This election, Colorado voters passed ballot measures to protect Colorado’s environment and communities

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In 2024, Conservation Colorado took stances on ballot measures that would fund water conservation, make housing and transit more affordable and protect our state’s communities. Colorado voters made their voices heard, voting the following way on the key ballot measures:

Passed:

  • Proposition JJ – Retain sports betting tax revenue for water projects
  • Amendment 79 – Right to abortion and health insurance coverage initiative
  • Amendment J – Repealing the definition of marriage in the Colorado Constitution as the union between one man and one woman
  • Ballot Issue 7A – Maintain RTD funding

Failed:

  • Proposition 131 – Top-four ranked-choice voting initiative

Read more about why Conservation Colorado took stances on these issues below.

2024 Ballot Measures: Where Conservation Colorado Stands

Conservation Colorado is taking stances on ballot measures during the 2024 election in order to protect Colorado’s climate, air, land, water, wildlife and communities. The ballot measures that Coloradans will vote on in this election have a chance to impact our state’s water supply, elections, housing affordability, public transportation and environmental justice for years to come.

Election day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, so make sure to update your voter registration and learn what voting method works best for you by going to JustVoteColorado.org.

Conservation Colorado is taking positions on seven ballot measures in 2024:

Statewide ballot measures

Vote YES

Proposition JJ – Retain sports betting tax revenue for water projects

  • What this proposition would do: take tax revenue from sports betting in Colorado that currently goes right back to casinos, and instead fund water conservation projects to address drought across our state
  • Conservation Colorado is supporting Proposition JJ because water is the lifeblood of our state. It supports the livelihoods of Coloradans who use water on their farms or ranches to grow food for the whole state, as well as Coloradans who are part of our state’s growing outdoor recreation economy. Drought and its impacts threaten everyone in Colorado, making it imperative to increase funding for water conservation projects
  • Read more here (available in English only)

Amendment 79 – Right to abortion and health insurance coverage initiative

  • What this proposition would do: protect reproductive rights in Colorado from government interference by guaranteeing the right to get an abortion in the Colorado Constitution
  • Conservation Colorado is supporting Proposition 79 because restrictions on reproductive rights disproportionately impacts low-income communities and people of color, who are already more vulnerable to health risks from pollution and environmental injustice, and we support ensuring this fundamental right is protected
  • Read more here (available in English and Spanish)

Amendment J – Repealing the definition of marriage in the Colorado Constitution as the union between one man and one woman

  • What this proposition would do: repeal an outdated same-sex marriage ban in Colorado’s Constitution, protecting the freedom to marry for all Coloradans from any decisions potentially made by Trump’s Supreme Court
  • Conservation Colorado is supporting Amendment J because members of the LGBTQIA+ community are often on the front lines of the climate crisis, and justice and equity are essential to healthy, sustainable communities.
  • Read more here (available in English and Spanish)

Vote NO

Proposition 131 – Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative

  • What this proposition would do: switch Colorado’s elections to a complex, confusing model that risks lowering voter turnout and increasing the influence of wealthy donors and dark money in politics
  • Conservation Colorado is opposing Proposition 131 because our state runs some of the most trusted and accessible elections in the nation, and passing this measure would weaken that system, making it more favorable to wealthy candidates and more vulnerable to manipulation. This ballot measure is backed by millionaires and billionaires who want to control elections with their money. We can’t allow that to happen.
  • Read more here (Available in English only)

Only on ballots within the RTD service area

Vote YES

Ballot Issue 7A – Maintain RTD funding

  • What this proposition would do: expand and improve transit services for over 3 million people in the Denver metro area—without raising taxes—by allowing RTD to keep the revenue it already generates (Note: the RTD service area includes all of Boulder, Broomfield, Denver and Jefferson Counties as well as parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Weld Counties)
  • Conservation Colorado is supporting Ballot Issue 7A because it supports RTD in providing more sustainable, efficient and equitable transportation options, reducing the amount of cars on the road. This will curb air pollution and protect our state’s environment, especially for communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods, which are disproportionately harmed by climate change and pollution
  • Read more here (available in English and Spanish)

Only on Denver County ballots:

Vote YES

Ballot Issue 2R – Increase funding for affordable housing in Denver County

  • What this proposition would do: make housing in Denver more affordable, benefitting low- and middle- income earners like restaurant workers, nurses, teachers and first responders
  • Conservation Colorado is supporting Ballot Issue 2R because housing justice is climate justice, and this ballot measure makes housing more affordable. As housing costs rise, Coloradans are pushed farther from work and school, increasing car use and emissions. Communities of color and lower-income households are hit the hardest by climate change, often living near pollution sources like oil facilities and highways and facing greater housing challenges. Making housing more affordable is a key step in addressing environmental injustice
  • Read more here (available in English only)

Only on Adams County ballots:

Vote YES

Ballot Issue 1A – Increase funding for affordable housing in Adams County

  • What this proposition would do: raise $22 million annually to build starter homes, condos and apartments to reduce the need for long commutes and making housing more affordable
  • Conservation Colorado is supporting Ballot Issue 1A because it would make housing more affordable in Adams County, helping to lower vehicle emissions and protect the environment
  • Read more here (available in English and Spanish)

Paid for by Conservation Colorado, Nikki Riedt, Registered Agent