Colorado ballots are in mailboxes. The deadlines that matter before Nov. 3, and a plain-language list of all 14 statewide measures

Colorado's November 3 general election is underway. County clerks could begin mailing ballots to active registered voters on October 2 and had to finish by October 9, and the required drop boxes opened on October 12, according to the Secretary of State's calendar as summarized by KKTV. Secretary of State Jena Griswold certified the ballot in early September, saying her office "remains committed to ensuring every eligible Coloradan can have their voice heard."

Every registered voter receives a mail ballot. It can be returned by mail, dropped at a drop box, or replaced by voting in person at a voter service and polling center, according to the state's official 2026 Blue Book.

What are the key Colorado election dates?

Sources: Colorado Secretary of State dates as reported by KKTV and KUNC.

The 7 p.m. deadline is a receipt deadline, not a postmark deadline. "Postmarks don't count," KUNC noted in its voter guide. Voters who are in line at a polling center at 7 p.m. can still vote. Military and overseas ballots must be sent by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters who miss the October 26 registration cutoff can still register and vote in person at a voter service and polling center, including on Election Day. Ballots can be tracked from mailing to counting through BallotTrax, which requires signing up.

What is on the statewide ballot?

There are 14 statewide measures. Constitutional amendments, numbered 81 through 87 this year, generally need at least 55% of the vote to pass. Statutory propositions need a simple majority. The Blue Book lists the exact requirement for each measure, and it includes arguments for and against each one. The one-line descriptions below are condensed from the Blue Book's own summaries and are not recommendations.

Constitutional amendments

• Amendment 81, "Law Enforcement Communication with Federal Immigration Authorities": would require law enforcement to notify federal immigration authorities within 72 hours of charging certain people whose legal status cannot be confirmed.
• Amendment 82, "Constitutional Right to Purchase and Sell Natural Gas": would add a right to buy and sell natural gas for homes and businesses to the state constitution, which could limit future regulation.
• Amendment 83, "Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish": would create a constitutional right to hunt and fish certain wildlife and make hunting and fishing a preferred wildlife management tool, while preserving some state regulatory authority.
• Amendment 84, "Mail Ballot Voter Identification": would require mail ballots to include an ID number, such as the last four digits of a Social Security number or a Colorado driver's license or ID number, along with a signature.
• Amendment 85, "Plain Language Ballot Titles": would require state and local ballot questions to be written at no more than an eighth-grade reading level.
• Amendment 86, "Requirements for Off-Cycle Congressional Redistricting": would require the redistricting commission and the Colorado Supreme Court to approve any congressional map changes between census cycles, with limits on partisan favoritism and splitting communities.
• Amendment 87, "Graduated Income Tax": would replace the flat income tax with graduated brackets, lowering taxes below $500,000 in taxable income and raising them above it, with new revenue for K-12 education, health care and early childhood programs. Our explainer on Amendment 87 and Proposition 136 walks through the math.

Statutory propositions

• Proposition NN, "Keep and Spend Money for Education and Other Purposes": would let the state keep some revenue that would otherwise be refunded under TABOR, up to a new limit, for education and children's programs, with audit requirements.
• Proposition 132, "Increase Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes": would make possessing any amount of fentanyl a felony and set an eight-year mandatory minimum sentence for distribution.
• Proposition 133, "Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor": would set life in prison without parole for child sex trafficking and add buying or selling sexual activity with a minor to the offense.
• Proposition 134, "Male and Female Participation in School and Collegiate Sports": would require school and college teams to be designated male, female or coeducational based on biological sex.
• Proposition 135, "Prohibit Surgery on Minors in Response to Perception of Sex or Gender": would prohibit surgeries on minors that alter biological sex characteristics in response to gender perception, and bar public funds and insurance coverage for them.
• Proposition 136, "Income Tax Rate Limit": would cap the state income tax rate at 4.4% of federal taxable income for individuals and corporations.
• Proposition 137, "Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation": would direct existing sporting goods sales tax revenue to conservation, wildfire prevention and outdoor recreation, exempt from the state revenue limit.

Voters in parts or all of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Huerfano, Jefferson, Larimer, Las Animas, Pueblo and Weld counties will also see Issue 7A, which would fund the Front Range Passenger Rail District. Our 7A explainer covers what the sales tax would pay for, and a ballot mix-up that sent the question to many people who cannot vote on it.

Offices on the ballot

Statewide races include an open race for governor, a U.S. Senate seat held by John Hickenlooper, and the offices of attorney general, secretary of state and state treasurer, according to KUNC. Local ballots also carry county, municipal and school district questions that vary by address, so each voter's ballot is different.

What Amendment 84 would change about voting itself

One measure affects the mechanics of future elections. Under current law, Colorado verifies mail ballots by signature only. If Amendment 84 passes, mail ballots would also need an ID number. The Blue Book says in-person voting ID rules would not change, and voters would have eight days after Election Day to correct missing or mismatched information.

A voter checklist

1. Find your ballot. If it has not arrived, contact your county clerk; contact details are in the back of the Blue Book and at the Secretary of State's website.
2. Sign up for BallotTrax to see when your ballot is mailed, received and counted.
3. Read the Blue Book for each measure's full text, fiscal impact and arguments on both sides.
4. Sign the envelope. Signature verification is how Colorado confirms mail ballots today.
5. Mail by October 26, or use a drop box after that. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on November 3.
6. Moved recently? Update your registration by October 26 to get a ballot at your new address, or update and vote in person after that.

Business owners will find the tax measures especially relevant. Amendment 87, Proposition 136 and Proposition NN all affect state revenue, and Issue 7A would add a sales tax in the counties where it appears.