PUEBLO COUNTY — In addition to deciding on many key federal and state races, one state constitutional amendment, and multiple state-wide ballot issues, voters in Pueblo County will decide on leadership for local county offices and judges for local courts.
News5 is helping you prepare for the November 5, 2024 Election with guides to find out what's on the ballot, what it means to you, and where to deliver your ballot across the region.
Key Dates and Deadlines
Fri, Oct. 11: First Ballots Mailed Out to Colorado Voters & Ballot Drop-offs Open
*See County Clerk's Office for locations
Mon, Oct. 28: Last Day to Register to Vote and Receive a Mailed Ballot
Mon, Oct. 28: Last Day to Mail a Ballot to meet Election Day deadline
Tues, Nov. 5: Election Day - Ballots Due by 7:00 p.m.
Wed, Nov. 13: Military/Overseas Ballot Due Delivered by Date
Fri, Nov. 15: Deadline for Counties to Tabulate All Ballots
Tues, Dec. 10: Last Day to Complete a Recount
Not sure if you are registered to vote in Colorado? Use the state's Find My Voter Registration system.
You can find an up-to-date list of locations for ballot drop-offs and Voter Polling and Service Locations by clicking here. Days and times of operation vary by location.
____
Information from the Pueblo County Official Sample Ballot for the 2024 Election
Statewide Amendment & Propositions:
Ballot questions referred by the general assembly or any political subdivision are listed by letter, and ballot questions initiated by the people are listed numerically. A ballot question listed as an "amendment" proposes a change to the Colorado constitution, and a ballot question listed as a "proposition" proposes a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes. A "yes/for" vote on any ballot question is a vote in favor of changing current law or existing circumstances, and a "no/against" vote on any ballot question is a vote against changing current law or existing circumstances.
The information for each proposition comes from the 2024 State Ballot Information Booklet (aka The Blue Book) compiled by the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly.
Amendment G (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the expansion of eligibility for the property tax exemption for veterans with a disability to include a veteran who does not have a service-connected disability rated as a one hundred percent permanent disability but does have individual unemployability status?
Amendment H (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning judicial discipline, and, in connection therewith, establishing an independent judicial discipline adjudicative board, setting standards for judicial review of a discipline case, and clarifying when discipline proceedings become public?
Amendment I (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning creating an exception to the right to bail for cases of murder in the first degree when proof is evident or presumption is great?
Amendment J (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage?
Amendment K (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections?
Amendment 79 (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
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?
Amendment 80 (CONSTITUTIONAL) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
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?
Proposition JJ (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Without raising taxes, may the state keep and spend all sports betting tax revenue above voter-approved limits to fund water conservation and protection projects instead of refunding revenue to casinos?
Proposition KK (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall state taxes be increased by $39,000,000 annually to fund mental health services, including for military veterans and at-risk youth, school safety and gun violence prevention, and support services for victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes by authorizing a tax on gun dealers, gun manufacturers, and ammunition vendors at the rate of 6.5% of the net taxable sales from the retail sale of any gun, gun precursor part, or ammunition, with the state keeping and spending all of the new tax revenue as a voter-approved revenue change?
Proposition 127 (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning a prohibition on the hunting of mountain lions, lynx, and bobcats, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the intentional killing, wounding, pursuing, entrapping, or discharging or releasing of a deadly weapon at a mountain lion, lynx, or bobcat; creating eight exceptions to this prohibition including for the protection of human life, property, and livestock; establishing a violation of this prohibition as a class 1 misdemeanor; and increasing fines and limiting wildlife license privileges for persons convicted of this crime?
Proposition 128 (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning parole eligibility for an offender convicted of certain crimes, and, in connection therewith, requiring an offender who is convicted of second degree murder; first degree assault; class 2 felony kidnapping; sexual assault; first degree arson; first degree burglary; or aggravated robbery committed on or after January 1, 2025, to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before being eligible for parole, and requiring an offender convicted of any such crime committed on or after January 1, 2025, who was previously convicted of any two crimes of violence, not just those crimes enumerated in this measure, to serve the full sentence imposed before beginning to serve parole?
Proposition 129 (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating a new veterinary professional associate profession, and, in connection therewith, establishing qualifications including a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care or the equivalent as determined by the state board of veterinary medicine to be a veterinary professional associate; requiring registration with the state board; allowing a registered veterinary professional associate to practice veterinary medicine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian; and making it a misdemeanor to practice as a veterinary professional associate without an active registration?
Proposition 130 (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning state funding for peace officer training and support, and, in connection therewith, directing the legislature to appropriate 350 million dollars to the peace officer training and support fund for municipal and county law enforcement agencies to hire and retain peace officers; allowing the fund to be used for pay, bonuses, initial and continuing education and training, and a death benefit for a peace officer, police, fire and first responder killed in the line of duty; and requiring the funding to supplement existing appropriations?
Proposition 131 (STATUTORY) (Vote Yes/For or No/Against)
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new election processes for certain federal and state offices, and, in connection therewith, creating a new all-candidate primary election for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, CU board of regents, state board of education, and the Colorado state legislature; 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 candidates 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, adopting a process for how the ranked votes are tallied, and determining the winner to be the candidate with the highest number of votes in the final tally?
Municipal Ballot Measures
City of Pueblo Ballot Question 2A - Charter Amendment - Municipal Court Maximum Fines
Shall Sections 3-5 and 5-2 of the Charter of the City of Pueblo be amended to update the Charter to allow City Council to set by ordinance the maximum penalty to be imposed by Municipal Court consistent with Colorado Revised Statuses?
City of Pueblo Ballot Question 2B - Charter Amendment - Modernize Terms & Technology
Shall the Charter of the City of Pueblo be amended to update and modernize terms and technology referenced within the Charter, and in connection therewith: amend Section 1-5 to include significant financial loss to the City in the definition of emergency ordinance; clarifies Section 2-6 as to when an elected office is deemed vacant; amend Section 2-10 and 3-19 to allow for publication of legal notices on the City's website; clarify Section 3-9 providing City Council may enter into contracts and leases; amend Section 3-18 to change the font used when amending the Charter and Municipal Code; amend Section 3-21 to remove the requirement that a paper copy of indexed ordinances be kept; amend Section 6-1 to remove the residency requirement for the City Attorney; amend Section 7-28 to allow the unit cost required for equipment-owned record keeping to be set by Ordinance; delete Section 8-12 to remove compulsory retirement; amend Section 15-6 to allow contact and purchase amount allowed by Trustees or Commissioners of Water Districts to be set by Ordinance and allowing publication of notice online?
City of Pueblo Ballot Question 2C - Charter Amendment - Greater Election Coordination
Shall Article 19 of the Charter of the City of Pueblo be amended to allow for greater election coordination and lessen the need for standalone elections at the city's expense by extending the time allowed for the recall of elective officers?
City of Pueblo Ballot Question 2D - Charter Amendment - Greater Election Coordination
Shall the Charter of the City of Pueblo be amended as follows to amend Section 4-2 to adjust the Mayor's term for the possibility of a runoff election; amend Section 17-2 to allow for flexibility in the date of the runoff election; amend Section 17-5 to allow the timeframe for submission of petitions to be set by Ordinance; amend Section 17-6 to identify mail-in ballot as the preferred method; delete Sections 17-8 and 17-9 to remove the City Clerk's requirement to register voters; and amend Section 17-10 to allow the timeline for candidates' filing of statement of expense to be set by Ordinance?
School District Ballot Measures
Pueblo County Rural 70 School District Ballot Issue 4A
SHALL PUEBLO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 70 TAXES BE INCREASED $7 MILLION COMMENCING JANUARY 1, 2025 (APPROXIMATELY $3.89 PER MONTH FOR EACH $100,000 OF ACTUAL RESIDENTIAL VALUATION BASED ON CURRENT ASSESSED VALUATION AND ASSESSMENT RATE) AND BY SUCH AMOUNT AS MAY BE RAISED ANNUALLY THEREAFTER BY INCREASING THE DISTRICT'S MILL LEVY BY NOT MORE THAN 7 MILLS FOR CAPITAL AND GENERAL FUND PURPOSES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- LIFE-SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AT AGING SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES TO PROVIDE A SAFE AND SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING:
- MANDATED SANITARY SEWER AND SEPTIC IMPROVEMENTS, ROOF REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS AT PUEBLO COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL;
- REPLACING AGING FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE RYE, MESA, AND PUEBLO WEST AREAS;
- REPLACING AGING ROOFS ON A ROTATIONAL BASIS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, INCLUDING RYE, MESA, AND PUEBLO WEST AREAS;
- INCREASES IN SALARIES AND BENEFITS TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS AND STAFF;
- EXPANDING CAREER AND TECHNICAL PATHWAYS CLASSES AND PROGRAMS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR JOBS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL OR POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION;
- PROVIDE REQUIRED MATCHING FUNDS TO RECEIVE A $3,887,544 GRANT FROM THE STATE OF COLORADO ("BEST GRANT") AND WHICH HAS BEEN AWARDED, WHICH REQUIRES A LOCAL MATCH OF $4,868,598 IN ORDER TO BE FUNDED;
ANY FUNDS EXPENDED PURSUANT TO THIS QUESTION SHALL BE SUBJECT TO STATE LAWS, REGULATIONS AND DISTRICT POLICIES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND SHALL SUCH TAX INCREASE BE AN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX MILL LEVY IN EXCESS OF THE LEV AUTHORIZED FOR THE DISTRICTS GENERAL FUND, PURSUANT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 22-54-108, C.R.S.; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT, RETAIN AND SPEND ALL REVENUES FROM SUCH TAXES AND THE EARNINGS FROM THE INVESTMENT OF SUCH REVENUES AS A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?
Elected Federal Offices
Presidential Electors (Vote for One Pair)
Kamala D. Harris / Tim Walz || Democratic
Donald J. Trump / JD Vance || Republican
Blake Huber / Andrea Denault || Approval Voting
Chase Russell Oliver / Mike ter Maat || Libertarian
Jill Stein / Rudolph Ware|| Green
Randall Terry / Stephen E Broden || American Constitution
Cornel West / Melina Abdullah || Unity
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. / Nicole Shanahan || Unaffiliated
Write-In:____________
Representative to the 119th United States Congress - District 3 (Vote for One)
Adam Frisch || Democratic
Jeff Hurd || Republican
James Wiley|| Libertarian (Signed declaration to limit service to no more than 3 terms)
Adam Winthrow || Unity
State Offices
State Board of Education Member - Congressional District 3 (Vote for One)
Sherri M Wright || Republican
Ellen Angeles || Democratic
Regent of the University of Colorado - At Large (Vote for One)
Eric Rinard || Republican
Elliott Hood || Democratic
Thomas Reasoner || Approval Voting
T.J. Cole || Unity
Regent of the University of Colorado - Congressional District 3 (Vote for One)
Ray Scott || Republican
Robert B. Logan || Democratic
State Representative - District 46 (Vote for One)
Tisha Mauro || Democratic
Kim Swearingen || Republican
State Representative - District 47 (Vote for One)
Elizabeth Bulthuis || Democratic
Ty S. Winter || Republican
State Representative - District 60 (Vote for One)
Kathryn Green || Democratic
Stephanie Luck || Republican
State Representative - District 62 (Vote for One)
Matthew Martinez || Democratic
Carol Riggenbach || Republican
District Attorney - 10th Judicial District (Vote for One)
Kyle S. Aber || Democrat
Kala Beauvais || Republican
County Offices
Pueblo County Commissioner - District 1 (Vote for One)
Steven Rodriguez || Republican
Miles Lucero || Democratic
Epimenio "Eppie" Griego || Unaffiliated
Pueblo County Commissioner - District 2 (Vote for One)
Paula McPheeters || Republican
Daneya Esgar || Democratic
Judicial Retention Questions
Colorado Supreme Court Justice (Vote Yes or No)
Shall Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter of the Colorado Supreme Court be retained in office?
Shall Justice Brian D. Boatright of the Colorado Supreme Court be retained in office?
Shall Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court be retained in office?
Colorado Court of Appeals Judge (Vote YES or NO)
Shall Judge Stephanie Dunn of the Colorado Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Shall Judge Jerry N. Jones of the Colorado Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Shall Judge W. Eric Kuhn of the Colorado Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Shall Judge Gilbert M. Román of the Colorado Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Shall Judge Timothy J. Schutz of the Colorado Court of Appeals be retained in office?
District Court Judge - 10th Judicial District (Vote YES or NO)
Shall Judge Tim O'Shea of the 10th Judicial District be retained in office?
County Court Judge - Pueblo (Vote YES or NO)
Shall Judge Roberto Silva of the Pueblo County Court be retained in office?
Shall Judge Margaret Vellar of the Pueblo County Court be retained in office?
___
City of Colorado Springs Shares Updates on William Palmer Statue Intersection
Making a left turn. At the intersection around the William Palmer Statue in Colorado Springs, it's anything but straightforward. The city recently shared updates on what could be in store for the future, but we will have to wait and see.
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.