DENVER – The Denver Decides forums present the candidates, ballot initiatives and propositions Colorado voters will decide in the November 5 General Election.
These individual forums are a community partnership between the League of Women Voters of Denver, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation presented by Denver8 TV and hosted by Denver7’s Micah Smith and Russell Haythorn.
The Denver Decides forums are intended to help local voters better understand the issues on the ballot as the candidates and those for and against ballot measures debate the topics.
You can also read Denver7’s in-depth voter guide which breaks down everything you need to know for the 2024 November election including important dates:.
- Friday, Oct. 11: The first day mail ballots are sent out to registered Colorado voter
- Monday, Oct. 21: The first day county drop boxes must be open to accept mail ballots. Drop boxes will stay open through 7 p.m. on Election Day.
- Monday, Oct. 28: The last day to register to vote to be able to receive a ballot by mail. Anyone not registered to vote by this date will have to vote in-person.
- Tuesday, Nov. 5 - Election Day: Not registered to vote yet? You can still register to vote in-person at the closest polling center in your county if you're in line before 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 13: Last day to fix any issue with your ballot before it can be counted (for example, you forgot to sign it or election officials need to confirm your signature).
Already filled out your ballot and forgot to mail it back? The Colorado Secretary of State's website has a ballot drop-off locator you can access here. Denver voters can find their nearest ballot drop-off location (as well as nearest voting center and mobile vote centers) by clicking here.
Voter Guide 2024
Colorado voter guide: What you need to know for the 2024 November election
More important Colorado election links:
- Sample general election ballot
- Where to vote in Denver: Map
- How to vote in Colorado in 2024
- Register to vote in Colorado
- Check status of mailed ballots
- Find your Colorado voter registration
- Learn more about acceptable forms of ID
- Voting FAQs
Amendment 79 | Right to Abortion | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Amendment 79, which gives Colorado voters an opportunity to vote for or against a ballot measure that would make abortion access a constitutional right.
The amendment asks voters if there “shall there be a change to the Colorado constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs?”
Here's more on Amendment 79.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Amendment 79 in the video player below:
Amendment 80 | Right to school choice | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Amendment 80, which asks voters: ‘shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution establishing the right to school choice for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, and, in connection therewith, declaring that school choice includes neighborhood, charter, and private schools; home schooling; open enrollment options; and future innovations in education?”
Read the amendment's full text at this link.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Amendment 80 in the video player below:
Ballot Issue 2Q | Sales tax increase to fund Denver Health | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Ballot Issue 2Q which asks voters to increase the city’s sales tax by 0.34% to generate around $70 million a year to ‘help cover operational costs for the City’s safety net hospital.”
If approved, Denver’s sales tax rate would rise to 9.15%.
Here's more on how the ballot issue would fund emergency and trauma care services as well as mental health, pediatric care and drug abuse recovery.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Ballot Issue 2Q in the video player below:
Ballot Issue 2R | Sales tax increase for affordable housing | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Ballot Issue 2R, which if approved, would raise the local sales tax by 0.5% (around 5 cents on a $10 purchase) to "generate $100 million a year to build, maintain and acquire affordable housing units.” The ballot measure aims to “expand and preserve affordable housing for low-and-middle-income families and individuals,”Opponents cite concerns around rising taxes on property and new fees already implemented on Denver residents.
Denver7's 2024 election voter guide further breaks down Ballot Issue 2R.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Ballot Issue 2R in the video player below:
Initiated Ordinance 308 | Fur ban | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Initiated Ordinance 308, commonly known as a fur ban. It asks voters to consider adopting “an ordinance concerning a prohibition of fur products, and, in connection, beginning July 1, 2025, prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, display, sale, or trade of certain animal fur products in the City; and providing limited exceptions to the prohibition.”
Read how opponents say the ban would impact local retailers.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Initiated Ordinance 308 in the video player below:
Initiated Ordinance 309 | Slaughterhouse Ban | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Initiated Ordinance 309, which is an effort to ban slaughterhouses in the City and County of Denver.
The ordinance states: “Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver adopt an ordinance prohibiting slaughterhouses, and, in connection, beginning January 1, 2026, prohibiting the construction, maintenance, or use of slaughterhouses within the City; and requiring the City to prioritize residents whose employment is affected by the ordinance in workforce training or employment assistance programs?”
The ordinance would decide the fate of Denver’s only slaughterhouse and one of the nation’s largest lamb processing facilities.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Initiated Ordinance 309 in the video player below:
Ballot Issue 4A | DPS bond issue | Denver Decides ballot issue forum
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Ballot Issue 4A, which asks voters to increase DPS’ debt by $975 million to fund building repairs, school safety and security efforts and other building upgrades. The ballot issue would not impose “any new tax,” the text reads.
Capital improvements would include, according to the ballot:
- Improving student safety in school buildings and improving school security with more secure entrances, weapons detection, and crisis communications technology;
- Maintaining and renovating existing school buildings by replacing leaking roofs, making critical structural repairs, and addressing outdated electrical and fire systems;
- Providing cooling systems for high-temperature classrooms and schools that lack air conditioning;
- Addressing overcrowding and reducing class size by building new schools and expanding capacity in existing schools;
- Improving learning environments in older school buildings by upgrading science and computer labs and modernizing classroom instructional technology;
- Building and improving spaces for workforce and career readiness courses, as well as vocational, technical, and trade programs;
Continue reading the ballot issue's full text at this link.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Ballot Issue 4A in the video player below:
Candidate Forum | U.S. Congress, District 1 | Denver Decides Candidate Forum
In this video, Denver Decides hosts a candidate forum for U.S. Congress - District 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican Valdamar Archuleta is seeking to unseat incumbent Democrat Diana DeGette to represent the City and County of Denver, Glendale and Holly Hills.
- Watch the full Denver Decides candidate forum for U.S. Congress District 1 in the video player below:
Prop 131 | All-candidate primary, ranked choice voting | Denver Decides
In this video, Denver Decides looks at Proposition 131, which would make a change to how Coloradans vote for candidates in future elections.
It asks voters “shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new election processes for certain federal and state officers, and, creating a new all-candidate primary election, and allowing voters to vote for any one candidate per office, regardless of the voter’s or candidate’s political party affiliation – providing that the four candidate for each office who receive the most votes advance to the general election; and in the general election, allowing voters to rank candidates for each office on their ballot,”
Currently, Colorado has a Semi-Open Primary. Unaffiliated Coloradans can vote either in the Republican or Democratic Primary.
Under an Open Primary, all candidates will be on a single ballot.
Denver7’s 2024 Voter Guide further breaks down how Ranked-Choice Voting would work in the General Election.
- Watch the full Denver Decides forum on Proposition 131 in the video player below: