IT’S ELECTION DAY 2019 IN COLORADO, and voters will be casting ballots on two statewide ballot issues and in municipal and school board elections across the state. — It’s Election Day 2019 in Colorado, and voters will be casting ballots on two statewide ballot issues and in municipal and school board elections across the state.
We’ll have live updates through the evening as results come in, starting at 7 p.m. when polling locations and ballot dropboxes close.
Refresh this page for the latest updates.
MORE: Election Results Page | Sec. of State's Election Results Page | Election Watch coverage
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11:30 p.m. - As we approach a new day, no races are at 100% reporting and official. News5 will follow returns all evening long. We'll see you Wednesday morning starting at 4:30 a.m. with News5 Today as we bring you the latest numbers, reaction and analysis of this 2019 Colorado coordinated election.
11:20 p.m. - Winners to announce in local races... continuous updates here - Election Results Page
Cañon City Council Dist 4
- Tim Dennehy - 63% - W
- Ron Bates - 37%
Cañon City Mayor
- Ashley Smith - 78% - W
- Tony Greer - 22%
Cañon City Council At-Large
- Brandon Smith - 31% - W
- Jim Meisner - 26%
- Andrea Stein - 16%
- Nicola Hagans - 14%
- Erik Embry - 13%
Fremont County RE-1 Board At-Large
- Beth Gaffney - 29% - W
- Michael Near - 24%
- Robin Reeser - 22%
- Maripat Sparks - 15%
- Robin Martin - 10%
Florence Mayor
- Dick Upton - 71%
- Morrie A. Aves - 29%
11:10 p.m. — As of 11:10 p.m., Proposition DD “yes” votes lead “no” votes by about 2,400 and 0.2%.
11:00 p.m. — As of 11 p.m., the “yes” votes for Proposition DD outnumbered the “no” votes by 1,598 votes and 0.12 percentage points.
10:00 p.m. - We’re now close to 1.22 million votes counted in the Prop DD race, and it remains close, with a 2,000-vote margin, led by the “no” votes.
9:41 p.m. - Gov. Jared Polis said the latest rejection by voters of money for transportation and roads — measures were also rejected in 2018 — showed him that lawmakers needed to do more with what they had.
“With the recent voter rejection of several different ways to fund our roads and reduce congestion including Proposition 109 which would have bonded with no new revenue, Proposition 110 which was a sales tax, and now Proposition CC which would have directed one third of the surplus to be used on roads and bridges, it’s clear that voters want elected officials to do more with their existing tools and legal authority,” Polis said. “I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to develop new and innovative approaches to respond to the need to reduce traffic and congestion.”
9:36 p.m. - The Yes on Prop CC campaign posted a statement on Facebook conceding.
"Today's vote is a tough blow to Colorado's students, teachers, and communities. The issues of underfunded roads and schools remain, and a broad, bipartisan coalition couldn’t convince voters that the state should be able to invest with the taxes it already collects," the group wrote. "We hope that those who voted ‘no’ will work together with Prop CC supporters to help us find real solutions to these real challenges for all Coloradans.
9:30 p.m. - Numbers are now coming in from Pueblo County after a delay due to system errors reported by the the Clerk and Recorder's Office. Results are not final as of 9:30 p.m.
- Ballot Issue 1A, seeking a tax increase of $9,333,000 for a new jail and public safety improvements is falling behind with 65% opposed.
- Ballot Issue 1B, callign for a tax increase on retail marijuana sales to generate $2,904,000 is succeeding with 55.95% in favor.
- Pueblo D60's measure to increase debt by $218.25 million to fund school improvements is passing with 55.13% in favor.
- Pueblo County D70's ballot issue to increase debt by $60 million is failing with 55.86% opposed.
- Pueblo City-CountyLibrary Distrrict's ballot issue to continue the mill levy for $1.143,328 annually is succeeding with 58.29% in favor.
Find information on all candidate races and propositions here - Election Results Page
9:21 p.m. - The Prop DD rollercoaster continues. It now trails again by about 730 votes, with 1.18M votes counted.
9:11 p.m. - The Bell Policy Center, which was a staunch proponent of Proposition CC, said the measure’s defeat would bring bolder action regarding TABOR.
"Despite tonight’s loss, our needs — better schools, safer roads, stronger family supports — aren’t going away," said Bell Policy Center President Scott Wasserman. “We learned a lot from this campaign, and it’s clear those who are paid to protect TABOR over the needs of Coloradans will misrepresent whatever we put on the ballot. Whatever we do next must be bold enough to drown out the alarmists. That work begins today."
8:55 p.m. - A great night for Colorado Springs, that's what Mayor John Suthers calls the passing of two city ballot initiatives. Both questions asking about the future of our taxes. Issue 2B sought to keep additional money to fund park projects. As of 8:57 p.m. it has 57% of voter support. Issue 2C is an extension of the sales tax to fund road improvements throughout the city. It currently has 65% voter support.
Mayor Suthers believes the success of these ballot questions comes down to transparency. "The state for some reason doesn’t do a very good job of saying if you give us the money this is exactly what we'll do with it. Cities do a better job and as a result they tend to be fairly successful in TABOR retention elections like 2B.”
8:49 p.m. - The Associated Press is reporting Proposition CC has failed to pass statewide. The measure asking if the state could keep tax revenue that otherwise would be refunded under limits set by the state constitution was referred to voters by the newly elected Democrats in control of the state government by majority. Proposition CC asked if the state could keep revenue in those years when it has a surplus and is required to return that money to taxpayers.
8:45 p.m. - Voters in El Paso, Fremont, and Teller counties are also voting against Proposition DD which would fund state water projects and pay for the regulation of sports betting at specific locations in the state.
El Paso County: 54% against; Fremont County: 59% against; Teller County 54% against.
Statewide the Secretary of State's Office shows 49.82% for, 50.18% against.
8:32 p.m. - Across the Front Range, Proposition CC is not being supported in El Paso, Fremont, and Teller counties. The percentages are all above 60% opposed. Proposition DD is also failing in the same counties. We are still waiting for election data from Pueblo County.
8:24 p.m. — Denver, Boulder and Broomfield are the only counties in the metro area where Proposition CC is currently seeing overall support. As of 8:30 p.m., it was trailing by more than nine percentage points – sometimes double that – in Arapahoe, Adams, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld counties.
No on CC Coalition member and Independence Institute President Amy Oliver Cooke said it was a “great night” for Coloradans and maintained that the measure was a “forever tax increase.”
“This is a mandate to the Colorado State Legislature, that they damn well better start prioritizing roads and education without raising taxes,” she said in a statement. “From the outset to the end of our campaign, our team has emphasized that the money in question is taxpayers’ money that we don’t owe to the state of Colorado.”
8:19 p.m. - The Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder's Office posted on Facebook around 7:30 p.m.: "Having a small issue with the reporting, we will have results shortly." As of 8:18 there is no data available yet.
8:10 p.m. - With more than 1 million ballots counted, Proposition CC is trailing by 12 percentage points and Proposition DD is narrowly trailing, by fewer than 4,000 votes. We still have results coming in and are not calling the race yet, but proponents of the No on CC campaign have already claimed victory.
“Colorado taxpayers were the clear winner in tonight’s defeat of Proposition CC. Governor Polis and the liberal State Legislature overreached once again but were unsuccessful in deceiving the voters of Colorado to fund their reckless spending spree." Colorado GOP Chairman Ken Buck said, "The Colorado GOP is going to drive this momentum straight through next November when we will deliver Colorado for President Trump, Senator Cory Gardner, and our entire Republican ticket.”
8:03 p.m. - Here's a closer look at issues impacting jurisdictions in El Paso County:
City of Fountain Ballot Issue 2A - Increasing city taxes $2.6 million annually
- FOR - 41%
- AGAINST - 58%
City of Colorado Springs Ballot Issue 2B - Retain and spend up to $7 million towards parks improvements
- FOR - 56%
- AGAINST - 43%
City of Colorado Springs Ballot Issue 2C - Renewal of the tax for improvements to local roads and bridges
- FOR - 65%
- AGAINST - 35%
City of Manitou Springs Ballot Issue 2D - Increase of sales and use tax by $400,000 annually to fund the arts
- FOR - 49%
- AGAINST - 51%
City of Manitou Springs Ballot Issue 2E - Authorization to use funds for construction, repair, maintenance, and replacement of public improvements in the city's downtown area.
- FOR - 76%
- AGAINST - 34%
7:58 p.m. — With nearly 1 million votes tallied in the Prop CC and DD races, CC is trailing by11 percentage points (44.4%-55.6%) and DD is leading narrowly, 50.4% to 49.6%. Both need 50% plus one vote in order to pass. Magellan Strategies estimated this afternoon we could see 1.4 million votes cast in this election.
7:48 p.m. - In the race to be the Director of Peyton School District 23JT, Terry Hafet and Katie Harms are leading as of early returns. Voters were instructed to choose two candidates, with the person obtaining the most votes winning the race.
7:45 p.m. - Voters within the Miami-Yoder School District appear so far to be strongly opposed to the idea of unlimited terms for members of the school board as proposed on this year's ballot. At least 76% have voted against.
7:37 p.m. — Another large batch of updates puts votes for both propositions above 500,000.
The no votes on Proposition CC now outpace the yes votes, 53.75% to 46.25% with 512,715 votes reported. The yes votes on Proposition DD are still outpacing the no votes, 53.6% to 46.4% with 511,316 votes reported.
7:36 p.m. - An update a little more than half an hour after ballots were due shows Proposition CC failing so far with 53% of the vote against the idea. The proposition asks voters if the state can keep excess revenues, currently refunded under the TABOR, and use the money to fund transportation, K-12 schools, and the state’s colleges and universities.
As for Proposition DD, early results show those in favor ahead with 53%. The proposition asks if taxes should be increased to fund state water projects.
7:00 p.m. - The deadline to drop off your ballot in Colorado has passed. News5 will keep you updated all evening long with results on-air, online and on social media. Tune into News5 at 10 p.m. for full election results and reaction.
