In addition to all the races for federal and state positions, there are a dozen statewide measures on the November 5 ballot, as well as a dozen city initiatives.
In Denver, proposals get onto the ballot in one of two ways: referred to the election directly by city council, or by citizens collecting at least 8,940 valid petition signatures in support of their initiative. Citizens had until June 13 to submit petitions, though the deadline and number of required signatures shift if the initiative proposes an amendment to the city charter. Council had until August 7 to hold the initial votes on measures to refer to the ballot, but the council president can waive this deadline — and the last measure wasn't approved for the ballot by Denver City Council until August 26.
Here are the twelve local issues that Denver voters will decide in November, along with one bonus:
Citizen Initiatives on the Ballot
Slaughterhouse BanA citizen-led initiative asks voters to prohibit the operation and construction of slaughterhouses in Denver beginning in 2026. If passed, the measure would also require the city to prioritize former slaughterhouse employees in workforce training and employment assistance programs. Last November, proponents submitted over 30,000 signatures in support of the proposal — more than three times the number needed.
The animal-rights group behind the measure, Pro-Animal Future, calls slaughterhouses "inhumane to workers, animals, and the surrounding communities they pollute." They reference studies on European-based slaughterhouses that found that cows and pigs were often not adequately electrically stunned before they were killed. "We believe it’s time to move away from harming animals for food, and that voters are the key to driving this change," the group says.
There is only one slaughterhouse in Denver: the largest lamb-packing plant in the country. Opponents of the ballot measure say shutting the slaughterhouse down would have devastating economic impacts on the state. Worst-case estimates include 2,787 jobs lost and a reduction of $861 million in economic activity, according to a report by the Regional Economic Development Institute at Colorado State University.
Fur Ban
The same citizen campaign pushed another initiative seeking to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, display, sale and trade of most animal fur products in Denver beginning in July 2025. Fur products would be exempt from the ban if they are used for cultural purposes by members of Native American tribes; created exclusively from used fur products; expressly authorized by federal or state law; or bought/sold by thrift stores, pawn shops and nonprofits.
Pro-Animal Future says the measure would help compel the fashion industry to end the practice of raising animals in captivity to later kill them for their pelts. "Fur is a cruel and unnecessary industry that has fallen out of public favor," the group says. Boulder voters narrowly passed a similar ban on new fur products in 2021.
Opponents call the proposal "anti-agriculture" and raise concerns that the ban would negatively impact local retailers. In particular, opposition groups have said the ban would harm the National Western Stock Show hosted in Denver, arguing that it would prohibit vendors from selling items at the show and "jeopardize the Stock Show’s ability or desire to remain in Denver."
Mayoral Proposals Approved for the Ballot by Denver City Council
Affordable Housing Sales Tax IncreaseMayor Mike Johnston's proposal cleared its final city council vote on August 19; it calls for a 0.5 percent sales tax increase to fund the creation and preservation of affordable housing in Denver. If passed by voters, the measure would bring the city's current 8.81 percent sales tax up to 9.31 percent, generating around $100 million annually for affordable housing efforts.
Nine out of thirteen councilmembers voted in support of the measure. The four opponents criticized the proposal for lacking clarity on how the $100 million raised by the tax increase would be invested, and also attacked it for further increasing taxes for cost-burdened residents.
According to Johnston, Denver will be short 44,000 affordable units by 2033, despite being on track to establish 19,000 affordable units during that time.
"This shortage will only grow if we don’t take action now," the mayor said in a statement. "Denver cannot be a vibrant, inclusive city without ensuring that teachers, nurses, first responders and seniors can continue to call Denver home." The housing created by the fund would serve households making between 0 and 100 percent of the area’s median income, up to $91,280 for a single person.
But critics of the proposal say that making it more expensive to buy items in the city isn't the right way to address expensive housing. Of Denver voters, 35 percent say taxes are already “way too high,” and another 29 percent say taxes are "high but acceptable," according to data from the Colorado Polling Institute released on July 10.
If voters approve this and a Denver Health tax increase already on the ballot, Denver's sales tax will hit 9.65 percent — the highest sales tax rate in the eastern portion of the state, topped only by a handful of mountain towns.
Denver Downtown Development Authority
On August 26, council approved another initiative proposed by Mayor Johnston, which seeks to increase the city's debt by $570 million for the Downtown Development Authority to use on public facilities, infrastructure and other improvements. The proposal would not raise taxes, but would extend the duration and geographic range of the Downtown Development Authority that was created in 2008 to support projects that spur economic growth in the city, particularly at Union Station.
"How did we build Denver Union Station, this vibrant area where we all want to go to? It was through the Downtown Development Authority," Council President Amanda Sandoval said during a committee meeting. "Here we are asking the electors...can we extend the Downtown Development Authority? ... Without raising taxes, can we get the improvements that we've all been wanting in downtown Denver?"
The plan does not identify specific projects that would be funded by the ballot measure — those will be worked out this fall — but Sandoval spoke of her desire to see areas beyond the 16th Street Mall redeveloped, extending to the City and County Building.
The DDDA that funded the renovation of Union Station could be extended through downtown.
Denver Union Station
Other Proposals Okayed by Denver City Council
Denver Health Sales Tax IncreaseAn initiative referred to the ballot by Denver City Council asks voters to establish a 0.34 percent sales tax to fund Denver Health, increasing the city's current 8.81 percent sales tax to 9.15 percent. That's an extra 34 cents on a $100 purchase, estimated to raise $70 million per year.
Councilmembers approved adding the measure to the ballot on June 24...before Mayor Johnston came up with his own sales tax increase tied to affordable housing. Proponents, including former Mayor Wellington Webb, worry that second proposal could hurt the chances of the Denver Health initiative.
Denver Health is one of only a few hospitals in Colorado that cares for patients regardless of their insurance status, providing around $140 million in uncompensated care in 2023, the Denver Post reported. The system has struggled financially for years, losing over $30 million in 2022 and relying on one-time grants in 2023. Proponents say it is incumbent upon the city to help a crucial safety-net service to continue operating.
"With the ever-increasing costs of living here in our city, it is upon us as residents and leaders to ensure that there are resources that catch those who would otherwise go without," Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez said while presenting the initiative on June 5.
But opponents fear a precedent of relying on sales tax increases will hurt residents in the long run. "I have a serious concern about burdening Denver taxpayers," Councilmember Kevin Flynn responded.
Binding Arbitration for Firefighters
Councilmembers voted to add this initiative to the November ballot on July 29. The proposal would provide binding arbitration for firefighter collective bargaining negotiations instead of the current advisory fact-finding process.
Right now, if firefighters and the City of Denver reach an impasse during negotiations on their collective bargaining agreement, they rely on an advisory fact-finder to help settle the matter. The fact-finder is a third-party individual responsible for analyzing unresolved disputes and providing a non-binding recommendation for how to resolve them. Under the initiative, firefighters would instead use binding arbitration; a neutral arbitrator would make a binding decision for conflict resolution rather than a mere recommendation.
If passed by voters, this change would align the Denver firefighters' collective bargaining process with the city's police and sheriff departments.
"It is important that we get binding arbitration, just because the other two public safety entities have it. We're trying to be fair and equitable," Chris Ferguson, president of the Denver Firefighters Union, said during a council committee meeting on July 9. "Hopefully, we don't have to go to arbitration and we can settle before that, but I just think it's important that we get it right now, considering the times that we're in."
Elected Official Salary Approval
Councilmembers voted in April to refer an initiative to the ballot that would take away the council's power to approve their own salary increases. Instead of asking councilmembers to authorize raises for elected officials, the ballot measure would automatically increase salaries using the same formula that currently calculates raises every four years based on the consumer price index and other raises citywide.
If passed, the ballot measure would not impact raises or change how the salaries of elected officials are calculated, as that is mandated by the city charter. It would just remove the charter requirement that the council must vote to approve those salary changes. Proponents of the measure say even though councilmembers can't control what the raises are, it is a conflict of interest for them to approve their own salaries.
"This sets up what feels to our residents like a lack of transparency around this process. It looks like we're voting on our own raises when we are not," said Councilmember Amanda Sawyer, who sponsored the proposal, during a committee meeting on March 19. Councilmembers unanimously voted to send the issue to the ballot.
Human Rights Cabinet Agency
Another council-referred initiative would make the Department for Human Rights and Community Partnerships into a cabinet agency. This would make the executive director of the department a member of the mayor's cabinet, allowing that position to help create general administrative policies for the city.
The department was created in 1947 by then-Mayor J. Quigg Newton to assess race relations in Denver, according to Councilmember Jamie Torres. "That was coming off of a mayoral administration where the mayor was a KKK member," Torres said while presenting the proposal on June 4. "This marked, for the city of Denver, a turn for really focusing and centering human rights and civil rights."
As a cabinet agency, the department would be given funding stability and symbolize Denver's "dedication to human rights and the well-being of its diverse communities," Torres added. The agency's responsibilities would include addressing human-rights issues involving underserved and historically marginalized populations, training city employees on issues facing those populations, and helping community groups access city services and communicate with the city.
Collective Bargaining for City Employees
On July 15, council voted to add an initiative to the November ballot that aims to give all city employees the right to unionize beginning in 2026, expanding collective bargaining rights for city employees beyond firefighters, police officers and sheriff deputies.
Proponents say the current ban on collective bargaining for most city employees leaves them without recourse when they face unsafe working conditions or unfair pay.
"If Denver employees can't afford to live here, who will care for the city's infrastructure?" asked Molly Schumaker, a Denver Public Library custodian, during a council meeting on July 8. Schumaker said she makes minimum wage, though newer employees earn more than her. "Collective bargaining is a voice for workers and increases equality for traditionally marginalized groups," she added.
In addition to the city council, the proposal has earned the support of Mayor Johnston. But a couple of people spoke against it during the July 8 council meeting, including sixteen-year city employee Troy Bettinger, who feared unions would burden city workers with more administrative overhead and create a toxic work environment. "Protect Denver city employees from inefficiency, politics and divisiveness," he said.
Citizenship for Police and Firefighters
Another initiative approved by the council on Monday, July 15, would remove a requirement that people applying to be Denver police officers or firefighters be United States citizens. Proponents say the change would open the jobs up to legal permanent residents and DACA recipients, but undocumented immigrants would still be ineligible to apply because applicants must have valid work authorization.
This effort comes as law enforcement recruitment has dipped in Denver and nationwide.
"We want to provide a path to employment for all who deserve it," Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval said while presenting the proposal on June 25. "We want to reduce employment discrimination, enhance diversity, inclusion and community-oriented policing, and assist with recruitment and retention issues."
The local firefighters' union and the Denver Police Department are backing the measure. The Denver Sheriff's Department already does not require citizenship for its applicants; Aurora and Boulder have dropped the requirement, as well. Colorado legislators passed a statewide law in 2023 allowing DACA recipients to carry firearms as law enforcement officers.
And the Rest...
Denver Public Schools BondThe Denver Public Schools Board of Education approved a proposal on August 15 that will ask Denver voters for a $975 million bond to pay for maintenance and other projects — the most money the district has ever sought from voters. The proposal comes from the district’s Community Planning and Advisory Committee.
The bond plan would pay for $301 million in maintenance at 154 buildings; $240 million to install air conditioning at 29 schools; $124 million for new facilities, including building a new school in far northeast Denver; $127 million to upgrade performing arts hubs, innovation centers and athletic facilities; $100 million to improve learning environments at 136 schools; and $83 million for safety and technology.
A recent survey of 500 likely Denver voters found that 67 percent would vote in favor of the bond, according to a poll by Denver Families for Public Schools and Keating Research released on July 10.
“Denver voters continue to be champions of resourcing our public schools, seeing the need for critical school improvements,” said Clarence Burton Jr., CEO of Denver Families.
RTD Debrucing
The Regional Transportation District has been exempt from certain state revenue restrictions for decades. In 1995, Coloradans voted to exempt the transportation agency created in 1969 from TABOR restrictions through 2005. Then, in 1999, voters again approved an exemption until the bond debt issued to finance the construction of certain light rail lines was paid. That debt will be paid off in November of this year, ending the exemption — unless voters choose to make it permanent.
On Friday, September 6, advocates launched the campaign for Ballot Issue 7A, a measure to allow RTD to keep the tax revenue it collects by making the transit agency indefinitely exempt from the limitations of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). Instead of refunding some of the revenue to taxpayers as TABOR requires, RTD could continue spending all of it.
Denver isn't the only municipality voting on this proposal; RTD provides services in eight counties, including all of Boulder, Broomfield, Denver and Jefferson counties, parts of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, and a small portion of Weld County.
Ballpark Improvement District
Unlike the other ballot measures on this list, this initiative will only appear for voters who live or own property in the Ballpark neighborhood. The measure, approved by Denver City Council on July 8, asks residents for permission to create a Ballpark General Improvement District (GID) for the neighborhood around Coors Field.
If passed by voters, the new GID would collect a special property tax from businesses and homeowners in the district to fund community improvements, specifically focusing on addressing public safety and homelessness. Numerous community members have spoken in support of the GID, including Candice Pineda, owner of Mexico City Lounge on Larimer Street. "We want to keep our community safe, clean and fun," she said. "This GID is vital for our community to fill in the gaps where the city cannot."
Opponents have raised concerns about the tax increase worsening financial hardships for neighborhood residents. The initiative allows the GID to impose an annual property tax of up to $5 for every $1,000 of assessed value for each commercial and residential property in the district's boundaries.
While Denver's initiatives for the November 5 ballot are set, statewide measures and even candidates can still be pulled from the ballot until September 6. Watch for an update on Colorado proposals next week.
