Ballot Bingo

A quick look at the initiatives on your 2022 ballot

Coloradans will have the opportunity to cast their vote on 11 statewide ballot measures in the 2022 General Election, including five measures referred to the ballot by the Colorado legislature and six voter-initiated propositions.

Issues Referred by the State Legislature

What does this mean?
The General Assembly (Colorado’s House of Representatives and Senate) can refer any bill to the voters.
For more info, visit: https://leg.colorado.gov/agencies/office-legislative-legal-services/special-types-bills

Amendment D – New 23rd Judicial District Judges

Passage would direct the governor to designate judges from the 18th Judicial District (Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties) to serve in the 23rd Judicial District, which will be come active in 2025 and will serve only Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.

55% approval required

Amendment E – Extend Homestead Exemption To Gold Star Spouses*

Passage would extend an existing property tax exemption to ‘Gold Star Spouses’ – surviving spouses of military service members who died in the line of duty and the surviving spouses of veterans who died from a service-related injury or disease.*

*55% approval required.

Amendment F – Charitable Gaming Constitutional Amendment*

Passage would:

– lower the number of years an org must exist before getting a gaming license from five years to three years until 2025 (after that, the legislature will create a statute)
– remove a ban on paying managers/operators of charitable gaming activities, however those people would only be able to make minimum wage until July 1, 2024

This amendment must receive 55% approval because it adds language to the state constitution. This is called a ‘supermajority.’

Proposition FF – Healthy Meals For All Public School Students

Passage would create the Healthy School Meals for All Program and would be funded by a reduced income tax deduction for people earning $300K or more. Single filers would go from a $30K to $12K deduction. Joint filers would go from $60K to $16K deduction.
The revenue would reimburse schools for free meals and provide local food purchasing grants and other food-related funding.

Proposition GG – Amount of Tax Owed Table For Initiatives

Passage would require proposed initiatives that would affect income tax to include a table showing the change for different tax brackets.

Citizen Led Initatives

What does this mean?
Citizens can go through a process to petition specific items onto the ballot.
You can learn more on that process here: https://leg.colorado.gov/content/how-file-initiatives

Proposition 122 – Access to Natural Medicine

Passage would define certain psychedelic plants and fungi (DMT, psilocybin and others) as natural medicine and decriminalize them for personal use, possession, growth, and transport for persons 21 years old and older.
Passage would also create the Regulated Natural Medicine Access Program for licensed healing centers to administer these natural medicine services.

Proposition 121 – State Income Tax Rate Reduction

Passage would decrease the state income tax rate from 4.55% to 4.40% (including for domestic and foreign C corps) beginning with the 2022 tax year.

Proposition 124 – Retail Liquor Store Licenses Initiative

Passage would incrementally increase the number of retail liquor store licenses someone may own over the next 15 years.

Proposition 125 – Wine Sales in Grocery and Convenience Stores

Passage would create a new fermented malt beverage and wine retailer license to allow grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses licensed to sell beer to also sell wine.

Proposition 126 – Alcohol Delivery Service

Passage would allow retail establishments with a liquor license to sell alcohol off-site to create a delivery service. It would also permanently allow bars and restaurants to offer alcohol takeout and delivery.