2023 Coordinated Election: What's on the ballot and where to vote in Pueblo County

PUEBLO COUNTY — In addition to the two statewide ballot measures regarding taxes, voters in Pueblo County will decide on the leadership of the City of Pueblo, Pueblo D60, and a taxation issue for the city.

News5 is helping you prepare for the November 7, 2023, Colorado Coordinated 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. Colorado has used a mail-in ballot system for years that's been touted as one of the safest methods.

Deadlines for the General Election:

• Monday, October 16 - First day ballots can be mailed out
• Friday, October 20 - Deadline for all ballots to be mailed out
• Monday, October 30 - Last day to submit an application to register to vote through the mail, a voter registration agency, a local driver's license examination facility, or online to receive a mail ballot for the 2023 General Election.
• Tuesday, November 7 - Election Day - All ballots must be received by county clerks no later than 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 15 - Last day for military and overseas elector ballots to be received by county clerks
• Friday, November 17 - Deadline for County Clerks to tabulate all mail-in and in-person votes

Not sure if you are registered to vote in Colorado? Use the state's Find My Voter Registration system.

See your Pueblo County Sample Ballot

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Information from the Pueblo County Official Sample Ballot for the 2023 Coordinated Election

Statewide 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 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 2023 State Ballot Information Booklet (aka The Blue Book) compiled by the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly

Proposition HH Reduce Property Taxes and Retain State Revenue
Shall the state reduce property taxes for homes and businesses, including expanding property tax relief for seniors, and backfill counties, water districts, fire districts, ambulance and hospital districts, and other local governments and fund school districts by using a portion of the state surplus up to the proposition HH cap as defined in this measure?

• YES: A “yes” vote on Proposition HH lowers property taxes owed, allows the state to keep additional money that would otherwise be refunded to taxpayers, temporarily changes how taxpayer TABOR refunds are distributed, and creates a new property tax limit for most local governments.
• NO: A “no” vote on Proposition HH maintains current law for property taxes, TABOR refunds, and state and local government revenue limits.

Proposition II Retain Nicotine Tax Revenue in Excess of Blue Book Estimate
Without raising taxes, may the state retain and spend revenues from taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and maintain tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and use these revenues to invest twenty-three million six hundred fifty thousand dollars to enhance the voluntary Colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free instead of reducing these tax rates and refunding revenues to cigarette wholesalers, tobacco product distributors, nicotine products distributors, and other taxpayers, for exceeding an estimate included in the ballot information booklet for proposition EE?

• YES: A “yes” vote on Proposition II allows the state to keep and spend $23.65 million in tax revenue that has already been collected from the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, including interest, and to maintain the current tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products. The tax revenue will be spent on preschool programs.
• NO: A “no” vote on Proposition II means that $23.65 million will be refunded to wholesalers and distributors of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, and tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products will be reduced.

Local Races & Ballot Measures

Question No. 2A – One and One-Half percent Lodger’s Tax for Providing Accessible and Affordable Childcare Programs for Working Families in the City
Shall the City of Pueblo's taxes be increased by up to $625,000 annually (first full fiscal year increase) and by whatever amounts are raised annually thereafter, for five years from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2028, by adopting ordinance no. 10500 imposing an additional one and one-half percent lodger’s tax and establishing a special fund for the deposit of such revenues to be spent only for providing accessible and affordable childcare programs for working families in the city and, consistent with ordinance no. 9998 approved at the 2021 municipal general election or as otherwise may be required, shall all revenues derived from such tax be collected, retained and spent, notwithstanding any limitations provided by law, as a voter approved revenue change and an exception to the limits which would otherwise apply pursuant to Article x, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution or any other law?

City of Pueblo Mayor (4-Year-Term Expiring January 11, 2028) (Vote for One)

• Larry Atencio
• Dennis Flores
• Tom Croshal
• Deryk Trujillo
• Chris Nicoll
• Nick Gradisar
• Heather Graham
• Randy Thurston
• Regina Maestri

City of Pueblo City Council Member District 2 (4-Year-Term Expiring December 31, 2027) (Vote for One)

• Joe Latino
• Gerald Pete Madrid
• Tom Carrigan
• Samuel Hernandez, Jr.

City of Pueblo City Council Member District 4 (4-Year-Term Expiring December 31, 2027) (Vote for One)

• Roger Gomez
• Vincente Martinez Ortega

City of Pueblo City Council Member At-Large (4-Year-Term Expiring December 31, 2027) (Vote for One)

• Elvis Martinez
• Brandon Martin
• Mark Aliff

City of Pueblo Member Pueblo Board of Water Works (6-year Term Expiring December 31, 2029) (Vote for One)

• Celeste "Victoria" Arellano

City of Pueblo Civil Service Commissioner (6-Year Term Expiring December 31, 2029) (Vote for One)

• Dan Archibeque

Pueblo School District No. 60 School Director At-Large (Two Year Term) (Vote for One)

• Brian Cisneros
• Anthony P. Perko

Pueblo School District No. 60 School Director At-Large (Four Year Term) (Vote for One)

• Sue Pannunzio
• Tommy Farrell
• Dennis Maes
• Bill Thiebaut
• Roger L. Wright
• Dan Comden
• Sol Sandoval Tafoya