" in charge.

2C

Question as it will appear on the ballot:

Shall the Charter of the City and County of Denver be amended to add emergency medical technician as a rank in the fire department and to allow the chief of the fire department to assign an assistant chief to the duties of shift commander who shall serve at the pleasure of the chief?

The Denver Fire Department currently pays its employees to work overtime for its medical unit. This charter amendment would allow the department to hire full-time emergency medical technicians. Officials said the new hires would save money on overtime, so the amendment would not cost taxpayers extra — at least initially.

2D

Question as it will appear on the ballot:

Shall the Charter of the City and County of Denver be amended to require elected officials to maintain residency in Denver and, if a district Councilmember, in the district, throughout the term of office?

All Denver elected officials are required by law to live in the city, and council members are required to live in their district. This amendment would crack down on officials who move out of Denver's borders after being elected (or council members who move out of their district) — they would be removed from office and a special election would be held for their replacement.

Denver Public Schools Board

Nine candidates are vying for three seats on the Denver Public Schools Board, which serves about 93,000 students, sets policy, works on reform strategies and aims to help students achieve the best possible education.

You can use Chalkbeat's campaign finance tracker to find out how much money each candidate has raised and spent.

Candidates

District 1 (southeast Denver): Meet The District 1 Candidates For Denver's School Board

• Scott Balderman
• Radhika Nath
• Diana Romero Campbell

District 5 (northwest Denver): Meet The District 5 Candidates For Denver's School Board

• Julie Banuelos
• Tony Curcio
• Brad Laurvick

At-Large (represents entire city - all voters will cast ballots): Meet The At-Large Candidates For Denver's School Board

• Tay Anderson
• Alexis Menocal Harrigan
• Natela Alexandrovna Manuntseva

Endorsements:

• Denver Classroom Teachers Association: Tay Anderson, Brad Laurvick and Scott Baldermann
• Students for Education Reform Action Network: Alexis Menocal Harrigan, Tony Curcio and Diana Romero Campbell.
• Stand for Children: Alexis Menocal Harrigan, Tony Curcio and Diana Romero Campbell.

Read also:

• Spending In Denver School Board Races Has Topped $1.3 Million
• Third Candidate Enters Denver School Board Race
• How Aurora School Board Candidates Plan To Handle Shifting Enrollment