Canyon Courier October 17, 2024

Morrison settles lawsuit with longtime town developer

BY JANE REUTER

e Town of Morrison recently settled a nearly year-long lawsuit with Bear Creek Development surrounding the redevelopment of the former Morrison post o ce on Bear Creek Avenue. e building was more recently home to Red Rocks Cyclery. e settlement allows Bear Creek to move forward with changes to the building after submitting a revised plan to the town.

Bear Creek Development President Je Bradley said he hopes to move forward with plans to remodel it into a co ee shop and bakery or sandwich shop.

“I assume my tenant is still on board, but the trail’s grown a little cold,” he said. “I’ve been working on this project since 2017. I’ll be happy when it gets built.”

e settlement requires Bear Creek to submit a revised plan, pay a tap fee, agree that any outdoor seating is not permanent, and address any remaining asbestos issues. Once it approves the revised plan, the set-

PHOTO BY JANE REUTER

Spero opens new behavioral health center in Evergreen

Addiction recovery facility expanding its services to the broader community

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e word “spero” is Latin for “to hope,” a phrase with which the founder of Spero Recovery Center and the new Spero Behavioral Health is deeply familiar.

“ e installation of hope in what we do is huge, knowing that there is a way out,” said Spero managing director David Johnson, who’s been in personal recovery since 1996. “I’m a case study. And after my personal recovery and family experiences, I saw a need and started working in the treatment industry.”

e Evergreen-based nonpro t Spero, which began with the Buffalo Park Road residential recovery center in 2019, expanded this summer with the opening of an outpatient behavioral health facility on Evergreen Parkway. e Evergreen Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting at the new site Oct. 4 to mark its grand opening.

e new site o ers individual and group therapy to adolescents, individuals, couples and families. While it also serves as a site for group therapy for some of its Recovery Center and outpatient clients, its services extend beyond addiction recovery.

“We have multiple master-level therapists that do individual and group therapy here,” Johnson said. “My goal has always been to serve the community, to make sure we have o erings for them and to build those programs because they’re so needed.”

Johnson and Spero Executive Director Marty Ferrero said the need for addiction treatment and mental health services has only grown since the recovery center opened.

Spero Recovery Center has 36 licensed beds available for men undergoing addiction recovery. Spero also operates a 10-bedroom sober living facility in Conifer, the next step on the journey to wellness for Recovery Center clients.

ere is no shortage of people who need Spero’s services, Johnson said.

“Alcohol is king,” said Johnson, who found his calling in behavioral

these people and their families.”

While Spero works with many men su ering from alcohol addiction, it also works with those addicted to opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and, increasingly, cannabis. Many have a genetic predisposition to addiction and often have experienced childhood trauma, Ferrero said.

All come to and stay at Spero voluntarily, which helps them live a substance-free life based on 12step traditions. e program guides clients as they re ect on their past behaviors, repair relationships and build a new foundation for their life.

“Fortunately, the brain is very resilient,” Ferrero said. “Once they start to heal physically, we can address the mental and emotional, and ultimately there’s a spiritual component. At Spero, that’s really not organized religion. We place a huge emphasis on community and staying connected.”

at also includes working with families whose members are not only impacted by an addict’s behavior but may unwittingly have been enabling their behavior.

Like other chronic illnesses, continuing treatment is critical for addicts to stay healthy, Ferrero said, which makes outpatient programs like those o ered through its new behavioral health center critical.

health after working for years as a principal and teacher. “It’s ingrained in our society and that’s OK. Most people do so responsibly. ose people that struggle with it require help, and there aren’t enough providers in America to do that.

“ e beauty of this industry is the fact that you can make a direct impact on people’s lives, and their families, and see very clearly and quickly the positive impact it has on those lives,” he continued.

Spero faced initial resistance when it opened, with neighbors saying they feared the facility would have a negative impact on the area’s trafc, quality of life and security. But Ferrero said those fears proved unfounded.

“ e community recognized pretty

BY JANE REUTER

quickly it’s quite the opposite of being any threat or negative,” Ferrero said. “Our guys do service work and help the community. We bring them to Wulf Recreation Center three times a week and now people miss them when they’re not there.

“It’s that fear of the unknown. Once people see the facility and meet the guys, they understand. ey’re just sick, and they need a place to get well.”

Regardless of any such stereotypes, both men are committed to their work.

“ e opportunity to help these people far outweighs the bureaucratic struggles you go through,” Johnson said. “Hopefully we can overcome that stigma. Until then, we’ll take the high road and help

“ is condition is chronic, it’s not going away, and ultimately it is fatal,” Ferrero said. “ e stakes are really high. We try to plant that seed of hope and show there’s a way out. We’ll support them in perpetuity. Ultimately, it’s up to them.”

Spero recently celebrated one client’s longest stretch of sobriety. e 30-year-old man is at Spero for the third time, after living on the streets of Denver, smoking crack and methamphetamine. He was welcomed at Spero again with open arms.

“We look at it as, ‘ ank goodness you made it back,’” Ferrero said. “He’s a changed person and is lled with such gratitude, as is his family is that we never gave up on him. He hopes to be employed with and work for us someday.”

Because the need for its services is so high, Spero is expected to expand further. Johnson’s next goal is to open sites in Lakewood and Denver.

“It’s part of our responsibility to be a community resource, and there is so much need,” he said.

From left, Spero executive director Marty Ferrero and managing director David Johnson stand outside the newly opened Spero Behavioral Health on Evergreen Parkway, which extends the reach of its already successful inpatient services to the outpatient, community level.

PHOTO

Almost No Buyers Are Having to Compensate Their Agents as Result of NAR Settlement

Leading up to the changes on August 17th which prohibited MLSs from displaying compensation for buyer brokers, I said that I would be surprised if any buyers ended up compensating their own agents. So, last week I did some research of my own and solicited input from others to see if my prediction had come true. It has. I sent emails to listing agents who had closings in September, and every one who replied said that their seller had compensated the broker representing the buyer of their listing.

My friends at First Integrity Title did a few “spot checks” on transactions which closed post-NAR settlement to verify what they were hearing based on actual data. The challenge was that they would have to open every file individually, but the consensus was that, as I expected, the seller has continued to compensate the buyer’s agent.

“It really has not changed from the past,” I was told by Pam Giarratano, our sales rep at First Integrity Title.

Here is the response Pam got from her VP of Operations:

“I can tell you that I’ve asked the same question multiple times; I’m just trying to understand how much has changed since the NAR settlement. I can tell you that I am repeatedly told that people have not seen any buyers paying their own agents.”

From Pam’s VP of Sales: “I looked at settlement statements for a dozen closed files, and the seller paid the buyer’s agent’s commission on all of them.”

Pam asked closers and lenders, and the

consensus was that the seller still pays. A lender who conducted a CE class in Westminster told Pam that they are still seeing the seller pay, but that sometimes if the seller is offering a buy-side compensation of 2.5% and the buyer’s agent has an agreement of 2.8%, the buyer is making up the .3% difference, or it is included in the contract as a seller credit.

That was exactly the case with one of my own listings in September. I told the buyer’s broker that the seller was offering 2.5%, and he submitted a contract with the seller paying 2.5% and the buyer paying an additional 0.3%.

Pam told me, “It looks like nothing has changed as far as the seller paying commissions. I think homeowners still want their houses looked at.”

Here’s the bottom line: Real estate is a free market. Just like builders who feel they must offer commissions to buyers’ agents because other builders are doing so, individual sellers are being counseled to offer the buyer broker commission because they realize that most buyers are represented by agents and they’re not going to buy a home if the seller requires them to compensate their own broker.

I chatted with my broker associates about this, and they are comfortable with the new rules which essentially bring more transparency to the process.

At the closing table, it has always been that the commissions paid to listing agent and buyer’s agent were listed separately on the settlement statement as being paid by the buyer. Naturally, some sellers objected to paying the buyer’s agent’s com-

Understanding Different 55+ Communities

Last week I was in a Zoom conversation with 14 of my high school classmates. We have been meeting like this every week since our 2020 reunion was canceled due to Covid. Three of us had moved into senior communities and we were answering questions about the options which we Baby Boomers face.

We are all healthy 77-year-olds (or thereabouts), but we all realize that the clock is ticking and that it’s not a matter of if but when we will need some sort of assisted living. Should we “age in place,” enter an “independent living” facility now, or wait until we need “assisted living”?

If you have 90 minutes of free time, I could share with you the URL of the recorded Zoom meeting, but for now, let me share some of the insights.

Laird lives at Windcrest, where he paid a 6-figure “entrance fee” and pays about $4,000 per month rent for a 1bedroom plus den apartment. He gets 30 meals per month in a dining room, but also has a kitchen for other meals. 90%

of his entrance fee is returnable if he leaves or dies. One thing I learned was that if by chance he runs out of money and can’t afford the rent, it is taken out of his entrance fee instead of having to leave. If assisted living is needed later, he stays in the same apartment, but the services and rent increase dramatically.

“They promise this can be my home for life,” Laird said.

Rita and I had moved into a pure rental 55+ community with no entrance fee. In fact, we paid no security deposit, and we got the first month free. We since moved to a regular apartment building.

I shared what I had learned about Vi at Highlands Ranch, where you must be healthy with no degenerative disorders, but you are promised no increase in rent when/if you need to enter assisted living, nursing care or even memory care.

The entrance fees at both facilities are reduced if you agree to only 50% or none of it being returnable when you leave.

Call me if you’d like to get more info or chat, or if you’d like that Zoom URL.

mission, forgetting that they had listed their home for x% and agreed that part of their listing agent’s commission would be offered to any agent who produced the buyer.

In other words, the commission to the buyer’s agent was coming out of the listing agent’s pocket, but it sure looked like the seller, not his agent, was compensating the buyer’s broker.

As I predicted, nothing has changed except the wording. The revised “Exclusive Right to Sell” contract still states the total commission to be paid at closing, but it lists a smaller amount that the seller will pay to the buyer’s agent, and states that the listing commission will be reduced by that amount.

Of course, in a real estate transaction, what rules are the provisions in the “Contract to Buy & Sell” between the buyer and seller. Section 29 of that document has lines to enter the compensation paid to the buyer’s broker by (1) the seller, (2) the buyer, and (3) the listing agent.

In some cases, the buyer’s agent will find out what the seller is offering, since it is no longer specified on the MLS listing. (Our listings specify that amount on the listing’s website and on a sign rider.) Regardless, the buyer’s agent will submit a contract which specifies how much the seller will pay the buyer’s agent, and the seller can counter that provision. It’s simply another element of the offer to be negotiated between buyer and seller through their agents.

Just last month, to win a bidding war, one of our broker associates submitted a contract asking the seller to pay only 1.5%, which tells you not only that buyer broker compensation is negotiable but that the amount of buyer broker compensation is going down. That was predicted, and is coming true. Listing agent was paid 3%.

In the past that listing probably would have displayed at least 2.5% buyer agent compensation in the MLS, and that amount would have been paid without negotiation or discussion.

So what did the plaintiffs in the NAR settlement expect to achieve, and what did they get?

At least in Colorado, they did not relieve sellers from compensating buyer agents. Listing agents are probably get-

ting the same compensation as before, but some sellers (like in the transaction mentioned above) are saving on the compensation paid to buyers’ brokers.

In some cases, listing agents may actually be earning more. I know of one multimillion-dollar listing which had a 4% commission specified in the listing agreement. The listing agent negotiated a 1% commission paid to the buyer’s agent, leaving 3% for the listing agent. Under pre -settlement rules, that listing would likely have offered 2% co-op commission on the MLS, netting the listing agent only 2%. Thus, the listing broker earned 50% more, thanks to the new rules.

As Realtors, my broker associates and I are okay with this new arrangement. It clarifies that the seller is paying both agents, but makes the amount more transparent and thus more negotiable. With sign riders and listing brochures, it’s not hard to inform buyer brokers of the compensation which the seller (not the listing agent) is offering, and the buyer can submit whatever compensation amount he or she wants in the contract to buy and sell.

Given the minimal end result of the NAR settlement, it will be interesting to see if there is further litigation on this matter. I don’t see any legal basis for denying a seller the right to offer compensation to the broker who produces the buyer for his home.

The Habitat for Humanity Pumpkin Patches Are Open

Every October, Jeffco Interfaith Partners sells pumpkins to raise money to sponsor a Habitat for Humanity home. In the past 20 years, they have funded over a dozen metro area Habitat homes.

The pumpkin patches are on the corner of Garrison & Alameda in Lakewood, and at 78th & Wadsworth in Arvada. The pumpkins are more expensive than elsewhere, but 40% of the purchase price is tax deductible, and it’s an easy way to donate to a worthy charity.

And the selection of pumpkins is great! They also sell carving kits and other Halloween paraphernalia.

Jim Smith

Broker/Owner, 303-525-

Arvada veterinarian and Conifer resident dies in ATV crash

Friends and family mourn “adventurous, caring” woman

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e tragic loss of an Arvada veterinarian has struck a blow among residents of both the suburban and foothills communities. Conifer resident Shelley Maree Ekstrom, 60, died in an ATV crash Oct. 1 near the Park and Teller county lines, according to the Park County Sheri ’s O ce. Ekstrom was beloved not only by

her clients at Arvada’s Indian Tree Animal Hospital but friends and neighbors in Conifer, who describe her as caring, positive, adventurous and creative.

“Working with her at the veterinary hospital, I aspired to be like her,” said Kaitlin Davis, who was also Ekstrom’s neighbor. “She was never short of advice or positivity, and was one of the most caring, patient people I ever met.”

Ekstrom was a customer when Conifer’s James Adams rst met her, but the two quickly became friends, he said. Adams owns Gruntworks Mountain Services and did several projects at Ekstrom’s home.

Mount Evans means support

“She was always a happy, smiling personality, and she had her own artistic twist and vision about things,” said Adams, who attended Ekstrom’s Oct. 6 services at Evergreen Lutheran Church. “ ere wasn’t a sel sh bone in her body.

“She didn’t have to, but she introduced me to all her neighbors, and because of her generosity and kindness, I got a lot of business,” he continued. “She also integrated me into her group of friends.”

Adams, who remembers Ekstrom had a Harley and a “beautiful purple Cadillac,” also excavated a space for her ATV.

“She was very energetic and enthusiastic, and always ready for the next adventure,” he said. ose adventures were wide-ranging, including the quiet peace of hiking, the thrill of ATV riding and motorcycle racing, and the creativity of casting bronze sculptures.

Ekstrom was born in Spirit Lake, Iowa and had a lifelong love of animals and art, riding her quarter house and drawing and painting as a child. She earned her degree in veterinary medicine from Ross University in 2002 and began working in

Texas as an equine veterinarian. She switched to working with small animals and moved to Colorado.

She kept a gratitude journal, and excerpts from it were shared during her service.

“I am so blessed to live in this time and place,” she wrote in entries dated in July and August 2024. “ is is truly the most beautiful place in the world. I feel love for all … family, friends, dogs.”

According to the nonpro t Justice Takes Flight, which helps people nd missing loved ones, Ekstrom and a male neighbor left their Conifer homes Oct. 1 to ride ATVs in Pike National Forest. e neighbor returned to the area injured and received medical treatment, but Ekstrom did not return, triggering a search.

Adams said the two were riding separate ATVs, and the man sustained “a pretty bad head injury.”

Park County o cials said Ekstrom died Oct. 1. e county and multiple other agencies received a missing person report and began the search for Ekstrom “in extremely rough terrain” on Oct. 2, recovering her body early on Oct. 3.

Shelley Ekstrom COURTESY PHOTO

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Morrison OKs 39 water taps at Red Rocks Ranch

Decision clears way for stranded homebuyers to close on new units, but comes with a warning

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

New homebuyer Tim Rawson was emotional as the Morrison Town Board approved a water taps request Oct. 8 that allows his family to close on their Red Rocks Ranch house.

“I’m overjoyed; I’m almost in tears honestly,” he said after the special meeting concluded. “ is helps 39 families. It gives them a plan tonight so they can get on with their lives and into their houses.”

Homeowners who’d planned to close on new homes in the unincorporated development hit an unexpected snag late last month when the Morrison Town Board refused to approve the developer’s unique proposal for meeting its residential water needs. ose taps have grown scarce while the town’s new water treatment plant is being built. So the Mount Carbon Metropolitan District asked the town — which supplies water to the project — to convert two irrigation meters into 39 residential taps. e town board refused, saying the district needs to revise an outdated intergovernmental agreement and make infrastructure upgrades.

In the wake of that decision, at least one prospective homeowner walked away from their prospective home, according to a post they made on social media. Others, like Rawson and his family, found temporary living quarters.

While the town’s Oct. 8 vote means most of those 39 families will be moving in soon, board members warned they won’t be so quick to grant more water taps in the future.

Trustee Paul Sutton voted against the motion, which he said was designed to send a message to the developer and home builder.

“I’m voting ‘no’ to warn Mount Carbon and Lennar (Homes) that the ‘no’s’ are coming,” he said. “It’s my understanding our water system has the slack to address the 39 taps. We don’t have any more slack. I feel for the 39 people who bought a house and don’t have water. But you don’t make promises about water if you don’t have the infrastruc-

ture to deliver it.

of my board to vote ‘no’ for future water taps if we don’t have the infrastructure to deliver it,” he continued.

of the conversion, citing concessions Mount Carbon made in the Oct. 8 agreement, but also emphasized the need for further action.

“I urge Lennar and the district to prioritize (this) before building new homes,” she said.

Home construction is moving at a furious pace at Red Rocks Ranch, a 345acre mixed-use community at C470 and Morrison Road. e Mount Carbon Metropolitan District is charged with providing water and sewer to the unincorporated development, utilities pumped there from the nearby Town of Morrison’s facilities.

Mount Carbon has already paid to improve the town’s wastewater treatment plant and is nancing construction of Morrison’s nearly complete new water treatment plant.

Under the Oct. 8 agreement, the district will install eight new chemical pumps at the plant, a shift from a previous plan to transfer used pumps from the old plant to the new facility. Mount Carbon also agreed to install a ber internet line to the new plant, which Gill said is critical for monitoring operations and water levels.

But more work is needed to slake the thirst of Red Rocks Ranch’s future residents and businesses.

Morrison has now given the development’s special district 444 residential

water taps but says it’s not obligated to provide more until a 16-year-old intergovernmental agreement between Morrison and the district is rewritten — an e ort that’s been underway for years. It also wants Mount Carbon to make promised infrastructure improvements that will protect the town’s long-term water supply.

Deputy town attorney Kunal Parikh said the Oct. 8 decision has no bearing on future decisions between the district and town.

ose outstanding issues aside, Rawson said he’s grateful to everyone involved. He, his wife Carolyn and their two children have been living temporarily with his mother in Morrison while they wait to move into what they call their “forever home.”

“I appreciate the board’s expediency in putting together this special meeting,” he said. “I think they made the right move tonight.”

Lennar Homes said it, too, is appreciative.

“We’re thankful the town of Morrison was able to work with Mount Carbon Water District to get a resolution to the water meters, and we’re excited for our homeowners at Red Rocks Ranch to move into their new homes before the holidays,” company spokesperson Danielle Tocco wrote in an email.

Red Rocks Ranch is set to eventually have more than 1,300 single-family homes, townhomes and condos, plus 70 acres of trails, parks and open space, and 40 acres of commercial property. Home prices in Red Rocks Ranch range from $750,000 to $1.25 million.

Tim Rawson, left, shakes hands with Morrison Town Trustee David Wirtz after the board approved a request for water taps Oct. 8 that will allow Rawson and his family to move into their new Red Rocks Ranch home.

PHOTO BY JANE REUTER

SETTLEMENT

tlement says the town will lift a stop work order at the site.

Bear Creek led the lawsuit in November 2023, alleging the town had interfered with its improvements at the site.

In the settlement, both sides agreed not to discuss the terms of the agreement.

Deputy town attorney Kunal Parikh said during the board’s Oct. 1 meeting that it was “a pretty good settlement agreement.”

“I think Bear Creek and their attorneys were di cult to work with,” he said. “We pretty much got everything we wanted in the end. If we went to litigation … toward trial, that would cost a lot more.”

“ is wasn’t cheap,” added Morrison town attorney Austin Flanagan, who works with Parikh in the same law o ce. “It was a year’s worth of litigation and mediation.”

Bradley said he is ready to move on.

“Let’s just put it this way, it’s a rstworld problem for all of us,” he said. “We’re all very fortunate this is what

a long history with (the town). Everything I’ve touched since 2017 has been pretty bad.”

Bear Creek Development also owns the downtown Morrison build-

son Carworks, which closed earlier this year. Bradley plans to raze the historic building, which is structurally unsound, but said he does not yet know what the future of the site

Bear Creek Development and the Ross-Lewis Trust, which owns several buildings in downtown Evergreen, are two di erent companies owned by the same people.

Je Bradley of Bear Creek Development hopes to convert Morrison’s old post o ce into a co ee or sandwich shop. Bear Creek and the town recently settled a lawsuit that may allow that work to move forward.

PHOTO BY JANE REUTER

BY STAVROS KORONEOS

No mower!

SOUTH JEFFCO – e lawn mower was sitting on the driveway when she left at 11 a.m. to run errands. When she returned at 1 o’clock it was gone. A sharp-eyed neighbor recalled seeing a young man in a silver minivan driving back and forth along the street in front of the missing mower, but he did not witness the moment of its disappearance. e aggrieved homeowner described her lost lawn-cutting machine as a Snapper of unknown model. Deputies advised her to call them back if she uncovered any mow evidence.

Accept no substitutes

Totally boned

shelf fell over.” Mom and Dad were skeptical and invited Son to nd other quarters until further notice. Son liked his present situation and declined the o er. Mom and Dad insisted. Just as it looked like there was about to be few more broken decanters in the trash can, Mom called JCSO. Deputies quickly restored calm, and Son agreed to sleep in his car until he could nd someplace better to crash.

The eagle has landed

SOUTH JEFFCO – Is it still identity theft if they give you another one? at’s only one of the questions left unanswered after o cers

46th Annual

were summoned to the scene of an unauthorized neighborhood swap meet. According to the complainant, somebody pulled both license plates o of his Jeep Grand Cherokee and replaced them with imposters. Deputies quickly determined that the license plate attached to the Jeep’s front bumper rightfully belonged to a Honda parked at a house just up the street, and his new tail-number was registered to a Jeep Regular Cherokee registered at an address just down it. e complainant had no idea who’d done the deed, and since he’s not in the habit of verifying his plate-age he couldn’t rightly say when the switch occurred. Deputies booked the fraudulent bumper badges into the Golden evidence locker and promised to let him know if they located his lched fender-ware.

CONIFER – It was big, so it might have come from a cow. Yes, it might be a cow femur, he told deputies. He’d discovered the maybebovine body part in the back yard underneath his porch. As to where the big bone came from, he suggested that deputies talk to his next-door neighbors, who tend to call Je co Animal Control every time he yells at his dog. He’d yelled at his dog that very morning, he explained, and wouldn’t put it past the neighbors to give his dog a big cow bone just to undermine his authority with the creature. On second thought, he asked the ofcers to not talk to the next-door neighbors, but to simply document the odd backyard boning against further skeletal shenanigans.

Home alone

CONIFER NEWCOMERS & NEIGHBORS

Saturday, November 2, 2024

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EVERGREEN – Returning from a few days away, Mom and Dad found several holes punched in the walls, an extra- ne Ethan Allen chair broken into kindling, and several shattered cut-glass decanters and highballs sitting in the trash can. Mom and Dad asked Son if he knew how the house had come to that sorry state. Son told them he’d hosted a little gettogether for a few dozen friends and “somebody must have done it.” When Mom and Dad expressed displeasure at that explanation, Son smoothly switched gears, remembering that he hadn’t thrown a party after all, and in fact “the

EVERGREEN – It was about 8 p.m. when the golf ball came crashing through both panes of her vaulted living room window and caromed o the opposite wall. She found it alarming not only because the most-used room of the house had just been sprayed with razor-sharp, high-velocity glass fragments, but because she doesn’t live anywhere near a golf course. Running outside, she saw no one except a young man standing on the street waiting for a ride. e fellow told her he’d heard the crash, but could provide no other useful information. Deputies summoned to the scene placed the golf ball in custody and played through.

Sheri ’s Calls is intended as a humorous take on some of the incident call records of the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce for the mountain communities. Names and identifying details have been changed, including the writer’s name, which is a pseudonym. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty.

Morrison raises parking fees

Trustees share di ering views on town’s paid parking system

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Town of Morrison increased its paid parking fees by 50-cents, a change one town trustee said is about making money, not addressing town parking issues. But other trustees say additional funds are badly needed to support the town’s police department, which operates at an annual deficit.

“When we went into this it wasn’t to make money; it was for turnover,” said Trustee Dave Wirtz, the only board member who opposed the recent increase. “If that were the real goal, we could accomplish it by giving two hours of free parking. We could get the turnover and not charge the money.”

Parking in Morrison is free for the first 30 minutes. In nearby Golden, Wirtz noted, the first two hours are free.

Town staff said the average person parks for two hours in Morrison, which will cost $5 at the increased parking rate.

“It’s a minor increase that won’t have a big impact on folks,” said town manager Mallory Nassau.

The added revenue could, however, help the town’s police force, Trustee Paul Sutton said.

“We’ve got a million (dollar)plus deficit in our police department,” he said. “We’re trying to find any way to generate revenue so we can keep two officers on at all times. It’s an ongoing challenge.”

Morrison started its paid parking program in 2021 after hearing from downtown Morrison owners who said their customers can’t find places to park. The board said then it hoped paid parking would promote turnover that would in turn help local businesses.

Golden began using the same parking system and contractor earlier this year.

Under Interstate Parking’s agreement with Morrison, the town gets

50% of the net revenue. The town also gets money from parking tickets, which are $50 each. Together, that’s added up to about $164,000 through Aug. 1, 2024.

While Morrison is also getting some additional revenue from its recently installed speed camera, the amount is significantly less than expected because of costs paid to the vendor that processes the tickets. The town recently canceled its contract with Emergent Enforcement Solutions, and is seeking a new vendor.

While funds generated by the speed camera are also intended to support the police department, police and trustees say that’s not its primary purpose.

“Ultimately, the speed camera is about slowing down traffic, not generating revenue,” Sutton said. Money generated from speeding and other traffic citations represented only about 6% of the town’s general fund revenues in 2023, town documents show. That figure does not include fees from parking tickets.

Protecting

Morrison raised its parking fees 50-cents across the board. It implemented the paid system in 2021. PHOTO BY JANE REUTER

VOICES

Vote NO on Proposition 131

Proposition 131, concerning the conduct of elections, is a poor choice for Colorado. Although promoted as being focused on ranked-choice voting, it is much more about implementing radical changes to the primary election system and restricting voter choice in the general election. I believe the proposition would complicate the voting process, favor wealthier candidates, confuse voters and fail to deliver a better system.

FROM THE LEFT

is measure introduces a convoluted primary voting method, potentially requiring either two separate ballots or, worse, one ballot with two sections containing entirely different voting procedures. It proposes an “all-candidate” primary for U.S. Senate and House, statewide positions like Governor, and State Senate and House, asking primary voters to choose from all candidates for each of these races, regardless of political a liation; the top four candidates for each position would advance to the general election, regardless of the percentage of the votes they received. At the same time, voters would use the current primary process for U.S. President and many local races, selecting only one candidate for each position from their chosen political party.

is measure also requires a confusing process for the general election that is likely to create many invalidated ballots. For each speci ed federal and state race, voters would cast four “ranked preference” votes per race, and a computerized runo would decide winners if no one gets 50%. If voters don’t use all four ranked votes for those races, they would lose their vote in the subsequent rounds of the computerized runo . at’s why the University of Pennsylvania says ballots cast in

RCV elections are 10 times more likely to be invalidated due to a mistake, without the voter knowing. For the presidential and local races, voters would use the current method of voting for only one candidate per race.

e “all-candidate” portion of Prop. 131 is designed to weaken the party system that many voters rely on to make informed decisions. Political parties provide voters with a framework to understand where candidates stand on key issues. Without this, voters may struggle to identify candidates’ policy positions or ideological leanings, thus tilting the advantage to wealthy candidates and wealthy donors who can a ord to run expensive campaigns to in uence voters. e 131 model would likely expand the use of “dark money” PACs and independent expenditures with murky or non-existent reporting rules.

And after spending an estimated $21 million in taxpayer money to rework our elections required to implement this measure, we’re not likely to see the promised results. In 2023, the University of Minnesota studied RCV elections in other states and cities and found little to no evidence it will produce the touted results of tempering elections, increasing turnout, and electing more moderate or diverse candidates.

Rather than experimenting with a awed system like Prop. 131, we should focus on improving voter education and ensuring that all Coloradans can participate in a fair and democratic process.

Kathryn Wallace is the Chair of the Je erson County Democratic Party.

Can we a ord to live here?

The General Election may end on Nov. 5, but election season is in full swing. Ballots were mailed beginning Oct. 11 and early voting is well under way.

e ballot has a host of candidates – including, of course, the contest for President. For months the candidates have been seeking to differentiate themselves so you will understand your choices. In many cases, the biggest di erence is the candidate’s view of the role of government. Democrats are seeking to expand government control and therefore they need to raise taxes and take more of your money. Republicans are seeking to reduce, or at least maintain, the size of government without spending more of your hard-earned money.

Consider your ballot. Je erson County Issue 1A is seeking to take away your TABOR refund. e Democrat Commissioners have been working on this all year, spending your tax money on political operatives to convince you that they need more money for roads and public safety. Where are they spending the money now? What priorities are more important than public safety and roads? e ballot issue says “without increasing any tax rate or mill levy rate” but if you are supposed to receive a refund, and someone else keeps your money, doesn’t that mean you are paying more?

Je erson County has remained a stronghold for the constitutional protection provided by TABOR. Do you want to give up your refund and the right to vote on government spending? If you want to protect these things, then vote NO on Je co Ballot Issue 1A.

e ballot also includes 14 statewide measures. ese include seven amendments to the Colorado Constitution, ve amendments to state laws, and two referred by the Legislature. e referred measures ask for more tax money to come from ammunition and sports betting with the suggestion the taxes will be used for speci c things. is is a ction for

two reasons. First, any new tax money will go into the General Fund. Money in the General Fund can be used for anything – it is not earmarked to be spent on the stated purposes. Second, raising taxes on ammunition is a back door attempt to muzzle our second amendment rights by making things more expensive. If you do not want to pay more taxes, Vote NO on Propositions JJ and KK.

How about Proposition 131 that seeks to create a one-party system through Ranked Choice Voting. While some argue that we already have a “uniparty,” there are many thoughtful voices which will never again be heard. at does not serve the democratic process at all! If you value vigorous debate, and you think that one-party rule is a bad idea, vote NO on Proposition 131.

With the cost of living in Colorado already among the highest in the country, driven heavily by housing costs, is now the time to give the government more money and control? Candidate Harris wants price controls and a tax on unrealized capital gains. Do you have a 401k that is worth more than is used to be? Harris wants to tax the gain. How about your house? Did it go up in value? at’s another capital gain. Do you have the cash to pay those taxes? We need to think hard about the things our “leaders” want to do and how much of our money they want to do them. Otherwise, after this election, we may be asking if we can a ord to live here.

Don Ytterberg is a former four-time chair of the Je co Republicans and former two-time Vice Chair of the Colorado Republican Party. He has been a candidate for the Colorado Senate and the U.S. House. He and his wife Kim have been residents of Je erson County since 1987 where he has been a business owner since 1990.

Kathryn Wallace

FROM THE RIGHT

Don Ytterberg

Better than ever: key changes we’ve made to strengthen our elections OBITUARIES

MARSH

CFirst, money Genin Fund anyearspent purraisammudoor muzzle amendmore pay Propositions that system Voting. already many never serve you think vote Colorado the housing govcontrol? concapiis Harabout value? you the and want this can four-time and the has Colorado and of he 1990.

olorado is known nationally as a leader in safe, secure, accessible elections, with its streamlined vote-by-mail process, inperson voting options, and smart laws that allow voter registration right up through Election Day. Statewide, our turnout is high, and in Je co, turnout is even higher. And we never stop working to make this great voting system even better.

I’m exceptionally proud of the work we’ve done this past year to remove barriers to voting while maintaining – and enhancing – the integrity of our elections. ere are a number of important changes we’ve made that you should be aware of.

In Colorado, all U.S. citizens over the age of 18 who have lived in the state for at least 22 days and aren’t currently serving time for a felony conviction are eligible to vote. But for some Coloradans, especially those who are being held while they await trial and those who are incarcerated for misdemeanors, having the right to vote hasn’t always meant they had the opportunity to vote. I worked hard to help pass Senate Bill 72 this year, which will require county jails to o er in-person voting for eligible voters. An early trial of this increased voter turnout in Je co’s jail by 1600% from the November 2023 election to the March 2024 election! I’m thrilled to see Colorado create a meaningful process to ensure that every eligible voter’s right to vote is being honored.

Young adults are another population who have historically faced voting barriers in Colorado. Many have handwriting that is still evolving. Yet elections rely on voters having consistent and up-to-date signatures, meaning young voters’ ballots can be less likely to be accepted for counting. Consistency is key: we can’t verify that you’re the voter you say you are if your signature looks di erent from your ballot envelope from your voter le.  In Je co, we’ve launched a new initiative that aims to address this challenge. Voters can now get a signature card they sign and send back via QR code along with an image of their current ID. is will give us a clear, recent signature on le for them when they return their ballot. It’s working so well already that we’ve distributed materials to other counties so they can implement it, too. It’s a simple, creative solution to a pervasive challenge.

JEFFCO CLERK & RECORDER

We’ve also taken many steps to increase the safety and security of our elections. One of these is that concealed rearms are no longer allowed in places where people vote, drop a ballot, or where ballots are counted and veried (Senate Bill 131).

While the existing law prohibits openly carrying a rearm within or near these places, the new law prohibits concealed carry, too. is protects you as voters as well as your friends and neighbors who are election workers.

Another security precaution, in addition to upgrading the surveillance cameras that monitor our ballot drop boxes 24/7, is that we redesigned our ballot boxes. For their new look, we made them higher visibility, state the rules for using them more clearly, and added Spanish translations so the rules can be understood by more voters. Find one in your community and check out the new design – we’d love to hear what you think.

A third change to increase election security is a new law to curb the misuse of Arti cial Intelligence in campaign ads. It’s a concern we’ve heard from voters, as deepfake videos become increasingly convincing. Now we have reasonable guardrails requiring campaigns to feature prominent disclosures if they include AI audio, video, and other content – it’s the AI version of truth in advertising (House Bill 1147).

We’ve made a variety of other small changes, too, from placing Braille “I Voted” stickers in our in-person voting centers for our visually impaired voters, to creating an internship program to bring in young election workers, to installing a new ballot drop box at Colorado Christian University. All of these changes and many more are in service of our ultimate goal: an equitable, accessible, trustworthy democracy for the Je co of today and tomorrow.

I hope you share my enthusiasm for these new ways of breaking down barriers to voting and strengthening our election system. Now please return your ballot!

Amanda Gonzalez is the Je erson County clerk and recorder.

Leonard Marsh October 7, 2024

Our dear brother in Christ, Leonard Marsh, peacefully passed away at his home on Monday, Oct. 7th while sleeping. He was a 50-year member of the Morrison community, and a dedicated member of our St. Laurence congregation for decades. He will be remembered for his charming enthusiasm, his engaging stories, and his love for ring his French 1769 canon for ceremonies at various locations throughout the state.

at St. Laurence Episcopal Church in Conifer CO on Saturday, Oct. 19 at noon. A reception will follow, as well as the internment at the church.

He is survived by His daughter Heather and son Taylor (Alexis) Marsh; their children Zachary and Oktober Marsh; his nephew Adrian Marsh; niece Genevieve Walden; and his favorite wife, Carolyn.

Leonard’s Celebration of Life will be held

BLAKESLEE

In lieu of owers, although Leonard always bought owers for the ladies, the family has asked that you make a donation to the Mountain Resource Center in Conifer, who worked in partnership with the nurses and therapists of Mount Evans Home Healthcare and Hospice. Because of their generosity, Leonard and other seniors were gifted a once monthly free foot spa, which Leonard treasured very much.

Leonard will be sorely missed, but our comfort lies in our knowledge that he is in his heavenly home.”

Quentin Tucker Blakeslee

November 6, 1962 - August 6, 2024

Quentin T. Blakeslee: hiker, mountain climber, high pointer, traveler, friend and brother.

Quentin was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 6, 1962 to Reverend Charles and Ann Blakeslee. He is survived by four older siblings: Merritt, Chris, Joel, and Edith.

Over many years he climbed all 54 of the Colorado 14ers. With that behind him, he started traveling the United States exploring the National Parks and climbing 33 state high points including Mt. Whitney (California) and Mt. Rainier (Washington). He also traveled and climbed in Europe, South America, and Mexico.

When Quentin was almost two years old the family moved from New Orleans to a home in Evergreen, Colorado. is is where and when Quentin’s outdoor adventures began.

He attended Colorado Academy for one year, graduated from Evergreen High School, and started college at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He later transferred University of Colorado in Boulder, but graduated from Metropolitan State College in Denver where he majored in English Lit. and marketing. He was an avid reader, a music enthusiast, and a life-long learner.

He worked in the banking industry in the Denver area. His eld was Documents Management. At the same time, he participated in a variety of volunteer projects including recording books for the blind, and helping to run Project Valentine for cancer patients.

Quentin, who never married, enjoyed a wide network of close friends with whom he pursued his di erent avocations. ey revered his strong and loyal friendship.

In November 2022, Quentin was diagnosed with glioblastoma and in the next fteen months he underwent two major brain surgeries, chemo and radiation. He faced the disease with the same tenacity with which he climbed mountains and only three months before his death he traveled to the Swiss Alps with four of his closest friends.

On August 6, 2024, Quentin died peacefully in his sleep. At the time of his death he was under the care of Agape Hospice, and was a patient at the Amberwood Post Acute care facility in Denver.

He is greatly missed by his family and friends alike.

HAPPENINGS

We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier. com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

UPCOMING

Kid’s Halloween Night Out: 7-10 p.m. Oct. 25, Wulf Recreation Center, 5300 S Olive Road, Evergreen. Must be potty trained. Dress in tted comfortable clothes or Halloween costume! evergreenrecreation. com

Hike Or Treat at Staunton State Park: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 26, Staunton State Park, 12102 S Elk Creek Road, Pine. Hike, treats and fun facts about nature with refreshments. Hikes start from the Visitor Center or Ranch Hand group picnic area.

Hops Drops music and beer festival: 1-8 p.m. Oct. 26, Evergreen Lake House, 29612 Upper Bear Creek Road, Evergreen. hopsdropsevergreen.com

‘Zombie Run’, 8:30 a.m. Oct. 27, Buchanan Park, 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen. Fundraiser for Evergreen Animal Protective League. Sign up to run or volunteer at eapl. com.

e Evergreen Elks Lodge indoor Trick or Treat Trail: 4-7 p.m. Oct. 31. 27972 Iris Drive, Evergreen.

Evergreen Park & Recreation District senior excursion, Edgewater Public Market: 4 p.m. Nov. 7. Register at evergreenrecreation. com

Wild Aware’s Living in Harmony: Peaceful Co-existence with Wildlife: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Evergreen Fire/Rescue Auditorium, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Free. wildaware.org

Laughs on the Lake - Comedy Night: 7 p.m. Nov. 15, Evergreen Lake House, 29612 Upper Bear Creek Road, Evergreen. Tickets: evergreenrecreation.com

Evergreen Halloween events, all on Oct. 31: Trick Or Treat at Bergen Village Shopping Center, 3-5 p.m.; Downtown Evergreen Trick-or-Treat: 4-6 p.m.; Trick or Treat Trail at Evergreen Elks Lodge, 4-6 p.m.

Evergreen Christian Outreach 5K Turkey Trot: 8 a.m. Nov. 28, 27888 Meadow Drive. Evergreen. evergreenchristianoutreach.org.

Christmas in Conifer: 10:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 2. Live music, Christmas parade, ‘80s costume contest. goconifer.com

Evergreen Chamber’s Santa Breakfast: Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14 & 21. Breakfast, meeting and photos with Santa at various locations. Tickets on sale Nov. 1 at evergreenchamber.org.

Pet Pictures with Santa: Noon2 p.m. Dec. 14 at Aspen Park Vet Hospital, 25871 Duran Ave, Conifer, & 12-3 p.m. Dec. 15, Saturday, 12-2pm at e ResqRanch, 25871 Duran Ave, Conifer. RSVP 303-8383771 or Help@AspenParkVet.com

ONGOING

“Rocky Horror Show” presented by StageDoor eatre: Fridays 7 p.m. & Saturdays 7 & 10 p.m. through Oct. 26. Tickets: stagedoortheatre.org.

Evergreen Audubon Annual Wreath Sale: Oct. 1-28. New this year, LED light kits for your wreath. Order online and pickup at the Evergreen Nature Center in late November. Order at: evergreenaudubon.org.

“Spirit Level,” comedy by the Evergreen Players: Weekends through Nov. 10. 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, Center Stage eatre, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen. Adult $30, senior $25, student $20. evergreenplayers.org.

Conifer Chamber of Commerce member meeting: 7:15 a.m. second Friday each month, Our Lady of Pines Catholic Church, 9444 Eagle Cli Road, Conifer. $12 members, $18 non-members.

Evergreen Nature Center Monthly Family Program: 11 a.m. to noon, every last Saturday, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. Monthly topics could include native wild owers and seed bombs, dissecting owl pellets, live animal encounters, and more. evergreenaudubon.org

e American Legion Evergreen Post 2001: Meets every fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m., Evergreen Church of the Trans guration, 27640 Highway 74, Evergreen. Serving all military veterans in the foothills communities. Email evergreenpost2001@gmail.com

Evergreen Nature Center monthly family program: 11 a.m. every last Saturday. Free & no registration required. Monthly topics could include native wild owers and seed bombs, dissecting owl pellets, live animal encounters, and more! Evergreen Nature Center, 27640 Hwy 74. More info: evergreenaudubon.org.

Evergreen Camera Club: Meets every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Evergreen Fire/Rescue auditorium, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Club is for people who share a passion for all photography, from beginners to professionals. Attend in person or via ZOOM.

Evergreen Area Republican Club: e Evergreen Area Republican Club meets at 6 p.m. the rst Wednesday of the month at the Evergreen Fire/Rescue Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway. Information at evergreenarearepublicanclub.org

Mountain Area Democrats: Mountain Area Democrats meet at 9 a.m. the fourth Saturday of the month January through April at the United Methodist Church of Evergreen, 3757 Ponderosa Drive, Evergreen. For more information, email MountainAreaDems@gmail. com.

Evergreen Sustainability Alliance is looking for volunteers: Evergreen Sustainability Alliance’s “Let’s Embrace Zero Food Waste” program in local schools and food banks needs volunteers. Volunteers are needed for a couple hours. Call 720-536-0069 or email

SEE HAPPENINGS, P13

HAPPENINGS

info@sustainevergreen.org for more information.

Evergreen Nature Center: e Evergreen Nature Center is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays next to Church of the Trans guration. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.EvergreenAudubon.org.

e Bear Creek Cemetery Association board of directors volunteers needed: Members needed to help with operations of the local cemetery on Highway 74, Evergreen. Contact board president, evergreenbearcreekcemetery@gmail.com

Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A

variety of opportunities and exible schedules are available on new construction sites as well as for exterior minor home repairs. No previous construction experience needed. Contact volunteer@bluesprucehabitat.org for information.

EChO needs volunteers: e Evergreen Christian Outreach ReSale Store and food pantry need volunteers. Proceeds from the EChO ReSale Store support the food pantry and programs and services provided by EChO. ere are many volunteer options from which to choose. For more information, call Mary at 720673-4369 or email mary@evergreenchristianoutreach.org.

LGBTQ+ teen book club: Resilience1220 is o ering an LGBTQ+ teen book club that meets from 4-6 p.m. the fourth Monday at the Resilience1220 o ce next to the Buchanan Park Recreation Center. For more information and to register,

visit R1220.org.

ESA EverGREEN Re ll Station: EverGREEN Re ll Station (re ll your laundry detergent, lotions, soaps and more. We have many sustainable products available). e Re ll Station is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 1-4 p.m. in the Habitat Restore, 1232 Bergen Parkway.

Support After Suicide Loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. is group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Sensitive Collection: Resilience1220 strives to inform and support highly sensitive people to live healthy and empowered lives. It

meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Caregiver support group: Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice o ers a monthly group to provide emotional support services for caregivers helping ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. An in-person support group meets Wednesdays from noon to 1:30 p.m. at 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen. For more information, visit mtevans.org/services/ emotional-support/.

Parkinson’s disease support group: A Parkinson’s disease support group meets the rst Friday of the month from 1-3 p.m. at Evergreen Christian Church, 27772 Iris Drive, Evergreen. For more information, email esears@parkinsonrockies.org.

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLOROADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

All week, Paige Becker had noticed an extra level of excitement and buzz around the Colorado School of Mines campus.

Becker, a Mines alumna and faculty member from the Broom eld/Westminster area, said the students were more energetic than usual. At the same time, employees were busy getting the campus ready for an enormous in ux of visitors.

And their energy was rewarded when thousands of Orediggers from near and far returned to their alma mater Sept. 26-28 to celebrate the university’s 150th anniversary for Homecoming Weekend.

“It’s the most exciting Homecoming I’ve ever witnessed,” Becker said.

e university amped up its traditional Homecoming celebrations with expanded or new events, including the Sept. 27 Blaster’s Bash party to commemorate the new Sesquicentennial Bell outside Guggenheim Hall.

About 4,800 Mines students, alumni, faculty, sta and other supporters packed Kafadar Commons that night. But that was just a taste of the crowd that turned out for the football game the following day, when almost 7,000 Orediggers packed the Marv Kay Stadium stands to set a new stadium record.

While Orediggers from across the Denver area said they love visiting the campus regularly for Homecoming and/or other events, they described how the 150th anniversary made this year’s Homecoming unique.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event to celebrate as an alumnus,” said Julian Liu, a Littleton resident and a Class of 2020 graduate.

Lakewood’s Darien O’Brien, valedictorian of the Class of 1983, added how the Homecoming Weekend’s incredible turnout only enhanced that feeling.

“It’s a special weekend,” O’Brien said. “It’s tremendous … seeing all generations of Orediggers interacting together.”

The Golden years

With Mines history now spanning 150 years, the Orediggers at the Sept. 27 Blaster’s Bash enjoyed deciding which academic or calendar year was their favorite.

Some like O’Brien picked the year they graduated.

O’Brien’s two children and their spouses also went to Mines, so he had several years to pick from beyond his own time at the university. But, he said 1983 was a pivotal year for him because he not only got his degree in petroleum engineering – a di cult eld – but he also founded the Mines chapter of Pi Epsilon Tau. e academic fraternity for petroleum engineering students is still active, he said.

Wheat Ridge’s Kendall Armitage and Castle Rock’s Natalie Mudd also picked the year they graduated: 2023.

e two received their undergraduate degrees in quantitative biosciences and engineering. But more than that, 2023 was also the year they saw how much progress had been made on campus, with things reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic and with various construction projects starting or concluding, they described.

Some Orediggers named other years that were important to them. Liu said 2017-18 was his favorite year because it was when he was most active and involved in student organizations.

2628 to celebrate Homecoming Weekend and the university’s sesquicentennial.

Colorado School of Mines students run in the Sept. 28 Homecoming 5K along Clear Creek. Thousands of Orediggers from near and far returned to campus Sept.

COURTESY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES

HELLUVA YEAR

Golden’s David Matlock, a professor emeritus of metallurgical and materials engineering, has been teaching at the university since the early ‘70s and had more than 50 years to choose from. He ultimately picked 1999 because it was the year his son graduated from Mines, but he added that he enjoyed seeing so many former students at the sesquicentennial celebration.

Several Orediggers picked this year, though, but for di ering reasons. Freshman Harshith Jayadeva said 2024

was his favorite by default, adding how tight-knit the Mines community is. He appreciated how many clubs and opportunities there are “where you can share your passion for engineering.”

Junior Clara Henckler-Davis, of Littleton, said 2024 was her favorite so far.

She’s double-majoring in civil engineering and economics.

Becker graduated from Mines with an undergraduate degree in 2017 and a master’s in 2018 but said 2024 has been her favorite thus far. She’s enjoyed being back on campus as a faculty member, describing how it’s all the nostalgia but “without the pressures of being a student.”

Andrea Passman, a Class of 1998 grad-

Paige Becker, Mines alumna and faculty member

uate, picked 2024 for the unique sesquicentennial celebration.

“It’s wonderful seeing so many generations celebrate together,” she said. “I’m proud to be a part of it. … I hope to see the 200th anniversary celebration.”

‘A really special school’

Mines has been observing its 150th anniversary all calendar year with special events and revived traditions like the Engineer’s Hats.

e centennial celebration in 1974 was “very different,” Matlock said.

Students built Mineral City — a fake 1874-style mining town — on the main quad, he recalled. Various fraternities, student groups and other Orediggers combined their e orts to build it, and even the governor stopped by to appreciate the atmosphere, he said.

While the centennial celebration was a “really nice event,” Matlock said Blaster’s Bash for the sesquicentennial drew a much bigger crowd. e university has grown in recent years — both in terms of facilities and enrollment — so there are more Orediggers to return every time their alma mater invites them.

After all, being an Oredigger means being invested in school spirit and involved in events, HencklerDavis said.

In front, mascots Marv the Miner and Blaster the Burro celebrate the Sept. 28 Homecoming football game with Colorado School of Mines fans. The game had record attendance, as thousands of Orediggers returned to campus to celebrate Homecoming Weekend amid the university’s 150th anniversary. COURTESY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES

Armitage and Mudd said they’ve appreciated all the opportunities to meet fellow alumni and hear how much the university has changed in living memory.

ey described how Mines’ graduating classes 50 years ago had a much lower ratio of female students, but they’re encouraged that women now make up roughly 30% of Mines’ student body.

Passman, who’s also a University of Denver alumna, commended Mines President Paul C. Johnson and his sta for all their work to expand and improve the university since Johnson became president in 2015.

“ is is the greatest institution Colorado has to offer,” she said.

Becker felt likewise, calling Mines “the MIT of the West, but better.” She described seeing students wearing funny T-shirts where the jokes are math equations.

But more than that, she continued, there’s a special camaraderie among the Orediggers, because of the university’s emphasis on STEM and the challenging curriculum. It’s something students and alumni instantly understand, she said, summarizing it as: “I get it; I went to Mines.”

As the university’s sesquicentennial year draws to a close, the Orediggers hoped to see their “really special school,” as Becker described it, leave its mark around the world until the bicentennial in 2074 and beyond.

It was a Christmas night like the ones over the years. Close to three dozen of us gathered into our family’s eight hundred square foot house. e little ones played in the cellar and the older kids mingled with the adults who congregated mainly in the dining room, where we sang songs like “Pu , the Magic Dragon,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “Deck the Halls” as Dominick — sister Helen’s husband and family Chet Atkins — played guitar.

My mother, who had taken refuge in her bedroom for a while, emerged and surveyed the scene. “Sing ‘Joy to the World,’” she said

On cue, one of her teenage grandsons let loose with “Jeremiah was a bullfrog!” He was quickly joined by his siblings and cousins who nished the verse and then the chorus, wishing joy to everyone, even the sh in the deep blue sea, and ending with “Joy to you and me.” eir grandma smiled and shook her head while the rest of us roared. It was moment of family joy.

In “Desert Solitaire,” Edward Abby

Joy to you and me

JERRY FABYANIC Columnist

speculates about the role joy might’ve played in evolution. Interestingly he writes about joy in context of the spadefoot toads’ croaking, whose vocalizations are not exactly harmonious to the human ear. Abbey wonders whether their croaking is more than about attracting a mate or communicating with neighbors. Perhaps it’s done, he muses, out of “spontaneous love and joy, a contrapuntal choral celebration” celebrating the recent rainfall after an extended dry period. And possibly out of love for their existence and everyday life. What? A song about the joy of life? Better yet, how about a symphony?

Like Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy?”

Joy is experiencing a revival, strangely because of politics. Now there’s an anomaly: mean-spirited politics making bedfellows with joy. More than pause; it jolts because joy

hasn’t just been divorced from politics, it’s been ostracized, expelled, exiled, like Napolean to Elba. We can debate whether joy’s demise is a cause of our social-political miasma or the result of sinister forces seeking to crush it, but I’ll leave that to you to consider.

In “Finding Joy and Engaging in the Dance of Life,” Allison Abrams states that studies show about half of human happiness is genetically predisposed and ten percent circumstantial. at means we control forty percent of our happiness quotient. And that means each of us has plenty of space to amp it up. But, she says, it takes hard work and a strong willingness to make it happen. Nonetheless, evidence shows happiness and, by extension, joy is largely a choice. Which means if you’re not feeling it and there are no painful circumstances preventing it, consider taking a good look into your psychological mirror. Abbey believes joy is correlated to the survival rate in evolution. He avers the morose and fearful eventually go extinct because courage depends on joy. Without courage, animals—Sapiens included— shrink, tremble, and hide in terror. It’s hard to feel happy and joyful if you’re waiting for a bomb to explode or if you’re a target for hate, yet our friends in the animal kingdom seem to feel it in spite of their fraught environment, like the frogs and toads who croak incessantly despite the presence of predators like snakes,

HAPPENINGS

FROM PAGE 13

Mountain Foothills Rotary meetings: Mountain Foothills Rotary meets at 6 p.m. Wednesdays both in person at Mount Vernon Canyon Club, 24933 Club House Circle, Genesee, and via Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting at https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/81389224272,

owls and whatnot.

When I read Abbey’s musings, I wondered whether there was a link between them and ree Dog Night’s “Joy to the World,” since Abbey published “Desert Solitaire” in 1968 and TDN’s hit followed two years later. But I found no evidence to support that. Nevertheless, it seems too coincidental that Abbey and Hoyt Axton, who wrote the song, correlated joy with croaking toads and frogs. Happy little critters, it seems, despite many of them destined to be dinner or objects for experimentation by high school biology students. Joy is happiness on steroids. As such, it’s a high, an upper. Even though it’s short-lived like any high, it leaves an imprint, an indelible etching in the psyche. Like a healthy diet, it’s needed. Although Abbey wasn’t a psychologist or evolutionary scientist, he put his nger on an essential truth: ere’s a strong correlation between long-term survival and one’s sense of happiness and joy. It’s from that we can meet life head on with undaunted courage. Mum’s joy was evinced by the one Christmas song she requested. Not “Silent Night” or “Adeste Fidelis,” but “Joy to the World.” Even though her grandkids hijacked her request, we knew she felt it. We were her family. And that’s where she found joy.

Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.

meeting ID 813 8922 4272, phone 346-248-7799.

Beyond the Rainbow: Resilience1220 o ers Beyond the Rainbow, which is two support groups that meet the second Tuesday of the month. One is a safe group for those 12-20 and the other is a group for parents and caregivers wanting support for raising an LGBTQ+ child. For group location and to RSVP, email heather@resilience1220.org.

I link Night’s puband later. support coAxcorrelated frogs. despite dinner by As Even high, indelible healthy Abbey evolutionan corsurvival and life one Not but her we family.

“Siought: lives

2024 Statewide Ballot Issues

The Colorado Constitution (Article V, Section 1(7.3)) requires the Colorado Legislative Council to publish the ballot title and legal text of each statewide ballot measure. A “YES/FOR” vote on any ballot issue is a vote in favor of changing current law or existing circumstances, and a “NO/AGAINST” vote on any ballot issue is a vote against changing current law or existing circumstances.

Amendment G

Modify Property Tax Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was referred to the voters because it passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the state senate and the state house of representatives.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

SECTION1. At the election held on November 5, 2024, the secretary of state shall submit to the registered electors of the state the ballot title set forth in section 2 for the following amendment to the state constitution:

In the constitution of the state of Colorado, section 3.5 of article X, amend (1)(c) and (1.5) as follows:

Section 3.5. Homestead exemption for qualifying senior citizens, veterans with a disability, and surviving spouses receiving dependency indemnity compensation - definition. (1) For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2002, fifty percent of the first two hundred thousand dollars of actual value of residential real property, as defined by law, that, as of the assessment date, is owner-occupied and is used as the primary residence of the owner-occupier shall be exempt from property taxation if:

(c) For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2007, only, the owneroccupier, as of the assessment date, is a disabled veteran with a disability.

(1.5) For purposes of this section, “disabled veteran” “veteran with a disability” means an individual who has served on active duty in the United States armed forces, including a member of the Colorado national guard who has been ordered into the active military service of the United States, has been separated therefrom under honorable conditions, and either has established a service-connected disability that has been rated by the federal United States department of veterans affairs as one hundred percent permanent disability through disability retirement benefits or a pension pursuant to a law or regulation administered by the department, the department of homeland security, or the department of the army, navy, or air force or has individual unemployability status as determined by the United States department of veterans affairs.

SECTION2. Each elector voting at the election may cast a vote either “Yes/For” or “No/Against” on the following ballot title: “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?”

SECTION3. Except as otherwise provided in section 1-40-123, Colorado Revised Statutes, if at least fifty-five percent of the electors voting on the ballot title vote “Yes/ For”, then the amendment will become part of the state constitution.

Amendment H

Judicial Discipline Procedures and Confidentiality

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was referred to the voters because it passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the state senate and the state house of representatives.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

SECTION 1. At the election held on November 5, 2024, the secretary of state shall

submit to the registered electors of the state the ballot title set forth in section 2 for the following amendment to the state constitution:

In the constitution of the state of Colorado, section 23 of article VI, amend (3)(a), (3) (e), (3)(f), (3)(g), and (3)(h); and add (3)(c.5) and (3)(k) as follows:

Section 23. Retirement and removal of justices and judges. (3) (a) There shall be a commission on judicial discipline. It shall consist of: Two judges of district courts and two judges of county courts, each selected by the supreme court, as provided by law; two citizens admitted to practice law in the courts of this state, neither of whom shall be a justice or judge, who shall have practiced in this state for at least ten years and who shall be appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate; and four citizens, none of whom shall be a justice or judge, active or retired, nor admitted to practice law in the courts of this state, who shall be appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate. An appointing authority shall not appoint a member of the independent judicial discipline adjudicative board established in subsection (3)(c.5) of this section to the commission.

(c.5)(I) There is created the independent judicial discipline adjudicative board as an independent agency within the judicial department. The adjudicative board shall conduct formal judicial disciplinary proceedings. The adjudicative board also shall hear appeals of the commission’s orders of informal remedial action. Appeals to the adjudicative board are confidential. The adjudicative board consists of four district court judges without any judicial or attorney disciplinary history, appointed by the supreme court; four attorneys without any judicial or attorney disciplinary history who are licensed to practice law in Colorado and who reside in Colorado, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate; and four citizens who are not judges or attorneys licensed to practice law in Colorado, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. An appointing authority shall not appoint a member of the commission to the adjudicative board. For the purpose of staggering terms, when making the initial appointments to the adjudicative board, the appointing authority shall designate two members from each category to a five-year term and two members from each category to a three-year term. All subsequent appointments are for a term of five years; except that in the event of a vacancy on the adjudicative board, the original appointing authority shall appoint, in the same manner as an original appointment, a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

(II) Upon order of a formal hearing pursuant to subsection (3)(e) of this section, a panel of the adjudicative board shall convene to conduct the hearing. A panel consists of one judge, one attorney licensed to practice law in Colorado, and one citizen. The state court administrator, or the administrator’s designee, shall randomly select the panel from among the adjudicative board’s membership. The random selection of a panel is a purely administrative function.

(e) (I) The commission may, after such investigation as it deems necessary, dismiss a complaint, order informal remedial action, or order a formal hearing to be held before it a panel of the adjudicative board concerning the removal, retirement, suspension, censure, reprimand, or other discipline of a justice or a judge. or request the supreme court to appoint three special masters, who shall be justices or judges of courts of record, to hear and take evidence in any such matter and to report thereon to the commission. The respondent justice or judge may appeal the commission’s order for informal remedial action to a panel of the adjudicative board. The adjudicative panel shall review the commission’s informal remedial action order for abuse of discretion. An appeal of an informal remedial action order is confidential consistent with subsection (3)(g) of this section.

(II) After a formal hearing, or after considering the record and report of the masters, if the commission finds good cause therefor, it the adjudicative panel may dismiss the charges before it; take informal remedial action; or it may recommend to the supreme court order the removal, retirement, suspension, censure, reprimand, or other discipline, as the case may be, of the justice or judge. The commission adjudicative panel may also recommend order that the costs of its the investigation and hearing be assessed against such justice or judge. The justice or judge may appeal an adjudicative panel’s disciplinary order, and the commission may appeal an adjudicative panel’s dismissal or disciplinary order, to the supreme court or, when the circumstances described in subsection (3)(f)(II) of this section are present, to the tribunal described in subsection (3)(f)(II) of this section.

(f)(I) Following receipt of a recommendation from the commission, the supreme court shall review the record of the proceedings on the law and facts and in its discretion may permit the introduction of additional evidence and shall order On appeal of an adjudicative panel’s order for removal, retirement, suspension, censure, reprimand, or other discipline, as it finds just and proper, or wholly reject

the recommendation or a panel’s dismissal of charges, the supreme court, or the tribunal described in subsection (3)(f)(II) of this section if the tribunal is hearing the appeal, shall review the record of the proceedings on the law and facts. When reviewing the adjudicative panel’s decision, the supreme court shall review matters of law de novo, review factual matters to determine whether the adjudicative panel’s determination is clearly erroneous, and review any sanctions imposed by the adjudicative panel for abuse of discretion. Upon an order for retirement, the justice or judge shall thereby be retired with the same rights and privileges as if he retired pursuant to statute. Upon an order for removal, the justice or judge shall thereby be removed from office, and his salary shall cease from the date of such order. On the entry of an order for retirement or for removal of a judge, his office shall be deemed vacant.

(II) In proceedings in which the circumstances described in this subsection (3)(f)(II) are present, a tribunal comprised of seven judges of the court of appeals and district court shall review the decision of the adjudicative panel or hear any other appeal in the same manner and use the same standards of review as the supreme court when it reviews decisions and hears appeals as described in subsection (3)(f)(I) of this section. The state court administrator, or the administrator’s designee, shall randomly select members of the tribunal from among all district judges and court of appeals judges who do not have a current disciplinary investigation or proceeding pending before the commission or adjudicative board; have not received a disciplinary sanction from the commission, adjudicative board, or supreme court; and are not otherwise required by law, court rule, or judicial canon to recuse themselves from the tribunal. A tribunal must not include more than one member who is a court of appeals judge and not more than one district judge from any one judicial district. The random selection of tribunal members is a purely administrative function. The tribunal shall review decisions and hear any other appeals in the following circumstances:

(A) When the proceedings involve a complaint against a Colorado supreme court justice;

(B) When a Colorado supreme court justice is a complainant or a material witness in the proceeding;

(C) When a staff member to a Colorado supreme court justice is a complainant or material witness in the proceeding;

(D) When a family member of a Colorado supreme court justice is a complainant or material witness in the proceeding; or

(E) When any other circumstances exist due to which more than two Colorado supreme court justices have recused themselves from the proceeding.

(III) Upon a determination that a sanction imposed by the adjudicative panel is an abuse of discretion, the supreme court or, if applicable, the tribunal, shall remand the proceedings to the panel that imposed the sanction with directions the court or tribunal deems necessary.

(IV) Upon an order for retirement, the justice or judge is retired with the same rights and privileges as if the justice or judge retired pursuant to statute. Upon an order for removal, the justice or judge is removed from office and the justice’s or judge’s salary ceases from the date of the order. On the entry of an order for retirement or for removal of a justice or judge, the justice’s or judge’s office is deemed vacant.

(g) (I) Prior to the filing of a recommendation to the supreme court by the commission commencement of formal disciplinary proceedings against any justice or judge, all papers filed with and proceedings before the commission on judicial discipline or masters appointed by the supreme court, pursuant to this subsection (3), shall be are confidential, and the filing of papers with and the giving of testimony before the commission or the masters shall be privileged; but no other publication of such papers or proceedings shall be privileged in any action for defamation; except that the record filed by the commission in the supreme court continues privileged is confidential. A person is absolutely immune from any action for defamation based on papers filed with or testimony before the commission, the adjudicative board, the supreme court, or the tribunal, but no other publication of the papers or proceedings has absolute immunity in any action for defamation and a writing which that was privileged prior to its filing with the commission or the masters does not lose such privilege by such filing.

(II) Notwithstanding the confidentiality requirement described in this subsection (3)(g), the commission may:

(A) Release information about the status of an evaluation, investigation, or proceeding to the victim of misconduct or the complainant;

(B) Release information about a complaint that resulted in informal remedial action or public discipline of a judge or justice to the state court administrator as necessary for the selection of a tribunal pursuant to

subsection (3)(f)(II) of this section; any relevant commission on judicial performance or judicial nominating commission, the office of attorney regulation counsel, and the office of the presiding disciplinary judge, or successors to each commission or office; the office of the governor, for the purpose of judicial appointments; the judicial department, for the purpose of reviewing applicants for the senior judge program and appointments to the adjudicative board pursuant to subsection (3)(c.5)(I) of this section; and other limited recipients consistent with the purposes of this section allowed by rule; and

(C) Make publicly available aggregate information about trends or patterns in complaints made to the commission, but the commission shall not make public any information that identifies any specific person or complaint.

(III) A recipient of confidential information pursuant to subsection (3)(g)(II) (B) of this section shall preserve the confidentiality of the information subject to any sanctions for violation of confidentiality as may be provided by law.

(IV) The general assembly may provide by law for confidential reporting and complainant rights consistent with subsection (3)(g)(II) of this section.

(h) The supreme court shall by rule provide for procedures before the commission on judicial discipline, the masters, and the supreme court. The rules shall also provide the standards and degree of proof to be applied by the commission in its proceedings. A justice or judge who is a member of the commission commission, adjudicative board, tribunal, or supreme court shall not participate in any proceedings involving his the justice’s or judge’s own removal or retirement.

(k)(I) There is created a rule-making committee to adopt rules for the judicial discipline process. The rule-making committee consists of four members appointed by the supreme court; four members appointed by the adjudicative board; four members appointed by the commission; and one victim’s advocate, as defined in law, appointed by the governor. Members serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority. The rule-making committee shall elect a chair who is a member of the committee. The rules must include the standards and degree of proof to be applied in judicial discipline proceedings; confidential reporting procedures; and complainant rights during the evaluation, investigation, and hearing process. The general assembly may provide by law for confidential reporting and complainant rights.

(II) The rule-making committee may promulgate specific rules governing proceedings before a panel of the adjudicative board. The Colorado rules of evidence and Colorado rules of civil procedure, as amended, apply to proceedings before a panel of the adjudicative board until and unless the rule-making committee promulgates rules governing panel proceedings. Rules promulgated pursuant to this subsection (3)(k)(II) apply to formal proceedings initiated on or after April 1, 2025.

SECTION2. Each elector voting at the election may cast a vote either “Yes/For” or “No/Against” on the following ballot title: “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?”.

SECTION3. Except as otherwise provided in section 1-40-123, Colorado Revised Statutes, if at least fifty-five percent of the electors voting on the ballot title vote “Yes/ For”, then the amendment will become part of the state constitution.

Amendment I

Constitutional Bail Exception for First Degree Murder

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was referred to the voters because it passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the state senate and the state house of representatives.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

SECTION1. At the election held on November 5, 2024, the secretary of state shall submit to the registered electors of the state the ballot title set forth in section 2 for the following amendment to the state constitution:

In the constitution of the state of Colorado, section 19 of article II, amend (2); and add (1)(d) as follows:

Section 19. Right to bail - exceptions. (1) All persons shall be bailable by sufficient

sureties pending disposition of charges except:

(d) For the offense of murder in the first degree, as defined by law, committed on or after the effective date of this subsection (1)(d), when proof is evident or presumption is great.

(2) Except in the case of a capital offense or murder in the first degree, if a person is denied bail under this section, the trial of the person shall be commenced not more than ninety days after the date on which bail is denied. If the trial is not commenced within ninety days and the delay is not attributable to the defense, the court shall immediately schedule a bail hearing and shall set the amount of the bail for the person.

SECTION2. Each elector voting at the election may cast a vote either “Yes/For” or “No/Against” on the following ballot title: “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?”

SECTION3. Except as otherwise provided in section 1-40-123, Colorado Revised Statutes, if at least fifty-five percent of the electors voting on the ballot title vote “Yes/ For”, then the amendment will become part of the state constitution.

Amendment J

Repealing the Definition of Marriage in the Constitution

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was referred to the voters because it passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the state senate and the state house of representatives.

Ballot Title:

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution removing the ban on samesex marriage?

Text of Measure:

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

SECTION 1. At the election held on November 5, 2024, the secretary of state shall submit to the registered electors of the state the ballot title set forth in section 2 for the following amendment to the state constitution:

In the constitution of the state of Colorado, repeal section 31 of article II as follows: Section 31. Marriages - valid or recognized. Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.

SECTION 2. Each elector voting at the election may cast a vote either “Yes/For” or “No/Against” on the following ballot title: “Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage?”

SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided in section 1-40-123, Colorado Revised Statutes, if a majority of the electors voting on the ballot title vote “Yes/For”, then the amendment will become part of the state constitution.

Amendment K

Modify Constitutional Election Deadlines

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was referred to the voters because it passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the state senate and the state house of representatives.

Ballot Title:

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections?

Text of Measure:

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

SECTION 1. At the election held on November 5, 2024, the secretary of state shall submit to the registered electors of the state the ballot title set forth in section 2 for the following amendments to the state constitution:

In the constitution of the state of Colorado, section 1 of article V, amend (2), (3), and (7.3) as follows:

Section 1. General assembly - initiative and referendum. (2) The first power hereby reserved by the people is the initiative, and signatures by registered electors in an amount equal to at least five percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of secretary of state at the previous general election shall be required to propose any measure by petition, and every such petition shall include the full text of the measure so proposed. Initiative petitions for state legislation and amendments to the constitution, in such form as may be prescribed pursuant to law, shall be addressed to and filed with the secretary of state at least three months and one week before the general election at which they are to be voted upon. (3) The second power hereby reserved is the referendum, and it may be ordered, except as to laws necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, and appropriations for the support and maintenance of the departments of state and state institutions, against any act or item, section, or part

of any act of the general assembly, either by a petition signed by registered electors in an amount equal to at least five percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of the secretary of state at the previous general election or by the general assembly. Referendum petitions, in such form as may be prescribed pursuant to law, shall be addressed to and filed with the secretary of state not more than ninety days eighty-three days after the final adjournment of the session of the general assembly that passed the bill on which the referendum is demanded. The filing of a referendum petition against any item, section, or part of any act shall not delay the remainder of the act from becoming operative.

(7.3) Before any election at which the voters of the entire state will vote on any initiated or referred constitutional amendment or legislation, the nonpartisan research staff of the general assembly shall cause to be published the text and title of every such measure. Such publication shall be made at least one time in at least one legal publication of general circulation in each county of the state and shall be made at least fifteen days prior to the final date of voter registration for forty-five days before the election. The form and manner of publication shall be as prescribed by law and shall ensure a reasonable opportunity for the voters statewide to become informed about the text and title of each measure.

In the constitution of the state of Colorado, amend section 25 of article VI as follows: Section 25. Election of justices and judges. A justice of the supreme court or a judge of any other court of record, who shall desire to retain his the justice’s or judge’s judicial office for another term after the expiration of his the justice’s or judge’s then term of office shall file with the secretary of state, not more than six months and one week nor less than three months and one week prior to the general election next prior to the expiration of his the justice’s or judge’s then term of office, a declaration of his the justice’s or judge’s intent to run for another term. Failure to file such a declaration within the time specified shall create creates a vacancy in that office at the end of his the justice’s or judge’s then term of office.

Upon the filing of such a declaration, a question shall be placed on the appropriate ballot at such general election, as follows:

“Shall Justice (Judge) .... of the Supreme (or other) Court be retained in office? YES/..../NO/…./.” If a majority of those voting on the question vote “Yes”, the justice or judge is thereupon elected to a succeeding full term. If a majority of those voting on the question vote “No”, this will cause a vacancy to exist in that office at the end of his then present term of office.

In the case of a justice of the supreme court or any intermediate appellate court, the electors of the state at large; in the case of a judge of a district court, the electors of that judicial district; and in the case of a judge of the county court or other court of record, the electors of that county; shall vote on the question of retention in office of the justice or judge.

SECTION 2. Each elector voting at the election may cast a vote either “Yes/For” or “No/Against” on the following ballot title: “Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections?”

SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided in section 1-40-123, Colorado Revised Statutes, if at least fifty-five percent of the electors voting on the ballot title vote “Yes/ For”, then the amendment will become part of the state constitution.

Amendment 79

Constitutional Right to Abortion

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

Section 1. Legislative declaration. We, the voters of the state of Colorado, hereby find and declare:

(a) Colorado has been a leader in affirming the right to abortion since 1967;

(b) In 1984, Colorado adopted Amendment 3 which has had the unintended consequences of denying health insurance coverage for abortion services for state and local public employees, even in cases of rape, incest, continuation of a pregnancy that gravely endangers the patient’s health, or even when it is clear there is a fatal fetal condition;

(c) Amendment 3 also prevents use of health insurance coverage provided through medicaid for abortion services, even when continuing the pregnancy gravely endangers the patient’s health or when it is clear there is a fatal fetal condition;

(d) In 2022, the United States supreme court reversed the long-standing decision of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), that had provided federal constitutional protection for abortion rights, leaving decisions about the right to abortion up to policy makers at the state level;

(e) In 2024, Colorado voters recognize Amendment 3 has had discriminatory and harmful effects on state and local public employees and those enrolled in state sponsored insurance programs and their families;

(f) Voter reversal of this policy is consistent with U.S. supreme court rulings on recognizing equal access to rights, such as the right to vote. Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966). Therefore, it is timely and appropriate for voters to enact this amendment now.

Section 2. In the constitution of the state of Colorado, add section 32 to Article II as follows:

Section 32. Abortion

The right to abortion is hereby recognized. Government shall not deny, impede, or discriminate against the exercise of that right, including prohibiting health insurance coverage for abortion

Section 3. In the constitution of the state of Colorado, repeal section 50 of article V. Amendment 80 Constitutional Right to School Choice

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado constitution. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado constitution below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In the constitution of the state of Colorado, add section, 18 to article IX as follows:

Section 18. Education - School Choice (1) Purpose and findings. The people of the state of Colorado hereby find anddeclare that all children have the right to equal opportunity to access a qualityeducation; that parents have the right to direct the education of their children; and that school choice includes neighborhood, charter, private, and home schools, open enrollment options, and future innovations in education. (2) Each K-12 child has the right to school choice.

Proposition JJ

Retain Additional Sports Betting Tax Revenue

Question:

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?

The General Assembly referred this question to the voters in House Bill 24-1436, which is available online under Referring Legislation at: https://leg.colorado.gov/ bluebook

Proposition KK

Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax

Question:

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?

The General Assembly referred this question to the voters in House Bill 24-1349, which is available online under Referring Legislation at: https://leg.colorado.gov/ bluebook

Proposition 127

Prohibit Bobcat, Lynx, and Mountain Lion Hunting

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices

of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it Enacted by the People of the State Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 33-4-101.4 as follows:

33-4-101.4. Trophy hunting prohibited – exceptions – legislative declaration – rules – penalty – definitions. (1) The voters of Colorado find and declare that any trophy hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, or lynx is inhumane, serves no socially acceptable or ecologically beneficial purpose, and fails to further public safety. Trophy hunting is practiced primarily for the display of an animal’s head, fur, or other body parts, rather than for utilization of the meat. Moreover, it is almost always conducted by unsporting means, including, but not limited to, using packs of dogs with electronic devices to pursue and entrap affected animals in places from which they cannot escape in order to achieve the kill. Therefore, it is appropriate and necessary to ban trophy hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx in Colorado.

(2) As used in this section:

(a)(I) “Trophy hunting” means intentionally:

(A) Killing, wounding, pursuing, or entrapping a mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx; or

(B) Discharging or releasing any deadly weapon, as defined in section 18-1901(3)(e), at a mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx.

(II) “Trophy hunting” does not include:

(A) Any act specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section if it was conducted in the defense of human life, livestock, real or personal property, or a motor vehicle pursuant to section 33-3-106 and appropriate nonlethal methods have been used as defined by the commission, except that lethal means may be used to defend human life;

(B) Any act specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section if it was conducted by an authorized employee of the division of parks and wildlife, the United States department of agriculture, or the United States department of the interior, when the employee is acting in his or her official capacity;

(C) The accidental wounding or killing of a mountain lion, lynx, or bobcat by a motor vehicle, vessel, or train;

(D) The use of nonlethal methods by a person authorized to capture a mountain lion, bobcat or lynx for purposes of bona fide scientific research, for relocation permitted in accordance with rules of the division or for medical treatment of the animal being captured as permitted by section 33-6206(1)(a), (1)(c), or (1)(d);

(E) Any act specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section if authorized by the Commissioner of Agriculture pursuant to section 35-40-101 to control depredating animals;

(F) Euthanasia of an ill or injured mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx, done for humane reasons, by a person licensed to practice veterinary medicine under the colorado veterinary practice act, article 315 of title 12;

(G) Any act specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section if it was conducted pursuant to a special license issued by the division of parks and wildlife under section 33-4-102(2)(a), 2(i), or (13); or

(H) Any act specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section if it was conducted by an employee or contractor of a federal, state, county, city and county, or municipal department of health for the purpose of protecting human health or safety pursuant to section 33-6-205

(b) “Pursuing” means following or chasing in order to attack, entrap, wound, or kill, including, but not limited to, using one or more dogs in such act.

(3) Trophy hunting of any mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx is unlawful.

(4) (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person who violates this section commits a class 1 misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished as provided in section 18-1.3-501.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person convicted of any offense under this section who holds a wildlife license shall not be able to

hold or exercise the privileges of such a license for five years.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person convicted of two or more offenses under this section is prohibited from holding or exercising the privileges of such a license for life.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-4-102, amend (1.4)(s) as follows: 33-4-102. Types of licenses and fees - rules. (1.4) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (1.5) and (1.6) of this section, the division may issue the following resident and nonresident licenses and shall collect the following fees:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-107, amend (9) as follows: 33-6-107. Licensing violations – penalties – rule. (9) For the purposes of this section, any person, any member of such person’s family, or any employee of the person may hunt, trap, or take black-billed magpies, common crows, starlings, English or house sparrows, common pigeons, coyotes, bobcats, red foxes, raccoons, jackrabbits, badgers, marmots, prairie dogs, pocket gophers, Richardson’s ground squirrels, rock squirrels, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, porcupines, crayfish, tiger salamanders, muskrats, beavers, exotic wildlife, and common snapping turtles on lands owned or leased by the person without securing licenses to do so, but only when such wildlife is causing damage to crops, real or personal property, or livestock. Any person may kill skunks or rattlesnakes when necessary to protect life or property. The pelts or hides of any mammals taken under this subsection (9) may be transferred, possessed, traded, bartered, or sold by a person who holds an appropriate small game license.

SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-109, amend (3)(c) as follows: 33-6-109. Wildlife – illegal possession. (3) A person who violates subsection (1) or (2) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, depending upon the wildlife involved, shall be punished upon conviction by a fine or imprisonment, or both, and license suspension points or suspension or revocation of license privileges as follows: (c) For each elk, bear, moose, lynx, bobcat, or mountain lion, a fine of one thousand dollars and an assessment of fifteen points.

SECTION 5. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-110, amend (1)(a) and (c) as follows:

33-6-110. Division action to recover possession and value of wildlife unlawfully taken. (1) The division may bring and maintain a civil action against any person, in the name of the people of the state, to recover possession or value or both possession and value of any wildlife taken in violation of articles 1 to 6 of this title. A writ of replevin may issue in such an action without bond. No previous demand for possession shall be necessary. If costs or damages are adjudged in favor of the defendant, the same shall be paid out of the wildlife cash fund. Neither the pendency of such civil action nor a criminal prosecution for the same taking shall be a bar to the other; nor shall anything in this section affect the right of seizure under other provisions of articles 1 to 6 of this title. The following shall be considered the minimum value of the wildlife unlawfully taken or possessed and may be recovered in addition to recovery of possession of the wildlife:

(a) For each eagle, member of an endangered species, rocky mountain goat, moose, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcat, or lynx…$1,000 (c) For each pronghorn, deer, or black bear or mountain lion…$500

SECTION 6. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-1-102, amend (2) as follows: 33-1-102. Definitions. (2) “Big game” means elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain goat, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lion, and all species of large mammals that may be introduced or transplanted into this state for hunting or are classified as big game by the commission.

SECTION 7. Effective date - applicability. This measure shall be effective on and after the date it is declared by proclamation of the governor to have been adopted by voters and shall apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date.

Proposition 128

Parole Eligibility for Crimes of Violence

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning parole eligibility

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 17-22.5-303.3, repeal and reenact, with amendments, (1) and (2); and add (1.5) and (2.5) as follows: 17-22.5-303.3. Violent offenders – parole. (1) Any person sentenced for second degree murder, first degree assault, first degree kidnapping, unless the first degree kidnapping is a class 1 felony, first or second degree sexual assault, first degree arson, first degree burglary, or aggravated robbery, committed on or after July 1, 1987, but before January 1, 2025, who has previously been convicted of a crime of violence, shall be eligible for parole after he has served seventy-five percent of the sentence imposed less any time authorized for earned time pursuant to section 17-22.5-302. Thereafter, the provisions of section 17-22.5-303 (6) and (7) apply.

(1.5) Any person convicted for second degree murder; first degree assault; class 2 felony kidnapping; sexual assault under part 4, article 3 of title 18; first degree arson; first degree burglary; or aggravated robbery, committed on or after January 1, 2025, shall be eligible for parole after such person has served eighty-five percent of the sentence imposed upon such person. Thereafter, the provisions of section 17-22.5-303 (6) and (7) apply.

(2) Any person convicted for a crime committed before January 1, 2025, for any crime enumerated in subsection (1) of this section, who has twice previously been convicted for a crime of violence, shall be eligible for parole after he has served the sentence imposed less any time authorized for earned time pursuant to section 17-22.5-302. Thereafter, the provisions of section 17-22.5-303 (6) and (7) apply.

(2.5) Any person convicted and sentenced for a crime committed on or after January 1, 2025, for any crime enumerated in subsection (1.5) of this section, who has twice previously been convicted for a crime of violence, shall begin parole after he has served the full sentence imposed. Thereafter, the provisions of section 17-22.5-303 (6) and (7) apply.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 17-22.5-403, amend (2.5)(a) as follows: 17-22.5-403. Parole eligibility. (2.5)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, any person convicted and sentenced for second degree murder, first degree assault, first degree kidnapping unless the first degree kidnapping is a class 1 felony, first degree arson, first degree burglary, or aggravated robbery, committed on or after July 1, 2004, but before January 1, 2025, shall be eligible for parole after such person has served seventy-five percent of the sentence imposed upon such person, less any time authorized for earned time granted pursuant to section 17-22.5-405.

SECTION 3. Effective Date.

This act takes effect on the date of the proclamation of the Governor announcing the approval, by the registered electors of the state, of the proposed initiative.

Proposition 129

Establishing Veterinary Professional Associates

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 12-315-102 as follows: 12-315-102. Legislative declaration. (1) This article 315 is enacted as an exercise

of the police powers of the state to promote the public health, safety, and welfare by safeguarding the people of this state against incompetent, dishonest, or unprincipled practitioners of veterinary medicine. It is hereby declared that the practice of veterinary medicine is a privilege conferred upon persons possessed of the personal and professional qualifications specified in this article 315.

(2) The people of the state of Colorado declare that:

(a) There is a critical veterinary workforce shortage impacting the animals of Colorado;

(b) The veterinary workforce shortage is causing an access-to-veterinarycare crisis in Colorado;

(c) The access-to-veterinary-care crisis is threatening the welfare of companion animals, the livelihood of members of Colorado’s animal agriculture industry, and the safety of our food supply;

(d) The veterinary workforce shortage and access-to-veterinary-care crisis cannot be solved without seeking new ways to bring additional people into the veterinary workforce; and

(e) Experts in veterinary medicine have identified a mid-level veterinary practitioner career pathway as one solution to the veterinary workforce shortage and access-to-veterinary-care crisis.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes 12-315-104, amend (21.5) and add (21.7) as follows: 12-315-104. Definitions. As used in this article 315, unless the context otherwise requires:

(21.5) “Veterinary professional” means a veterinarian licensed pursuant to this part 1, a veterinary professional associate registered pursuant part 2 of this article 315, and a veterinary technician registered pursuant to part 2 of this article 315.

(21.7) “Veterinary professional associate” means an individual who holds a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care, or the equivalent, and who is subject to the requirements in section 12-315-203.7.

SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes 12-315-105, add (1)(r) as follows: 12-315-105. License requirements and exceptions - definitions - rules. (1) A person shall not practice veterinary medicine in this state if the person is not a licensed veterinarian. A person shall not practice artificial insemination or ova transplantation of cattle or other animal species in this state except in accordance with section 12-315-106 (5)(c). This article 315 does not prohibit:

(r) A veterinary professional associate from practicing veterinary medicine that is:

(I) Within the veterinary professional associate’s advanced education and experience; and

(II) Performed while under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian who is responsible for the veterinary professional associate’s performance.

SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-315-106, amend (5)(a), (5)(b), (5)(d), and (7); and add (5)(j) as follows: 12-315-106. Board of veterinary medicine - creation - powers - rules. (5) The board has the power to:

(a) Examine and determine the qualifications and fitness of applicants for a license to practice veterinary medicine or for registration as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate in this state;

(b) Pursuant to section 12-20-404, issue, renew, deny, suspend, or revoke licenses to practice veterinary medicine or registrations of veterinary technicians and veterinary professional associates in the state or otherwise discipline or fine, or both, licensees or registrants consistent with this article 315 and the rules adopted by the board under this article 315;

(d) Establish, pursuant to section 12-20-105, and publish annually a schedule of fees for licensing and registration of veterinarians, and veterinary technicians, and veterinary professional associates. The board shall base the fee on its anticipated financial requirements for the year.

(j) Approve a nationally recognized veterinary professional associate credentialing organization for purposes of credentialing veterinary professional associates in this state. The credentialing organization approved by the board may:

(I) Require completion of a university-approved program for veterinary professional associates; and

(II) Require that an applicant pass a veterinary professional associate national examination.

(7) The powers of the board are granted to enable the board to effectively supervise the practice of veterinary medicine and of veterinary technicians and veterinary professional associates and are to be construed liberally to accomplish this objective.

SECTION 5. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-315-112, amend (1)(ee) as follows; 12-315-112. Discipline of licensees. (1) Upon receipt of a signed complaint by

a complainant or upon its own motion, the board may proceed to a hearing in accordance with section 12-315-113. After a hearing, and by a concurrence of a majority of members, the board may take disciplinary or other action as authorized in section 12-20-404 against an applicant for a license or a licensed veterinarian for any of the following reasons:

(ee) Failure to properly supervise a veterinary student, a veterinary student preceptor, a veterinary technician, a veterinary professional associate, or other veterinary staff;

SECTION 6. In Colorado Revised Statutes, article 315 of title 12, rename Part 2 as follows:

Part 2. Veterinary Technicians and Veterinary Professional Associates

SECTION 7. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-315-201, add (1)(c) and (1)(d) as follows:

12-315-201. Additional board duties - rules - repeal. (1) In addition to any other duties specified in this part 2 or section 12-315-106, the board shall:

(c) Require biennial continuing education for veterinary professional associates, as may be determined by the board by rule, as a condition of renewing registration; and

(d) Adopt any rules necessary for the practice and supervision of veterinary professional associates.

SECTION 8. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 12-315-203.7 as follows:

12-315-203.7. Veterinary professional associate -qualifications- registrationfees - continuing education - rules. (1) An individual who desires to practice as a veterinary professional associate in this state must file an application for registration with the board, along with the required application fee, in the manner determined by the board.

(2) Qualifications. To be qualified for registration as a veterinary professional associate, an individual must:

(a) Be at least eighteen years of age; and

(b) Hold a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care or the equivalent as determined by the board.

(3) Registration. Commencing January 1, 2026, an individual who practices as a veterinary professional associate in this state must be registered by the board pursuant to this section and rules adopted by the board for the registration of veterinary professional associates.

(4) Rules. Prior to registering veterinary professional associates pursuant to this section, the board shall establish, by rule:

(a) The time frames and requirements for registration, renewal of registration, and suspension and reinstatement of registration for veterinary professional associates;

(b) The method for an applicant to demonstrate that the applicant meets the requirements set forth in subsection (2) of this section;

(c) Any information or confirmation required by the supervising, licensed veterinarian;

(d) Any continuing education requirements for veterinary professional associates in accordance with section 12-315-201(1)(c) and subsection (5) of this section; and

(e) Any other rules necessary to implement this section.

(5) A veterinary professional associate is subject to any biennial continuing education requirement established by the board pursuant to section 12-315201(1)(c) and rules adopted pursuant to subsection (4)(d) of this section as a condition of renewing registration.

SECTION 9. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 12-315-204 as follows: 12-315-204. Use of title restricted. (1) On and after January 1, 2024, only a person who is registered pursuant to this part 2 may use the title “veterinary technician” or “registered veterinary technician” or the initials “VT” or “RVT”.

(2) On and after January 1, 2026, only an individual who is registered pursuant to section 12-315-203.7 may use the title “veterinary professional associate” or “registered veterinary professional associate” or the initials “VPA” or “RVPA.”

SECTION 10. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 12-315-206 as follows: 12-315-206. Expiration, renewal, reinstatement, or reactivation of a registration - inactive status - rules - definition. (1) A registration issued pursuant to this part 2 is subject to the renewal, expiration, reinstatement, and delinquency fee provisions specified in section 12-20-202 (1) and (2). A person whose registration expires is subject to the penalties provided in this part 2 or section 12-20-202 (1).

(2) The board, by rule, may waive a veterinary technician’s or veterinary professional associate’s renewal fee while the veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate is on active duty with any branch of the armed services of the United States. The period during which the renewal fee is waived cannot exceed the longer of three years or the duration of a national emergency.

(3) The board shall not renew, reinstate, or reactivate a registration issued pursuant

to section 12-315-203(3) this part 2 unless the veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate demonstrates to the board’s satisfaction that the veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate maintains active credentialing with the credentialing organization or the veterinary professional associate continues to meet the requirements for registration under this part 2. Subject to board rule, the evidence may be provided by an attestation on the registration application.

(4) (a) Upon notice to the board, the board shall transfer a veterinary technician’s or veterinary professional associate’s registration to inactive status. If a person whose registration is in inactive status wishes to resume practicing as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate the person shall apply to the board in a form and manner approved by the board and shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the board, that the person has obtained and maintains credentialing in good standing by the credentialing organization or the person continues to meet the requirements for registration under this part 2.

(b) The board may pursue disciplinary proceedings pursuant to section 12-315-207 against a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate whose registration is inactive pursuant to this subsection (4) for conduct that violates this part 2 that the person engages in while the registration is in inactive status.

SECTION 11. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-315-207, amend (1) introductory portion, (1)(e), (1)(f) introductory portion, (1)(f)(I), (1)(g), (1)(l), (5), and (8) as follows: 12-315-207. Discipline of a registered veterinary technician – registered veterinary professional associate – repeal. (1) Upon receipt of a signed complaint by a complainant or upon its own motion, the board may proceed to a hearing in accordance with section 12-315-113. After a hearing, and by a concurrence of a majority of members, the board may take disciplinary action as authorized in section 12-20-404 against an applicant for a registration or a registered veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate for any of the following reasons:

(e) Unprofessional or unethical conduct or engaging in practices that are in violation of generally accepted standards for practice as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate or prescribed by the rules of the board;

(f) The veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate:

(I) Has a registration or credential as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate in another state revoked or suspended;

(g) Practicing as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate while in inactive status or while the person’s registration is expired;

(l) A determination that the individual is mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction, and the court has entered, pursuant to part 3 or 4 of article 14 of title 15 or section 27-65-110 (4) or 27-65-127, an order specifically finding that the mental incompetency is of such a degree that the individual is incapable of continuing to hold a registration as a veterinary professional associate or veterinary technician;

(5) With respect to denying the issuance of a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate registration or taking disciplinary action against a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate, the board may accept as prima facie evidence of grounds for the action any federal or state action taken against a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate in another jurisdiction if the violation that prompted the disciplinary action in the jurisdiction would constitute grounds for disciplinary action under this section.

(8) The board may suspend the registration of a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate who fails to comply with an order of the board issued in accordance with this section. The board may impose the registration suspension until the registrant complies with the board’s order.

SECTION 12. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-315-208, amend (1)(a)(I) introductory portion, (1)(a)(I)(B), (1)(b), and (2) introductory portion as follows: 12-315-208. Examination of registrants - behavioral health - mental healthphysical conditions. (1)(a)(I) If, upon receipt of a signed complaint by a complainant, the board has reasonable cause to believe that a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate is unable to practice as a veterinary technician with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients due to a physical condition or a behavioral health, mental health, or substance use disorder, the board may require in writing that the veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate submit to an examination to evaluate:

(B) Any impact the physical condition or the behavioral health, mental health, or substance use disorder has on the veterinary technician’s or veterinary professional associate’s ability to practice as a veterinary technician with reasonable skill and safety to patients and clients.

(b) If a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate fails to submit to an examination required under subsection (1)(a) of this section, the board may suspend the veterinary technician’s or veterinary professional associate’s registration until the veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate submits to the examination; however, if the veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate demonstrates to the satisfaction of the board that the

failure to submit to the examination is due to circumstances beyond the veterinary technician’s or veterinary professional associate’s control, the board shall not suspend the veterinary technician’s or veterinary professional associate’s registration.

(2) Every veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate in this state is deemed, by practicing as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate or applying for a renewal of the person’s registration, to have:

SECTION 13. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 12-315-209.7 as follows:

12-315-209.7. Duties of licensed veterinarian - direction and supervision of veterinary professional associate - rules. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person practicing as a veterinary professional associate may perform duties and actions authorized pursuant to section 12-315-105(1)(r) that are within the scope of the veterinary professional associate’s advanced education and experience if the person performs those duties under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

(2) A veterinary professional associate shall perform only those duties or actions delegated by the licensed, supervising veterinarian for which the veterinary professional associate has the necessary training and experience, as determined by the supervising veterinarian, to meet generally accepted standards of veterinary care.

(3) If a veterinary professional associate is delegated duties beyond the veterinary professional associate’s training and experience, the licensed veterinarian:

(a) Is in violation of section 12-315-112(1)(ee) ;

(b) May be liable for damages resulting from any negligence of the veterinary professional associate in providing care to an animal; and

(c) May be subject to professional discipline in accordance with section 12315-112

(4) If a veterinary professional associate performs duties beyond the veterinary professional associate’s training and experience or does not conform with the requirement to perform all duties and actions pursuant to section 12-315-105(1)(r) under the supervision of a licensed, supervising veterinarian as specified in subsection (1) of this section, the veterinary professional associate may be subject to:

(a) A cease-and-desist order pursuant to section 12-20-405;

(b) Damages resulting from any negligence of the veterinary professional associate in providing care to an animal; and

(c) Discipline pursuant to Sections 12-20-404 for a violation of section 12315-207(1)(n).

SECTION 14. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 12-315-210 as follows: 12-315-210. Unauthorized practice - penalties. A person who practices or offers or attempts to practice as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate without an active registration issued under this part 2 is subject to penalties pursuant to section 12-20-407 (1)(a).

SECTION 15. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-20-404, amend (1)(d)(II)(M) as follows:

12-20-404. Disciplinary actions - regulator powers - disposition of finesmistreatment of at-risk adult – exceptions - definitions. (1) General disciplinary authority. If a regulator determines that an applicant, licensee, certificate holder, or registrant has committed an act or engaged in conduct that constitutes grounds for discipline or unprofessional conduct under a part or article of this title 12 governing the particular profession or occupation, the regulator may:

(d)(II) A regulator is not authorized under this subsection (1)(d) to refuse to renew the license, certification, or registration of a licensee, certificate holder, or registrant regulated under the following:

(M) Article 315 of this title 12 concerning veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary professional associates

SECTION 16. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-20-407, amend (1)(a)(V)(W) as follows:

12-20-407. Unauthorized practice of profession or occupation - penaltiesexclusions. (1) (a) A person commits a class 2 misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided in section 18-1.3-501 if the person:

(V) Practices or offers or attempts to practice any of the following professions or occupations without an active license, certification, or registration issued under the part or article of this title 12 governing the particular profession or occupation: (W) Veterinary medicine or as a veterinary technician or veterinary professional associate, as regulated under article 315 of this title 12; or

SECTION 17. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-20-408, amend (1)(f) as follows: 12-20-408. Judicial review. (1) Except as specified in subsection (2) of this section, the court of appeals has initial jurisdiction to review all final actions and orders of a regulator that are subject to judicial review and shall conduct the judicial review proceedings in accordance with section 24-4-106 (11); except that, with regard only to

cease-and-desist orders, a district court of competent jurisdiction has initial jurisdiction to review a final action or order of a regulator that is subject to judicial review and shall conduct the judicial review proceedings in accordance with section 24-4-106 (3) for the following:

(f) Article 315 of this title 12 concerning veterinarians, and veterinary technicians, and veterinary professional associates

SECTION 18. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-72-204, amend (3)(a)(XIV) as follows:

24-72-204. Allowance or denial of inspection - grounds - procedure - appeal - definitions - repeal. (3) (a) The custodian shall deny the right of inspection of the following records, unless otherwise provided by law; except that the custodian shall make any of the following records, other than letters of reference concerning employment, licensing, or issuance of permits, available to the person in interest in accordance with this subsection (3):

(XIV) Veterinary medical data, information, and records on individual animals that are owned by private individuals or business entities, but are in the custody of a veterinary medical practice or hospital, including the veterinary teaching hospital at Colorado state university, that provides veterinary medical care and treatment to animals. A veterinary-patient-client privilege exists with respect to such data, information, and records only when a person in interest and a veterinarian or veterinary professional associate enter into a mutual agreement to provide medical treatment for an individual animal and such person in interest maintains an ownership interest in such animal undergoing treatment. For purposes of this subsection (3)(a)(XIV), “person in interest” means the owner of an animal undergoing veterinary medical treatment or such owner’s designated representative. Nothing in this subsection (3)(a)(XIV) shall prevent the state agricultural commission, the state agricultural commissioner, or the state board of veterinary medicine from exercising their investigatory and enforcement powers and duties granted pursuant to section 35-1-106 (1)(h), article 50 of title 35, and section 12-315-106 (5)(e), respectively. The veterinary-patient-client privilege described in this subsection (3)(a)(XIV), pursuant to section 12-315-120 (5), may not be asserted for the purpose of excluding or refusing evidence or testimony in a prosecution for an act of animal cruelty under section 18-9202 or for an act of animal fighting under section 18-9-204.

SECTION 19. Effective date. This act takes effect on January 1, 2026.

Proposition 130

Funding for Law Enforcement

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. Statement of purpose. The people of the State of Colorado find and declare:

(1) This measure is enacted in response to a significant increase in crime, and especially violent crime, in the state of Colorado.

(2) The people of Colorado find, determine, and declare that the criminal laws of the state of Colorado must be more rigorously and comprehensively enforced.

(3) The people further find, determine, and declare that Colorado will be a safer place if Colorado recruits, trains, retains, and rewards the best and brightest law enforcement officials in Colorado to prevent and enforce crimes against the people of the state of Colorado.

(4) The people further find, determine, and declare that it is the goal of the people of the state of Colorado that our state be the best state in the union for a police officer to work, live and raise a family and that, in furtherance of that cause, the state will provide more resources, more man power, more training, and more support to law enforcement – including the families of those slain in the line of duty.

(5) The people further find, determine, and declare that the legislature has failed to adequately fund the law enforcement of this state, and the provisions of this act should be construed in a way that promotes a better, stronger, more comprehensive law enforcement system in the state.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-33.5-535 as follows: 24-33.5-535. Peace Officer Training and Support Fund. (1) There is created in the department of public safety a Peace Officer Training and Support Fund, referred to in this section as the “Fund”, to assist in recruiting, training and supporting peace officers and their families.

(2) Money may only be used for bona fide peace officer functions and not programs for other human services functions.

(3) The money must supplement and may not supplant other state or local appropriations to agencies and shall only be available to increase other total funding.

SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-33.5-503, add (1)(ee) as follows: 24-33.5-503. Death Benefit. (1)(ee) The surviving spouse, children or estate of any peace officer killed in the line of Duty shall be paid one million dollars in death benefits from the Peace Officer Training and Support Fund created in C.R.S. 24-33.5-535. This payment is in addition to any other payments including workers compensation, survivor benefits in a pension system, or other benefits provided by law.

SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-33.5-536 as follows:

24-33.5-536. Appropriation. The General Assembly shall appropriate $350 million to the peace officer training and support fund for the purpose of:

(1) Granting funds to law enforcement agencies in municipalities and counties for operating money to:

(a) Increase annual pay for police, sheriff and other law enforcement officials;

(b) Provide one time hiring, retention or merit bonuses to attract, maintain, or reward exceptional law enforcement officials;

(c) Hire additional police or law enforcement officials to address specific geographic areas or specific types of criminal activity, including gang activity, drug cartels, human trafficking, stolen vehicle units, and drug interdiction at the state’s borders and along the state’s interstate highways;

(d) Initial and continuing education for law enforcement including use of force training, restraint and non-lethal force training, physical fitness training or enhancement, post-secondary education advancement in criminal justice or other related areas of study, and other programs and disciplines that contribute to a comprehensive training and re-training of law enforcement officials in the state of Colorado; and

(e) Money from the general fund as may be needed to pay the surviving spouse or children or estate of police, fire or other first responders killed in the line of duty.

SECTION 5. Effective date.

This act takes effect on the date of the proclamation of the Governor announcing the approval, by the registered electors of the state, of the proposed initiative.

Proposition 131

Establishing All-Candidate Primary and Ranked Choice Voting General Elections

The ballot title below is a summary drafted by the professional staff of the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the legal staff for the general assembly for ballot purposes only. The ballot title will not appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes. The text of the measure that will appear in the Colorado Revised Statutes below was drafted by the proponents of the initiative. The initiated measure is included on the ballot as a proposed change to current law because the proponents gathered the required amount of petition signatures.

Ballot Title:

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?

Text of Measure:

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. Declaration of the People of Colorado

(1) It is in the interest of the people of the state of Colorado to modernize our election system so that all voters and candidates have equal access in certain state and federal elections and voters have more choice to elect candidates who better reflect the will of a majority of the voters. In furtherance of this objective, the people of the

state of Colorado establish that all voters have the right to:

(a) Participate in an all-candidate primary election featuring all candidates for those state and federal offices, with the final four candidates advancing to the general elections;

(b) Vote for any candidate they prefer, regardless of political affiliation or nonaffiliation; and

(c) Participate in general elections where candidates are elected by a majority of votes.

(2) This equal access provides voters more choices, generates more competitive candidates for elective office, promotes more meaningful voter participation, and holds elected officials more accountable.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-1-104, amend (19.7), (23.4), (34.4), and (49.7); and add (1.05), (7.3), (19.1), (34.3), (43.5), (45.7), and (46.4), as follows: 1-1-104. Definitions. As used in this code, unless the context otherwise requires: (1.05) “Active candidate” means any candidate or slate of candidates who has not been eliminated or elected.

(7.3) “Covered office” means the office of United States senator, representative to the United States house of representatives, state officer, and state senator or state representative serving in the general assembly. (19.1) “Highest-ranked active candidate” means the active candidate assigned to a higher ranking than any other active candidate. (19.7) “Instant runoff voting” means a ranked voting method used to select a single winner in a race, as set forth in section sections 1-4-207 and 1-7-1003(3). (23.4) “Overvote” means the selection by an elector of more names than there are persons to be elected to an office, the selection of more than one name in an all-candidate primary for a covered office, the assignment of more than one name to one ranking in an election using a ranked voting method, or the designation of more than one answer to a ballot question or ballot issue. “Overvote” does not include the ranking of multiple candidates in an election using a ranked instant runoff voting method in accordance with part 10 of article 7 of this title 1.

(34.3) “Ranking” means the number available to be assigned by a voter to a candidate to express the voter’s preference for that candidate; The number “1” is the highest ranking, followed by “2,” and then “3,” and so on.

(34.4) “Ranked voting method” means a method of casting and tabulating ballots votes that allows electors to rank the candidates for an office in order of preference and uses these preferences to determine the winner of the election. “Ranked voting method” includes instant runoff voting and choice voting or proportional voting as described in section sections 1-4-207 and 1-7-1003

(43.5) “Round” means an instance of the ranked voting tally as described in section 1-4-207 and 1-7-1003.

(45.7) “Single choice voting” means a method of casting and tabulating ballots that allows electors to indicate a choice for only one candidate for an office and uses these choices to determine the winner of the election.

(46.4) “State officer” means the governor and lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, the state treasurer, the attorney general, members of the state board of education, and regents of the university of Colorado.

(49.7) “Undervote” means the failure of an elector to vote on a ballot question or ballot issue, the failure of an elector to vote for or rank any candidate for an office, or the designation by an elector of fewer votes than there are offices to be filled; except that it is not an undervote if there are fewer candidates than offices to be filled and the elector designates as many votes as there are candidates.

SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-101, amend (1), (2), (3), and (4), as follows:

1-4-101. Primary elections - when - nominations - expenses. (1) Except as provided in section 1-4-104.5, a primary election for an office other than a covered office shall be held on the last Tuesday in June of even-numbered years to nominate candidates of political parties to be voted for at the succeeding general election. Except as provided by section 1-4-1304(1.5), only a major political party, as defined in section 1-1-104(22), is entitled to nominate candidates in a primary election.

(2) (a) Each political party that is entitled to participate in the primary election for an office other than a covered office must have a separate party ballot for use by electors affiliated with that political party. An elector is not required to vote in the same party primary as the elector voted in as part of a presidential primary election occurring in that same year, if such an election is held.

(b) The county clerk and recorder shall send to all active electors in the county who have not declared an affiliation a mailing that contains the primary election ballots for an office other than a covered office of all of the major political parties. In this mailing, the clerk shall also provide written instructions advising the elector of the manner in which the elector will be in compliance with the requirements of this code in selecting and casting the ballot of a major political party. An elector may cast the ballot

of only one major political party. After selecting and casting a ballot of a single major political party, the elector shall return the ballot to the clerk. If an elector casts and returns to the clerk the ballot of more than one major political party, all such ballots returned will be rejected and will not be counted.

(3) All nominations by major political parties for candidates for United States senator, representative in congress, all elective state, district, and county officers, and members of the general assembly shall be made by primary elections; except that, for general elections occurring after January 1, 2001, nominations by major political parties for candidates for lieutenant governor shall not be made by primary elections and shall be made pursuant to section 1-4-502 (3). Neither the secretary of state nor any county clerk and recorder shall place on the official general election ballot the name of any person as a candidate of any major political party who has not been nominated in accordance with the provisions of this article, or who has not been affiliated with the major political party for the period of time required by section 1-4-601, or who does not meet residency requirements for the office, if any. The information found on the voter registration record of the county of current or previous residence of the person seeking to be placed on the ballot is admissible as prima facie evidence of compliance with this article.

(4) Except as otherwise provided in this code, all primary elections for an office other than a covered office shall be conducted in the same manner as general elections insofar as the general election provisions are applicable, and the election officers for primary elections have the same powers and shall perform the same duties as those provided by law for general elections.

SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 1-4-101.5, as follows:

1-4-101.5 All-candidate primary elections for covered offices - whennominations - expenses. (1) An all-candidate primary election for a covered office shall be held on the last Tuesday in June of even-numbered years to nominate candidates to be voted on at the succeeding general election.

(2) The all-candidate primary election for candidates for a covered office shall be conducted whereby all candidates who qualify for the ballot, regardless of political party affiliation or non-affiliation, shall appear on the same ballot and each elector, regardless of political party affiliation or non-affiliation, is eligible to vote for any one candidate per each covered office specific to the districts of the elector’s registration. The four candidates who receive the highest number of votes for each covered office advance to the general election.

(a) The all-candidate primary election does not serve to determine the nominee of a political party or political group but instead serves to narrow the number of candidates whose name will appear on the ballot at the general election.

(b) Nothing in this section shall prevent political parties, organizations, or other groups from endorsing a candidate or candidates of their choice for covered offices nor shall it prevent a candidate from accepting or rejecting any number of such endorsements.

(c) (I) Candidates who qualify for the all-candidate primary election ballot shall be placed on the ballot in an order established by lot.

(II) For a candidate who is affiliated with a political party, their political party affiliation shall appear next to their name. No candidate shall have a political party affiliation next to their name unless the candidate was affiliated with the political party, as shown in the statewide voter registration system, no later thanthe first business day of the January immediately preceding the election.

(III) For a candidate who is not affiliated with a political party, the word “unaffiliated” shall appear next to their name.

(d) Candidates advancing from the all-candidate primary election to the general election for these covered offices shall be determined as follows:

(I) At the all-candidate primary election for these covered offices, only the four candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall advance to the general election for these covered offices.

(II) If there are four or fewer candidates for one of the covered offices, the all-candidate primary election for that covered office shall still be held and the results made public, and all candidates must be declared the candidates for the general election.

(III) In the event it cannot be determined which four candidates received the highest number of votes due to a tie for the final advancing position, the tied candidate or candidates who will proceed to the general election will be determined by lot.

(IV) If, before ballots are printed for the general election and pursuant to section 1-5-412, any candidate who advances from the all-candidate primary election withdraws, dies, or is deemed disqualified, the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes at the all-candidate primary election, but who did not originally advance to the general election, takes

the withdrawn, deceased, or disqualified candidate’s place on the general election ballot.

(e) The secretary of state shall promulgate rules, including rules for withdrawing candidates and write-in candidates, for the all-candidate primary elections for covered offices and the process by which candidates advance to the general election ballot consistent with this section. Nothing in this subsection shall limit the authority of the general assembly to pass laws regarding suffrage and elections as provided in article VII of the state constitution.

(3) Nominations for candidates for lieutenant governor shall be made pursuant to section 1-4-502(3).

(4) The county clerk and recorder shall send to all active electors in the county a mailing that contains the all-candidate primary election ballot for covered offices. In this mailing, the clerk shall also provide written instructions advising the elector of the manner in which the elector will be in compliance with the requirements of this code in selecting and casting the ballot. After selecting and casting a ballot, the elector shall return the ballot to the clerk. The secretary of state may by rule adopt additional ballot requirements necessary to avoid voter confusion in voting in the allcandidate primary election.

(5) Neither the secretary of state nor any county clerk and recorder shall place on the official all-candidate primary election ballot the name of any person as a candidate who does not meet residency requirements for the office, if any. The information found on the voter registration record of the county of current or previous residence of the person seeking to be placed on the ballot is admissible as prima facie evidence of compliance with this article.

(6) Except as otherwise provided in this code, the election officers for allcandidate primary elections have the same powers and shall perform the same duties as those provided by law for general elections.

(7) All expenses incurred in the preparation or conduct of the all-candidate primary election shall be paid out pursuant to section 1-4-101(5).

SECTION 5. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 1-4-103, as follows: 1-4-103. Order of names on primary ballot. (1) Candidates designated and certified by assembly for a particular an office other than a covered office shall be placed on the primary election ballot in the order of the vote received at the assembly. The candidate receiving the highest vote shall be placed first in order on the ballot, followed by the candidate receiving the next highest vote. To qualify for placement on the primary election ballot, a candidate must receive thirty percent or more of the votes of the assembly. The names of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes for designation by assembly shall be placed on the primary ballot in the order determined by lot in accordance with section 1-4-601(2). Candidates by petition for any particular an office other than a covered office shall follow assembly candidates and shall be placed on the primary election ballot in an order established by lot.

(2) Candidates for the all-candidate primary election for a covered office shall be placed on the ballot in an order determined by lot.

SECTION 6. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 1-4-104, as follows: 1-4-104. Party nominees. Candidates voted on for offices at primary elections for an office other than a covered office who receive a plurality of the votes cast shall be the respective party nominees for the respective offices. If more than one office of the same kind is to be filled, the number of candidates equal to the number of offices to be filled receiving the highest number of votes shall be the nominees of the political party for the offices. The names of the nominees shall be printed on the official ballot prepared for the ensuing general election.

SECTION 7. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-104.5, amend (1), (2), and (3), as follows:

1-4-104.5. Primary election canceled - when. (1) If, at the close of business on the sixtieth day before the primary election for an office other than a covered office, there is not more than one candidate for any political party who has been nominated in accordance with this article or who has filed a write-in candidate affidavit of intent pursuant to section 1-4-1101 for any office on the primary election ballot, the designated election official may cancel the primary election and declare each candidate the party nominee for that office at the general election. For purposes of other applicable law, such nominee shall be deemed a candidate in and the winner of the primary election for an office other than a covered office. The name of each nominee shall be printed on the official ballot prepared for the ensuing general election.

(2) If a major political party has more than one candidate nominated for any office other than a covered office on the primary election ballot, the primary election shall be conducted as provided in section 1-4-101.

(3) If, at the close of business on the sixtieth day before the primary election for an

office other than a covered office, there is not more than one candidate for each major political party who has been nominated in accordance with this article for any office on the primary election ballot and a minor political party has more than one candidate nominated for any such office, the primary election shall be conducted as provided in section 1-4-101 for the nomination of the minor political party candidate only.

SECTION 8. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 1-4-207, as follows: 1-4-207. Final four general elections. (1) Each elector may vote in the general election for each covered office for the candidates advancing from the all-candidate primary election. Each general election for covered office shall be conducted by instant runoff voting.

(2) The general election ballot for covered offices shall be formatted as follows:

(a) The names of the candidates advancing from the all-candidate primary election as determined under section 1-4-101.5 along with their political party affiliation, if any, shall be placed on the general election ballot in an order determined by lot.

(I) For a candidate who is affiliated with a political party, their political party affiliation shall appear next to their name. No candidate shall have a political party affiliation next to their name unless the candidate was affiliated with the political party, as shown in the statewide voter registration system, no later than the first business day of the January immediately preceding the election.

(II) For a candidate who is not affiliated with a political party, the word “unaffiliated” shall appear next to their name.

(b) The general election ballots shall be designed so that the voter may rank candidates in order of preference.

(3) A voter may choose to rank as many or as few candidates for the covered offices on the general election ballot as the voter wishes, including ranking just one candidate per covered office.

(4) Each ballot shall count as one vote for the highest-ranked active candidate on that ballot. The candidate with the highest number of votes at the end of the ranked voting tally is elected. The ranked voting tally shall proceed in rounds as follows:

(a) If there are more than two active candidates, the active candidate ranked highest on the fewest ballots is eliminated. ballots ranking the eliminated candidate are counted for their next-ranked active candidate and a new round begins.

(b) If there are two or fewer active candidates, the ranked voting tally is complete and the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected.

(5) Ballots for each general election for covered office conducted by instant runoff voting shall be treated as follows:

(a) (I) An undervote does not count as an active or inactive ballot in any round of a ranked voting tally of that contest

(II) An inactive ballot is a ballot that ceases in a round of a ranked voting tally to count for any candidate for the remainder of the ranked voting tally of the contest because either:

(A) All candidates ranked on the ballot have become inactive; or

(B) The ballot includes an overvote and any candidates ranked higher than the overvote have become inactive.

(6) During a ranked voting tally, a ballot shall remain active and continue to count for its highest-ranked active candidate notwithstanding any skipped or repeated rankings on the ballot. A skipped ranking occurs when a voter leaves a ranking unassigned but ranks a candidate at a subsequent ranking. A repeated ranking occurs when a voter ranks the same candidate at multiple rankings.

(7) If two or more candidates are tied with the fewest ballots, and the ranked voting tally cannot continue until a candidate is eliminated, then the candidate to be eliminated shall be determined by lot. Election officials may resolve prospective ties between candidates prior to the ranked voting tally. The result of any tie resolution must be recorded and reused in the event of a recount. If there are two candidates tied with the highest number of votes and the ranked voting tally is complete, the candidate to be elected shall be determined in the manner provided by law or by lot, as applicable.

SECTION 9. In Colorado Revised Statute, 1-4-502, amend (1), (3) (a), and (3) (c); and add (1.5), as follows: 1-4-502. Methods of nomination for partisan candidates. (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (3) of this section, Nnominations Nominations for United States senator, representative in congress, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, member of the state board of education, regent of the university of Colorado, member of the

general assembly, district attorney, and all county officers to be elected at the general election may be made by primary election under section 1-4-101 or by assembly or convention under section 1-4-702 by major political parties, by petition for nomination as provided in section 1-4-802, or by a minor political party as provided in section 1-4-1304.

(1.5) A candidate for the all-candidate primary election for a covered office under section 1-4-101.5 may be made by assembly or convention under section 1-4-702.5 by major political parties, by petition for nomination as provided in sections 1-4-801 and 1-4-802, or by a minor political party as provided in section 1-4-1304.

(3) For general elections: (a) The nomination nominations of a major political party for candidates for lieutenant governor shall be made by the party’s candidate candidates for governor advancing to the general election from the allcandidate primary election pursuant to section 1-4-101.5. No later than seven days after the official statewide election results for the all-candidate primary election are certified pursuant to section 1-10-105 (1), the party’s candidate candidates for governor shall each select a candidate for lieutenant governor and shall file a written nomination of the candidate with the secretary of state. Other nominations for the office of lieutenant governor may be made by petition for nomination of an unaffiliated candidate as provided in section 1-4-802 or by a minor political party as provided in section 1-4-1304 (2).

(c) Any person nominated as the candidate for lieutenant governor of a major political party pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section shall file a written acceptance with the secretary of state by mail or hand delivery. The written acceptance must be postmarked or received by the secretary of state within thirty days after the nomination. If an acceptance is not filed within the required time, the candidate is deemed to have declined the nomination, and the nomination must be treated as a vacancy to be filled as provided in part 10 of this article 4.

SECTION 10. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-601, amend (1) (a) and (4) (a), as follows:

1-4-601. Designation of candidates for primary election and all-candidate primary election - definition. (1) (a) Assemblies of the major political parties may make assembly designations of candidates for nomination on the primary election ballot for an office other than a covered office and for the all-candidate primary election ballot for a covered office. Except as provided in subsection (1)(b) of this section, an assembly shall be held no later than seventy-three days preceding the primary election.

(4) (a) No person is eligible for designation by assembly as a candidate for nomination at any a primary election for an office other than a covered office and for the all-candidate primary election ballot for a covered office unless the person was affiliated with the political party holding the assembly, as shown in the statewide voter registration system, no later than the first business day of the January immediately preceding the primary election, unless otherwise provided by party rules.

SECTION 11. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 1-4-603, as follows: 1-4-603. Designation of major political party candidates by petition. (1) Candidates for major political party nominations for the offices specified in section 1-4-502(1) that are to be made by primary election may be placed on the primary election ballot by petition, as provided in part 8 of this article. (2) Candidates for covered offices specified in section 1-4-502(1.5) may be placed on the all-candidate primary election ballot by petition, as provided in part 8 of this article.

SECTION 12. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-604, amend (1) (a), as follows: 1-4-604. Filing of petitions. (1) (a) Every petition or certificate of designation by assembly in the case of a candidate for nomination for any national or state office specified in section 1-4-502 (1) and (1.5), or for member of the general assembly, district attorney, or district office greater than a county office, together with the written acceptances signed by the persons designated or nominated by such assembly described in section 1-4-601(3), shall be filed by the presiding officer or secretary of such assembly and received in the office of the secretary of state.

SECTION 13. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 1-4-605, as follows: 1-4-605. Order of names on primary ballot. Candidates designated and certified by assembly for an office other than a covered a particular office shall be placed on the primary election ballot in the order of the vote received at the assembly. The candidate receiving the highest vote shall be placed first in order on the ballot, followed by the candidate receiving the next highest vote, and so on until all of the candidates designated have been placed on the ballot. The names of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes for designation by assembly shall be placed on the primary ballot in the order determined by lot in accordance with section 1-4-601(2). Candidates by petition for an office other than a covered a particular office shall follow assembly candidates and shall be placed on the primary election ballot in an order established by lot.

SECTION 14. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-702, amend (1) and (3), as follows:

1-4-702. Nominations of candidates for general election by convention. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a political party may choose to change from the nomination of candidates by primary election to the nomination of candidates by assembly or convention for all offices including, but not limited to, united states senator, representative in congress, all elective state, district, and county officers, and members of the general assembly if at least three-fourths of the total membership of the party’s state central committee votes to use the assembly or convention nomination process; except that nominations by major political parties for candidates for lieutenant governor shall be made by the party’s candidate for governor pursuant to section 1- 4-502 (3). Such vote of the party central committee shall occur no later than October 1 of the year preceding the year in which an assembly or convention nominating process is to be used.

(3) Whichever method of candidate selection is chosen by a major political party as between primary election, assembly or convention, all of the candidates for that party at any level of office in that election year must be selected by such method, except that the requirements of this provision shall not apply to a primary for president of the united states if such an election is held or to the all-candidate primary election for a covered office pursuant to section 1-4-101.5.

SECTION 15. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 1-4-702.5, as follows: 1-4-702.5. Nominations of candidates for all-candidate primary election for covered offices by convention. (1) Political parties may choose to nominate candidates by assembly or convention to the all-candidate primary election for covered offices.

(2) A political party nominating candidates by party assembly or convention shall nominate the candidates of the party and make such nominations public not later than seventy-five days before the all-candidate primary election.

SECTION 16. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-801, amend (1), (2) (a.5), and (2) (b), as follows:

1-4-801. Designation of party candidates by petition. (1) Candidates for political party nominations for an office other than a covered office to be made by primary election and candidates for the all-candidate primary for covered office may be placed on the primary election ballot by petition. Every petition to nominate candidates for a primary election or for the all-candidate primary election shall state the name of the office for which the person is a candidate and the candidate’s name and address and shall designate in not more than three words the name of the political party which the candidate represents. No petition shall contain the name of more than one person for the same office.

(2) The signature requirements for the petition are as follows:

(a.5) Every petition in the case of a candidate for a member of the United States house of representatives, member of the state board of education for a congressional district, or member of the board of regents of the university of Colorado for a congressional district must be signed by eligible electors resident within the district for which the officer is to be elected. The petition requires the lesser of one thousand five hundred signers or signers equal in number to ten percent of the votes cast in the district at the contested or uncontested primary election for the political party’s candidate for the office for which the petition is being circulated or, if there was no primary election, at the last preceding general election for which there was a candidate for the office.

(b) Every petition in the case of a candidate for member of the general assembly or any district office greater than a county office must be signed by eligible electors resident within the district for which the officer is to be elected. The petition requires the lesser of one thousand signers or signers equal to thirty percent of the votes cast in the district at the contested or uncontested primary election for the political party’s candidate for the office for which the petition is being circulated or, if there was no primary election, at the last preceding general election for which there was a candidate for the office.

SECTION 17. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-802, amend (1) introductory portion, as follows:

1-4-802. Petitions for nominating minor political party and unaffiliated candidates for a partisan office. (1) Candidates for the all-candidate primary election, for partisan public offices other than for covered offices to be filled at a general election, or for a congressional vacancy election, who do not wish to affiliate with a major political party may be nominated, other than by a primary election or a convention, in the following manner:

SECTION 18. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-904, amend (2), as follows: 1-4-904. Signatures on the petitions. (2) (a) For petitions to nominate candidates from a major political party in a partisan election, each signer must be affiliated with the major political party named in the petition and shall state the following to the circulator: That the signer has been affiliated with the major political party named in the petition for at least twenty-two days as shown in the statewide voter registration system, and that the signer has not signed any other petition for any other candidate for the same office. This requirement applies to petitions for candidates

affiliated with a major political party, as set forth in section 1-4-801(3), seeking to petition onto the all-candidate primary election ballot.

(b) Petitions to nominate candidates from a minor political party or unaffiliated candidates in a partisan election may be signed by any eligible elector who has not signed any other petition for any other candidate for the same office. This subsection (2)(b) applies to petitions for candidates affiliated with a minor political party, as set forth in section 1-4-801(3), seeking to petition onto the all-candidate primary election ballot.

SECTION 19. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-4-1304, amend (1.5) and (2) introductory portion, and (5), as follows: 1-4-1304. Nomination of candidates. (1.5) (a) A minor political party may nominate candidates for offices other than covered offices to be filled at a general election and candidates for the all-candidate primary election by petition in accordance with section 1-4-802.

(b) (I) A minor political party may nominate candidates for offices other than covered offices to be filled at a general election by assembly. A minor political party may nominate candidates for covered offices for the all-candidate primary election by assembly. Except as provided in subsection (1.5)(f) of this section, an assembly shall be held no later than seventy-three days preceding the primary election.

(c) If an assembly designates more than one candidate for an office other than a covered office, or if an assembly designates one or more candidates for an office other than a covered office and one or more candidates qualifies by petition, the candidate of the minor political party for that office shall be nominated at a primary election held in accordance with this code. A minor political party may prohibit unaffiliated electors from voting in the party’s primary election so long as the prohibition is in accordance with the party’s constitution, bylaws, or other applicable rules. Any minor party choosing to prohibit unaffiliated electors from voting in its primary election must notify the secretary of state of the prohibition not less than seventy-five days prior to the primary election.

(d) If only one candidate is designated for an office other than a covered office by petition or assembly, that candidate shall be the candidate of the minor political party in the general election.

(2) Nominations by a minor political party, to be valid, must be made in accordance with the party’s constitution or bylaws. No nomination under this section is valid for a any general election for an office other than a covered office unless the nominee:

(5) Nothing in this part 13 shall be construed to allow a minor political party to nominate more than one candidate for an any one office other than a covered office

SECTION 20. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-5-402, amend (1), as follows: 1-5-402. Primary election ballots for offices other than covered offices. (1) No later than thirty-two days before the primary election for an office other than a covered office, the county clerk and recorder shall prepare a separate ballot for each political party. The ballots shall be printed in the following manner:

(a) All official ballots for the primary election for offices other than covered offices shall be printed according to the provisions of sections 1-5-407 and 1-5-408; except that across the top of each ballot shall be printed the name of the political party for which the ballot is to be used.

(b) The positions on the ballot for the primary election for offices other than covered offices shall be arranged as follows: First, candidates for United States senator; next, congressional candidates; next, state candidates; next, legislative candidates; next, district attorney candidates; next, other candidates for district offices greater than a county office; next, candidates for county commissioners; next, county clerk and recorder candidates; next, county treasurer candidates; next, county assessor candidates; next, county sheriff candidates; next, county surveyor candidates; and next, county coroner candidates. When other offices other than covered offices are to be filled at the coming general election, the county clerk and recorder, in preparing the primary ballot, shall use substantially the form prescribed by this section, stating the proper designation of the office and placing the names of the candidates for the office under the name of the office.

SECTION 21. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 1-5-402.5, as follows: 1-5-402.5. All-candidate primary election ballots for covered offices. (1) No later than thirty-two days before the all-candidate primary election for a covered office, the county clerk and recorder shall prepare the allcandidate primary election ballot. The ballots shall be printed in the following manner:

(a) All official ballots for the all-candidate primary election for covered offices shall be printed according to the provisions of sections 1-5-407 and 1-5-408.

(b) The positions on the ballot for the all-candidate primary election for covered offices shall be arranged as follows: First, candidates for United

States senator; next, congressional candidates; next, state candidates; and next, legislative candidates.

SECTION 22. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-5-403, amend (2) and (4); and add (2.5), as follows:

1-5-403. Content of ballots for general and congressional vacancy elections.

(2) For all elections except those for presidential electors, every ballot shall contain the names of all candidates for offices other than covered offices to be voted for at that election whose nominations have been made and accepted, except those who have died or withdrawn, and the ballot shall contain no other names. When presidential electors are to be elected, their names shall not be printed on the ballot, but the names of the candidates of the respective political parties or political organizations for president and vice president of the United States shall be printed together in pairs under the title “presidential electors”. The pairs shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of the names of the candidates for president in the manner provided for in section 1-5-404. A vote for any pair of candidates is a vote for the duly nominated presidential electors of the political party or political organization by which the pair of candidates were named.

(2.5) For all covered office general elections every ballot shall contain the names of the candidates advancing from the all-candidate primary election, except those who have died or withdrawn, and the ballot shall contain no other names.

(4) The name of each person nominated from a primary election or advancing from an all-candidate primary election shall be printed or written upon the ballot in only one place. Each nominated person’s name may include one nickname, if the person regularly uses the nickname and the nickname does not include any part of a political party name. Opposite the name of each person nominated, including candidates for president and vice president and joint candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, shall be the name of the political party or political organization which nominated the candidate from a primary election or with which a candidate from the all-candidate primary is affiliated, if any, expressed in not more than three words. Those three words may not promote the candidate or constitute a campaign promise.

SECTION 23. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-5-404, amend (2); and add (2.5), as follows:

1-5-404. Arrangement of names on ballots for partisan elections. (2) Between July 1 and July 15 of each election year, the officer in receipt of the original designation, nomination, or petition of each candidate for an office other than a covered office shall inform the major political parties, each minor political party that has nominated at least one candidate, and the representative of each political organization that has filed a nominating petition for at least one candidate of the time and place of the lot-drawing for offices to appear on the general election ballot. Ballot positions shall be assigned to the major political party, minor political party, or political organization in the order in which they are drawn. The name of the candidate shall be inserted on the ballot prior to the ballot certification.

(2.5) In the general election for a covered office, the names of the candidates advancing from the all-candidate primary election shall be placed on the ballot for the general election in an order determined by lot.

SECTION 24. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-5-407, amend (2), as follows: 1-5-407. Form of ballots. (2) The ballots shall be printed so as to give to each eligible elector a clear opportunity to designate his or her choice of candidates, joint candidates, ballot issues, and ballot questions by a mark as instructed. On the ballot may be printed words that will aid the elector, such as “vote for not more than one” in elections conducted using single choice voting. For elections conducted using a ranked voting method, the ballot shall include language that will aid the elector in ranking candidates in order of preference.

SECTION 25. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-5-408, amend (1), as follows: 1-5-408. Form of ballots - electronic voting. (1) Ballot cards placed upon voting equipment shall, so far as practicable, be arranged as provided by sections 1-5-402, 1-5-402.5, 1-5-403, and 1-5-404; except that they shall be of the size and design required by the voting equipment and may be printed on a number of separate ballot cards that are placed on the voting equipment.

SECTION 26. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-5-412, amend (3), as follows: 1-5-412. Correction of errors. (3) (a) If, before the date set for election for an office other than a covered office, a duly nominated candidate withdraws by filing an affidavit of withdrawal with the designated election official, or dies and the fact of the death becomes known to the designated election official before the ballots are printed, or is deemed disqualified, the name of the candidate shall not be printed on the ballots.

(b) (I) If, before the date set for the all-candidate primary election for a covered office, a duly nominated candidate withdraws by filing an affidavit of withdrawal with the designated election official, or dies and the fact

of the death becomes known to the designated election official before the ballots are printed, or is deemed disqualified, the name of the candidate shall not be printed on the all-candidate primary election ballot

(II) If a candidate for covered office advancing from the all-candidate primary election to the general election withdraws by filing an affidavit of withdrawal with the designated election official, or dies and the fact of the death becomes known to the designated election official before the ballots are printed, or is deemed disqualified, the name of the candidate shall not be printed on the ballot, and the designated election official shall follow the procedures specified in section 1-4-101.5(2)(d)(IV).

(c) Except in the case of a vacancy to be filled in accordance with section 1-4-1005, 1-4-1006, or 1-4-1009, or in an election conducting using a ranked voting method, if the ballots are already printed, the votes cast for the withdrawn, deceased, or disqualified candidate are invalid and shall not be counted. In an election conducted using a ranked voting method, ballots shall continue to count for their highest-ranked active candidate, if any.

SECTION 27. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-7-201, amend (1), (2), (2.3), (4), (5), and (6), as follows:

1-7-201. Voting at primary election for an office other than a covered office. (1)

Any registered elector, including a preregistrant who is eligible under section 1-2-101 (2)(c), who has declared an affiliation with a political party that is participating in a primary election for an office other than a covered office and who desires to vote for candidates of that party at a primary election for an office other than a covered office shall show identification, as defined in section 1-1-104 (19.5), write their his or her name and address on a form available at the voter service and polling center, and give the form to one of the election judges.

(2) If the name is found on the registration list, the election judge having charge of the list shall likewise repeat the elector’s name and present the elector with the party ballot for the primary election for an office other than a covered office of the political party affiliation last recorded.

(2.3) An eligible unaffiliated elector, including a preregistrant who is eligible under section 1-2-101 (2)(c), is entitled to vote in the primary election for an office other than a covered office of a major political party without affiliating with that political party. To vote in a political party’s primary election for an office other than a covered office without declaring an affiliation with the political party, any eligible unaffiliated elector shall declare to the election judges the name of the political party in whose primary election the elector wishes to vote. Thereupon, the election judges shall deliver the appropriate party ballot for the primary election for an office other than a covered office to the elector. In addition, any eligible unaffiliated elector may openly declare to the election judges the name of the political party with which the elector wishes to affiliate and complete the necessary forms. An eligible elector must separately date and sign or date and initial a declaration of affiliation with a political party form in such manner that the elector clearly acknowledges that the affiliation has been properly recorded. Thereupon, the election judges shall deliver the appropriate party ballot to the eligible elector.

(4) Party ballots for the primary election for an office other than a covered office shall be cast in the same manner as in general elections. An elector shall not vote for more candidates for any office than are to be elected at the general election as indicated on the ballot.

(5) Instead of voting for a candidate whose name is printed on the party ballot for the primary election for an office other than a covered office, an elector may cast a write-in vote for any eligible candidate who is a member of the major political party and who has filed an affidavit of intent of write-in candidacy pursuant to section 1-4-1101. When no candidate has been designated by an assembly or by petition for the primary election for an office other than a covered office, a write-in candidate for nomination by any major political party for the primary election for an office other than a covered office must receive at least the number of votes at any primary election that is required by section 1-4-801(2) to become designated as a candidate by petition.

(6) The provisions of subsections (1), (2), and (4) of this section shall not apply to a primary election for an office other than a covered office conducted as a mail ballot election pursuant to article 7.5 of this title.

SECTION 28. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 1-7-201.5, as follows: 1-7-201.5. Voting at all-candidate primary election for a covered office. (1) Any registered elector, including a preregistrant who is eligible under section 1-2-101(2)(c), who desires to vote in the all-candidate primary election for covered offices shall show identification, as defined in section 1-1-104(19.5), write their name and address on a form available at the voter service and polling center, and give the form to one of the election judges (2) If the name is found on the registration list, the election judge having charge of the list shall likewise repeat the elector’s name and present the elector with the all-candidate primary election ballot.

(3) Instead of voting for a candidate whose name is printed on the allcandidate primary election ballot, an elector may cast a write-in vote for any eligible candidate who has filed an affidavit of intent of write-in candidacy pursuant to section 1-4-1101.

SECTION 29. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-7-307, amend (2), as follows: 1-7-307. Method of counting paper ballots. (2) Each ballot shall be read and counted separately.

(a) For each election using single choice voting, Every every name and all names of joint candidates separately marked as voted for on the ballot shall be read and an entry made on each of two accounting forms before any other ballot is counted. The entire number of ballots, excepting “excess ballots”, shall be read, counted, and placed on the accounting forms in like manner. When all of the ballots, except “excess ballots”, have been counted, the election judges shall post the votes from the accounting forms.

(b) For each election using a ranked voting method, ballots shall be counted pursuant to part 5, of this article 7

SECTION 30. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-7-503, amend (1), as follows: 1-7-503. Manner of voting. (1) Each eligible elector, upon receiving a ballot, shall immediately proceed unaccompanied to one of the voting booths provided. To cast a vote, the eligible elector shall clearly fill the oval, connect the arrow, or otherwise appropriately mark the name of the candidate; or the names of the joint candidates; or, in the event the election uses a ranked voting method, rank the names of the candidates of the elector’s choice for each office to be filled. In the case of a ballot issue, the elector shall clearly fill the oval, connect the arrow, or otherwise appropriately mark the appropriate place opposite the answer that the elector desires to give. Before leaving the voting booth, the eligible elector, without displaying the marks thereon, shall place the ballot in the privacy envelope so that the contents of the ballot or ballot card are concealed and shall place the envelope and the ballot or ballot card in the ballot box.

SECTION 31. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-7-508, amend (2), as follows: 1-7-508. Determination of improperly marked ballots. (2) Votes cast for an office to be filled or a ballot question or ballot issue to be decided shall not be counted if a voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to an office or if for any reason it is impossible to determine the elector’s choice of candidate or vote concerning the ballot question or ballot issue; except that an elector’s rankings of multiple candidates in an election using instant runoff a ranked voting method shall be recorded and counted in accordance with section sections 1-4-207 and 1-7-1003 and rules promulgated by the secretary of state. A defective or an incomplete mark on any ballot in a proper place shall be counted if no other mark is on the ballot indicating an intention to vote for some other candidate or ballot question or ballot issue.

SECTION 32. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-7-509, amend (2) (a), as follows: 1-7-509. Electronic and electromechanical vote counting - testing of equipment required - rules. (2) (a) A public test of voting equipment shall be conducted prior to the commencement of voting in accordance with this section by processing a preaudited group of ballots produced so as to record a predetermined number of valid votes for each candidate and on each ballot question or ballot issue. The test shall ensure that the system accurately records votes when the elector has the option of voting for more than one candidate in a race. The test shall ensure that the voting system properly rejects and does not count overvotes and undervotes. If the equipment is to be used in an election using instant runoff a ranked voting method, the test shall ensure that the voting system accurately records, counts, and tabulates an elector’s rankings of multiple candidates in accordance with section sections 1-4207 and 1-7-1003 and rules promulgated by the secretary of state.

SECTION 33. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 1-7.5-107, amend (2.7), as follows: 1-7.5-107. Procedures for conducting mail ballot election - primary elections - first-time voters casting a mail ballot after having registered by mail to vote - in-person request for ballot - return envelope requirements - repeal. (2.7) Subsequent to the preparation of ballots in accordance with section sections 1-5-402 and 1-5-402.5 but prior to the mailing required under subsection (3) of this section, and no sooner than forty-five days nor later than thirty-two days before an election, a designated election official shall provide a mail ballot packet for allcandidate primary elections for covered offices and for primary elections for offices other than covered offices to a registered elector requesting the ballot packet at the designated election official’s office or the office designated in the election plan filed with the secretary of state.

SECTION 34. Severability.

If any provision of this initiative, or the application of any provision of this initiative to any person, office, or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this initiative and the application of its provision to any person, office, or circumstance, shall not be affected by the holding.

SECTION 35. Effective Date.

This initiative takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2026.

The good, the bad and the ugly: What’s on Je co teenagers’ minds

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Je erson County teens are navigating a complex world, and the latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey data highlights their highs and lows. From signi cant drops in binge drinking to a troublesome rise in stress levels, the ndings reveal a mix of progress and continued challenges.

“ ese numbers show progress,” said Dr. Sarah Story, executive director at Je erson County Public Health, in a press release. “But they also remind us that there’s a lot of work to do. We can’t let our guard down. e only way we will see lasting change is using youth perspectives to design new ways to support their health.”

e Healthy Kids Colorado Sur-

vey is the state’s largest youth survey, providing data on the health and well-being of Colorado middle and high school students. It covers topics like mental health, substance use and physical activity, helping to inform community programs and public health initiatives.

Nearly 7,200 of Je erson County’s high school students completed the 2023 survey, representing approximately 30% of the district’s total.

Here’s a look at what Je co teenagers are thinking and what could signal important shifts in youth health and well-being.

What’s going well

Fewer high school students reported persistent feelings of hopelessness or sadness compared to 2021. In 2023, 26% of high school students reported these feelings, down from 40% in 2021.

Additionally, the percentage of students who seriously considered suicide dropped from 17% in 2021 to 11% in 2023. Middle schoolers also saw similar improvements in mental health indicators

More than 75% of high school students have a trusted adult they can go to for support, and nearly all (94.2%) feel safe at school.

Alcohol use, vaping and prescription drug misuse declined among high school students. Alcohol use dropped from 30% of youth reporting drinking alcohol in the past month in 2019 to 21% in 2023.

Fewer teens also reported using cannabis in the prior 30 days than in 2019, and those who reported vaping dropped to 9%, down from close to 17% in 2021.

What’s not going well

Stress remains a troubling issue among students, with one in four reporting that their stress feels unmanageable most days, and 7.4% of high school students report attempting suicide in the past 12 months.

While fewer teens report problems with substance abuse, many reported it would be easy to get alcohol and marijuana if they wanted.

While bullying rates overall did not increase, LGBTQ+ students,

particularly those who identify as gay or lesbian, reported higher rates of bullying, with 29% experiencing bullying compared to 12% of the general student population. LGBTQ+ students also reported higher levels of sadness and hopelessness.

e 2023 survey included questions about body image, which is new from prior years. Nearly 39% of high school students worried about their physical appearance more than they wanted in the last 30 days. at percentage rose to almost 70% for transgender students.

Nearly one in ve high school students reported engaging in unhealthy behaviors to lose or control weight, such as skipping meals or using diet pills.

Another new question asked students if they had a poor mental health day in the past 30 days. Close to 30% reported yes, although percentages were much higher for LGBTQ+ students.

e 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey results are available on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website.

Opponents argue Amendment 80 opens door for public funds to private schools

Supporters say it’s about protecting school choice for future generations

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

At rst glance, Amendment 80 might seem like a simple a rmation of school choice that Colorado’s families have enjoyed for more than 30 years. e amendment, which appears on this year’s election ballot, seeks to enshrine open access to a broad array of education options in the state’s constitution.

School choice is a part of the fabric of Colorado’s education system, and proponents argue that adding this right to the state constitution grants greater legal advantages than can be a orded through state law.

Opponents don’t argue with protecting school choice but rather with how the measure de nes school choice to include public neighborhood and charter schools, private schools, home schools, open enrollment options and future innovations in education.

Groups like the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado PTA, the Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Colorado Democrats, Stand for Children and the ACLU Colorado worry that making private schools a constitutionally protected right would allow the government to direct public tax dollars to private education.

“Disguised as a measure seeking to protect school choice in the state constitution, which Colorado families already have, 80 takes a permanent rst step towards creating a voucher system, which would use taxpayer dollars to bankroll elite private school tuition,” the Colorado Education Association said in a statement.

Advance Colorado, a conservative action committee that doesn’t disclose its donors, is behind the measure. e group’s policy analyst, Michael Tsogy, wrote in a recent report titled “Protecting Educational Freedom: Why School Choice Must be Placed in the Colorado Constitution” that the amendment is necessary “due to a rising attack against

the right to school choice for all.”

“In Colorado, which has one of the best school choice statutes in the nation, the next move is to preserve school choice for future generations by cementing it as a right in the Colorado Constitution,” writes Tsogy.

Proponents have downplayed the inclusion of private schools, saying the measure isn’t about diverting public school funding to a voucher system. However, Tsogy’s report mentions why parents send children to private schools and states that Colorado’s private school enrollment has risen since the pandemic.

“Colorado falls into the category of a state with public charter school laws but without a private school choice program,” Tsogy said. “ is means that Colorado allows multiple school choice options but does not fund private or home school options with state dollars.”

Je co teachers o er opposing views

Richard Sanchez, who teaches at Bell Middle School in Je erson County, said diverting money away from public schools to fund a private school voucher system would be devastating.

“I’m an educator of color, and I’ve seen rsthand what improper funding can do for public education,” Sanchez said. “When we use voucher programs like they’re proposing to use with 80, it’s just going to continue to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots.”

Sanchez said parents at poorer schools, like North Arvada Middle School, where he worked for ve years, don’t have the means to shop around for schools or even begin to take advantage of a voucher system.

He worries that the types of parents who would take advantage of the voucher program are the ones who provide much-needed support to schools through PTA fundraising and volunteerism.

“It’s a lose-lose scenario,” Sanchez said.

Lyubov Panchenko, a 6th-grade teacher in Je erson County, said in a letter to the editor that she supports Amendment 80 because she believes having a diverse system of school choice “makes good teachers better” by promoting healthy com-

Get out your zombie rags, witch’s hat, Dracula’s cape, ghostly sheets, and clown makeup! Do you like flesh-eating, skin-crawling bugs, bats, spiders, and cats, OH MY! They will all be there, so BEWARE! Join us IF YOU DARE... run or walk your decayed feet, and trick-or-treat along the way.

Texas teen reunites with Colorado trauma team after life-altering ski accident

excelled academically. As graduation approached, she couldn’t wait to hit the slopes with her best friend and classmates.

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Hannah Evans didn’t expect her senior Spring Break ski trip to Breckenridge to change her life. At 18, the Texas native was excited for a last adventure before graduation. But a single misstep on the slopes left her paralyzed from the waist down, and her dreams of an active future shattered in an instant.

Returning to Colorado for the rst time since her accident, Evans and her mom recently reunited with several members of her care team at Common Spirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood for a trauma symposium to discuss her case with other medical providers.

While visiting, she spoke about tragedy, triumph, recovery, resilience and how, while her life may be di erent, it’s far from over.

Hannah’s fall

Before the accident, Evans was a cheerleader who loved to run and

After a fun morning on the mountain, Evans and her best friend had decided to call it a day in favor of shopping when the two ran into friends at the base who convinced them to go up for one more run.

“I decided we should go because the trip was almost over,” Evans said. “ en, we got on this lift, and it was not what we anticipated at all. But we were like, ‘OK, let’s just do it anyway.’

“I panicked going down, and I ended up hitting a tree,” she continued. “I broke a couple of vertebrae, punctured a lung, broke my left femur and dislocated my right hip.”

While Evans’ memories after her accident aren’t crystal clear, she credits her initial survival to three Navy SEALS, one of whom was a medic, for immediately coming to her aid and stabilizing her while waiting for Ski Patrol.

As they loaded her on the toboggan, she remembers thinking how beautiful the scenery was. “Snow was falling on me, and it felt so good. All I could think was that if I had died there, I couldn’t have died in a more beautiful place,” Evans said.

After reaching the small hospital

in Breckenridge, she was intubated, given potent pain medication and transferred to Common Spirit St. Anthony Summit Hospital. From there, Flight Nurse Maggie Clark and Flight Paramedic Dave Rowe took her by helicopter to St. Anthony’s in Lakewood.

Meanwhile, Evans’ mom, Ashley Evans, was frantically trying to get to Denver from her home in East Texas.

“It was 11 in the morning, and I was talking with a friend when we got a call from Hannah’s best friend’s mom,” Ashley Evans said. “She said Hannah had fallen, and I thought, it’s snow, how hard can it be? She repeated that it was serious and that they were taking her to Denver. at’s when we immediately began trying to get to her.”

Several of the nurses who cared for Hannah reunited with her for this time since she returned home. From left, Jess Ballinger, Kate Tetreault, Kristin Slater, Hannah Evans, Abby Burns, Nicole Bailey and Noel Christiansen. PHOTO BY ASHLEY EVANS

Conifer boys soccer struggles continue in 2024

Lobos’ wins few and far between in tough Je co League

BY JOHN RENFROW

While crosstown rival Evergreen has enjoyed dominating the 4A/3A Je co League in boys soccer, it’s been a struggle for the Conifer Lobos who currently sit at fth in the league and 5-7 overall.

Coming o a tough 10-0 loss to the Golden Demons on Oct. 8, the Lobos moved to 2-4 in league play

with losses to Golden, Dakota Ridge, Wheat Ridge and D’Evelyn. But a recent 2-0 win over Bear Creek brought the Lobos up to fth in the league at 3-4.

Earlier in the year, the Lobos secured the two league wins over Pomona and Green Mountain, scoring a combined 13 goals.  is time last season, Conifer had ve wins through 11 weeks and three draws. e team nished 2023 with an overall record of 7-5-3 and 3-4-1 in league play.  According to MaxPreps.com, the Lobos lost 10 seniors from last year’s squad, but do have nine seniors in 2024. But sophomore Roman Alberca Caballero leads the team o en-

sively with seven goals, followed by senior Rhoan Bruneau with six and junior Jackson Weeks with ve.

A bright spot has been freshman goalie Luke Wright, ranked eigth in Colorado Division 3A and second in the league with 97 saves on the year.

Luke Kennedy, a junior, along with Weeks and Evergreen’s Isaac Arnold lead the league in assists with seven.

When you look at the season stats, Conifer has 40 goals, six more than the national average so far this year.

But the problem has been consistency; Conifer has been shut out in three games, scoring zero goals and allowing 17.

In three of the Lobos’ four wins, they’ve poured it on the opponent,

winning by at least six goals per match.

Conifer has three winnable games left, taking on Littleton (3-6-2), Standley Lake (2-7-2) and rival Evergreen (10-2). e Cougars will be tough sledding but in a rivalry game, you throw the records out of the window.

Still, it’ll be a tall task to ip the story in the nal push of the 2024 season.

Follow the Lobos at MaxPreps. com for the remaining schedule, additional stats and more.

Editor’s note: is story went to press before Conifer’s game against Littleton on Oct. 15. All stats pulled from MaxPreps.com.

Golden senior Levi Rhen (9) works the ball away from Conifer senior Cayden Barker (20) during the Class 4A Je co League game on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the North Area Athletic Complex.

PHOTOS BY DENNIS PLEUSS / JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Golden senior Layton Ward (10) tries to avoid Conifer junior Sawyer Payne (16) during the Demons’ 10-0 victory over the Lobos on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the North Area Athletic Complex.

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The road to recovery

Hannah credits her ability to cope with her injury to the care she received at St. Anthony’s.

“ e nursing sta were the rst people to make me feel like it wouldn’t matter whether I walked or rolled out of there,” Hannah said. “When other people were still praying for me to be healed and telling me that I would walk again, the nurses were talking to me about going skiing with adaptive care. I’m a better human being because I spent time at St. Anthony’s.”

While Ashley isn’t psyched about Hannah ever skiing again, she echoed her daughter’s feelings about the care she received.

“ e sta at St. Anthony’s was lifechanging for us. e whole time, they reassured us that it wasn’t a big deal, that she could do this, and I could do this,” she said.

Hannah underwent multiple surgeries during her stay, missing her high school prom and graduation, which was particularly hard on her. For years, she’d pictured herself walking across the stage and ful lling a dream she’d worked hard to achieve.

On one rough, snowy day, when Hannah was feeling down, a few nurses found a way to sneak her out to the hospital garden.

“It was the rst time I’d been outside since my accident. We got coffee on the way down and sat outside, drinking co ee and hot chocolate and talking. It was just like being with my friends again,” she said.

Moments like those and visits

from her friends and siblings kept her going. Plus, Hannah credits her mom’s refusal to let her mentally decline by pushing her to get out of bed and focusing on what she could do rather than what she couldn’t.

Adapting to her new life

e Evans’ community rallied to renovate with wheelchair modi cations even before they arrived back home, and family members have adjusted their schedule to help Hannah manage her pain.

Hannah can drive thanks to the hand controls installed in her car, which she said has been a gamechanger in allowing her to remain independent. She also has a parttime job at a Christian summer camp in East Texas, plans to become an English teacher and is taking classes at the local community college.

Since returning home, Ashley and Hannah have each learned a few lessons.

“I wanted to make her feel like nothing’s changed and that she could still do everything she wanted,” Ashley said. “I came out of the gates that way, and I think there were positives and negatives to that because sometimes she needed to wallow in it. She needed to hear that things had changed and that life was di erent.”

Hannah said it’s important to her to have fun and even joke about her new life. “My family makes fun of me, and I make fun of them. ere are lots of walking jokes. I realized it would make it harder for me not to be able to laugh about my injury and to see all the good in it.”

When it comes to what she’d say to anyone dealing with a lifechanging accident, Hannah said,

“It’s gonna be hard, but you’re just as capable as anybody else. Now, I never approach a situation thinking I can’t do this. Remember that life’s not over. It’s just di erent.”

7 tips to stay safe on the slopes this winter

Director Brian Blackwood, who treated Hannah, explained his most e ective strategies for staying safe and avoiding injuries while skiing or snowboarding, especially during busy periods like spring break.

1. Know the mountain: Familiarize yourself with the terrain and runs before attempting them, especially if you’re not an avid skier. Knowing the names of runs and their di culty levels can help you avoid getting into situations you’re not prepared for.

2. Be aware of obstacles: Watch out for trees, poles and other obstacles along the runs. Staying toward the middle of the run can help you avoid hazards, especially if you’re

3. Always wear a helmet. Helmets are crucial for protecting your head in case of a fall or collision.

4. Ski within your abilities: Don’t try tackling runs beyond your skill level, even if you feel pressured to keep up with friends or family. Stick to runs that you’re comfortable with

: It’s safer to ski with people who can provide assistance if needed rather than going solo. Having a group can also help you make better decisions about when to call it a day.

6. Avoid skiing under the inuence: Skiing while impaired, whether from alcohol or drugs, signi cantly increases the risk of accidents and injuries. Stay sober on the slopes.

7. Listen to your body: If you’re feeling fatigued or your skills are starting to deteriorate, it’s best to take a break or call it a day. Pushing yourself too hard can lead to accidents.

From left, Trauma Director Dr. Brian Blackwood, Hannah Evans, Nurse Kate Tetreault and Ashley Evans.

PHOTO BY MATTHEW STAVER

petition for students.

Panchencko fears that without constitutional protection “all it would take is a vote of an anti-education legislature and the signature of a governor” to “reduce, hamper or eliminate” school choice in the state.

Sanchez disagrees with the idea that competition for students makes anyone better.

“Education is supposed to level the playing eld. It in’t a competition. It’s a right,” he said.

Sanchez also said that private schools can reject students with special needs or behavioral issues, exacerbating educational inequality. Data from 2019-2020, the most recent year available for private schools, shows that private school students are overwhelmingly white compared to public school students.

While enrollment data has changed since the pandemic, nationally, the racial and ethnic breakdown of those enrolled in private schools is not signi cantly di erent.

“Education is the key out of whatever particular situation you’re in,” Sanchez said. “I don’t see how Amendment 80 helps anybody who

comes from a disadvantaged background or doesn’t have the means to succeed.”

What Amendment 80 asks voters to approve

Here’s the exact language voters will see on their ballot:

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?

A “yes” vote creates a constitutional right to school choice that can’t be changed based on which party controls the state legislature or governor’s o ce.

A “no” vote keeps the current system of school choice in state law.  e amendment needs 55% of the vote to pass. If voters approve the measure, student enrollment opportunities will remain the same. Parents will have the same options as before, but state lawmakers could change their policies around school choice, and courts could be asked to interpret local school district policies according to the ballot language.

Je erson Symphony Orchestra ready for 72nd season

BY TIM WEIGHART

SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

e Je erson Symphony Orchestra is ready to work its musical magic once again as the 2024-25 season commences.

JSO, a staple of the Je erson County community, is an ongoing e ort made up by eighty volunteer musicians to demonstrate and share their passion for music with local audiences. e orchestra has been active in the community for the last 72 years.

JSO’s 2024-25 season opened Oct. 13 with “ e Music of France” and includes concerts through May 2025.

“We’re a xture in Golden, and the biggest and oldest community orchestra in the county,” said Athena Lansing, who has been the general manager of the Je erson Symphony

Orchestra for over ve years. Lansing played violin with the orchestra for 20 years before retiring from the role.

“I’ve been here for over 25 years, and I’m a newcomer,” Lansing said.

“We’ve got a principal oboist and other people who have been here

for 50+ years, and our associate conductor just retired after 53 years as conductor and principal tuba. So not a lot of turnover, largely because we’re all based within the local community.”

William Morse retired from JSO in 2022 after serving as the orchestra’s head conductor for 23 years, and was given the honorary title of conductor emeritus soon after.

Last year, Dr. J. Arturo González was o cially appointed as the orchestra’s new music director and conductor.

“Arturo is only our fourth music director,” Lansing said. “Our musicians get to practice and perform with auditioning conductors, so it’s mostly up to the orchestra for who they want as a music director. We also like

JSO’s next concert is an Autumn Symphony Showcase at 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Je erson Unitarian Church, 14350 W 32nd Ave. in Golden. FILE PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

More than 30 butchers compete in annual meat cutting challenge

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Dozens of competitors stepped onto the ice at the South Suburban Sports Complex in Highlands Ranch to one of their favorite songs blasting through the speakers of the arena.

But instead of a hockey stick in hand, they held mallets and knives, ready to slice meat.

More than 30 butchers from across Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming took part in the rst round of the National Meat Cutting Challenge on Oct. 2.

“It’s a tribute to a unique profession that blends artistry with expertise,” said Nick Carroll, who is the regional senior product coach for Texas Roadhouse.

e competition is part of the Meat Hero program, created in 2001, to recognize the daily e orts of Texas Road-

BERGEN PARK CHURCH

Bergen Park Church is a group of regular people who strive to improve ourselves and our community by studying the Bible and sharing our lives with each other. On Sunday mornings you can expect contemporary live music, Children’s Ministry that seeks to love and care for your kids, teaching from the Bible, and a community of real people who are imperfect, but seek to honor God in their lives. We hope to welcome you soon to either our 9:00AM or 10:30AM Sunday service.

Search Bergen Park Church on YouTube for Livestream service at 9:00am

31919 Rocky Village Dr. 303-674-5484 info@bergenparkchurch.org / www.BergenParkChurch.org

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH SERVICES

28244 Harebell Lane

Sunday Service & Sunday School 10am

Wednesday Evening 7:00pm, Zoom options available Contact: clerk@christianscienceevergreen.com for ZOOM link Reading Room 4602 Pletner Lane, Unit 2E, Evergreen

OPEN TUE-SAT 12PM - 3PM

CHURCH OF THE HILLS PRESBYTERIAN (USA)

Serving the mountain community from the heart of Evergreen Worship 10:00 a.m.

Reverend Richard Aylor

O ce Hours: Tu-Thur 9:00 - 4:00; Fri 9:00 - noon

Bu alo Park Road and Hwy 73 www.churchofthehills.com

A ‘rib-eye’ on the prize

house meat cutters. Each contestant is responsible for hand-cutting every steak served at their local Texas Roadhouse.

Spending about seven hours a day in a 34-degree walk-in cooler, the professional meat cutters cut about $1 million worth of meat in an average year.

“Our meat cutters are the backbone of what we do inside our restaurants every day,” said Regional Product coach Carroll.

As the national meat-cutting challenge highlights the extraordinary skill and precision of the local meat cutters, the ice rink was kept at a cool 34-degrees to ensure fresh and quality meat.

Each participant was given 2030 pounds of beef to compete with.

Judged on speed, quality and the number of pieces, the competitors had one hour to cut three muscles — sirloin, let and ribeye — according to Trevor Droogan, managing partner for the Sheridan and Englewood Texas Roadhouse locations. He added that there was a speci c speck size to meet for each type and di erent cuts have individual qualities.

At the end of the hour, each contes-

Auder Revolorio, the professional butcher for the Texas Roadhouse in Longmont was one of the two competitors that moved on to compete to the next level.

COURTESY OF STEPHANIE KECK

tant placed their work in a numbered tin, then the product coaches judged the meat anonymously.

“If it has too much fat or too much gristle, they’ll kick it,” said Droogan.

After the meat was judged, it was grilled outside for everyone to enjoy, including the sta at South Suburban Sports Complex.

“We like to take care of the com-

WORSHIP DIRECTORY

CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION EPISCOPAL

In-Church: Sunday Communion Quiet Service 8:00 am & with Music 10:15 am 10:15 am only Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86017266569

In-Meadow: 2nd Sunday of the month at 9:30 a.m. --June through September— 27640 Highway 74 – ¼ mile east of downtown Evergreen at the Historic Bell Tower www.transfigurationevergreen.org

CONGREGATION BETH EVERGREEN (SYNAGOGUE)

Reconstructionist Synagogue Rabbi Jamie Arnold www.BethEvergreen.org / (303) 670-4294 2981 Bergen Peak Drive (behind Life Care)

DEER PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Reverend Dr. Knut Heim, pastor, Sunday Worship 10 AM

Located one mile west of Pine Junction just o Rt. 285 966 Rim Rock Road, Bailey (303) 838-6759 deerparkumc.org

All are welcome to our open/inclusive congregation!

EVERGREEN LUTHERAN CHURCH

5980 Highway 73 + 303-674-4654

Rev. Terry Schjang

Join us for worship in person or on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvergreenLutheranChurch Sunday Worship held at 9am. www.evergreenlutheran.org + All Are Welcome!

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH – EPC 1036 El Rancho Rd, Evergreen – (303) 526-9287 www.lomcc.org – o ce@lomcc.org Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday “Real Church In An UnReal World”

A community empowered by the Holy Spirit which seeks authentic relationships with God and others to share the good news of Jesus with Evergreen, the Front Range and the world. Come as you are, all are welcome!

PLATTE CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH

Located: 4954 County Road 64 in Bailey. O ce hours MWF 8am-1pm 303-838-4409, Worship & Children’s Church at 10am

Small group studies for all ages at 9am

Transitional Pastor: Mark Chadwick Youth Pastor: Jay Vonesh

Other activities: Youth groups, Men’s/Women’s ministries, Bible studies, VBS, MOPS, Cub/Boy Scouts.

munity and sta here,” said Stephanie Keck, senior marketing coach.

Several of the contestants represented Littleton, Parker and Brighton, but it was Gelacio Sanchez Fermin of ornton and Auder Revolorio of Sheridan who moved on to compete at the regional level.

In January, the top scoring challengers in the region will advance to the semi- nals, which will take place in Las Vegas. Five will then move on to the 2025 National Competition in Louisville, Kentucky in the spring. e winner of the national competition will win a $25,000 grand prize and be crowned Meat Cutter of the Year.

But it’s not exactly the end for the local competitors who did not win a spot in the regional competition. Once the market competitions are over at the end of the year, a couple of ”wildcards” will be chosen to have another chance to compete.

“Having a good meat cutter versus having an experienced meat cutter is huge for us,” said Droogan. “It’s (the competition) just a really good way to reward them and kind of keep them hungry (for their profession).”

ROCKLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH

“Connecting all generations to Jesus” Please check our website, www.Rockland.church, for updated service times ¼ mile north of I-70 at exit 254 17 S Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd., Golden, CO 80401 303-526-0668

SHEPHERD OF THE ROCKIES LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod. 106 Rosalie Road, Bailey, CO 303-838-2161 Pastor Pete Scheele Sunday Worship Service; 9 a.m., Fellowship Time; 10:15 a.m., Sunday School & Bible Class; 10:45 a.m. www.shepherdoftherockies.org

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN Rev. Sarah Clark • 303.674.4810 • www.evergreenumc.org 3757 Ponderosa Dr. across Hwy

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T M SERVICE COMPANY INC Miscellaneous Contract Services5,088.95

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Tony Tarantino Training & Education 72.36

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Legals

Metro Districts Budget Hearings

Public

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested persons that the Board of Directors of the Elk Creek Fire Protection District (“Elk Creek”) has determined that it is in the best interest of the health and safety, prosperity, security and general

KATIE MEREDITH DROESSLERHS-Mileage 25.73

Krista Mahuron HS-Mileage 289.44

KRISTA THOGERSEN HS-Mileage 70.35

LIBBY H DONOHUE HS-Mileage 146.93

Lizbeth Flores-Prado HS-Mileage 268.40

MAC COUNSELING AND CONSULTINGHS-Miscellaneous Contract Services1,104.00

MAPLE STAR HS-Miscellaneous Contract Services1,740.00

MATTHEW R ENGEMOEN HS-Mileage 252.05

MEGAN

welfare of the property owners and inhabitants of Elk Creek to consider excluding all real property currently located within the boundaries of the Elk Creek Fire Protection District (the “Property”) on the condition that the Property thereafter immediately be included within North Fork Fire Protection District.

The Board of Directors of the Elk Creek Fire Protection District at its September 26, 2024, board meeting preliminarily adopted and will consider a

JAY

final adoption of a Resolution initiating exclusion of the Property from the Elk Creek at a public hearing to be held on November 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., at Elk Creek Station 1 located at, 11993 Blackfoot Road, Conifer, Colorado.

The mill levy assessed by North Fork against all property within its boundaries, exclusive of any mill levy for refunds or abatements, is currently 12.000 mills. The mill levy assessed by Elk Creek against all property within its boundaries, exclusive of any mill levy for refunds or abatements, is currently 12.500 mills. If the Property is excluded from Elk Creek and included within North Fork the mill levy will be reduced by 0.500 mills, exclusive of refunds or abatements.

JENNIFER M FRENCH Mileage

JENNIFER

Jonah Vallez Mileage 87.77

JULIANNE M RIST Mileage 8.44

JULIANNE M RIST Travel 82.28

KLEEN TECH SERVICES Janitorial Services62,493.42

KONE INC Equipment Maintenance 354.58

LAKEWOOD, CITY OF Water, Irrigation, & Sanitation Services 215.71

LYRASIS Library Computer Service Materials22,000.00

MARIE BAYER Conferences/Trade Shows 247.00

Megan Roth Mileage 3.48

MIDWEST TAPE Library Books & Materials-DVD3,962.18

Molly Smits Mileage 129.31

ONSOLVE LLC Software as a Services (SaaS) 285.00

ORLANDO J GALLEGOS Telephone Services 156.69

OVERDRIVE INC Library Books & Materials-Digital29,826.28

RENE KAY YAWS Mileage 82.68

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Sarah Ohle Leibrandt Telephone Services 313.38

T MOBILE Telephone Services1,309.00

Terri Faulkner Mileage 84.42

UNUM LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA Voluntary Life Insurance2,931.25

VARI SALES CORPORATION Furniture & Equipment - Non Capital 657.90

WAXIE SANITARY SUPPLY Janitorial Supplies1,813.76

WORKPLACE RESOURCE Furniture & Equipment - Non Capital 254.00

Library Fund Total 271,844.46

BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY INCLibrary Books & Materials-Print1,234.59

Library Fund TABOR Revenue Grants Total 1,234.59

DELTA DENTAL OF COLO Delta Dental Insurance Claims82,786.54

KAISER PERMANENTE Kaiser Medical Premiums 1,223,654.07

UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC Medical Claims513,547.52

UNUM LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA Voluntary Life Insurance(9,005.86)

UNUM LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY Long-Term Disability (LTD)

interested parties may appear at such hearing to show cause in writing why such Resolution should not be finally adopted. BY

ORCHESTRA

to have somebody local so they can give back to and have connections with the community… Arturo is bringing new life into the orchestra and introducing di erent and new pieces of music (for the community) to hear.”

González is speci cally hoping to perform more compositions by living conductors and diverse voices in the years to come.

One of González’s primary responsibilities as music director is to work with the orchestra to determine the pieces they will perform during their annual concerts and recitals.

Alongside the orchestra’s annual Holiday Concert and Young Artist Concert, the JSO’s 72nd season will also feature an interactive Tribute To Star Wars concert that will recreate some of the most iconic tracks from the classic franchise. At other concerts, the orchestra will perform renowned classical symphonies by such composers as Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, Paul Hindeminth and Richard Strauss.

After their institution in 1952, the Je erson Symphony Orchestra set out to bring a new dimension of arts and culture to the community by sharing a wide variety of beautiful symphonies with their audiences, a mission that they still carry on today by by bringing their music to the Green Center on the Colorado School of Mines campus several times a year.

“We’re just so grateful that we get to play at the Green Center every year,” Lansing said. “It’s a huge ven-

ue for us, and that’s our home. Golden is our home.”

If you are not a musician but are still interested in getting involved with JSO, consider contacting the organization about becoming a board member. JSO is looking for local candidates with accounting skills who are willing to volunteer their time and energy to assist in the management of the organization. You can inquire about the role by contacting Athena Lansing at athena@je symphony.org or (303) 278-4237.

budget has been submitted to the Board of Directors of the Plains Metropolitan District (the “District”) for the ensuing year 2025; that a copy of such proposed budget has been filed in the office of the District located at Icenogle, Seaver, Pogue, P.C., 4725 S. Monaco Street, Suite 360, Denver, Colorado 80237, where same is open for public inspection and may also be viewed on the

For additional information on the Je erson Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming events and history and for tickets, go to www.je symphony. org. Je co students and Colorado School of Mines students, faculty and sta get free admission to all concerts, and season ticket holders and youths under 18 get free admission to all recitals.

Here is the full schedule for the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra’s 72nd season:

Autumn Symphony Showcase

7 p.m. Nov. 8

Je erson Unitarian Church, 14350 W 32nd Avenue, Golden e JSO’s rst recital of the year will feature chamber music by smaller ensembles of the orchestra’s musicians. Come and enjoy remarkable performances by some of Je erson County’s most talented musicians.

Holiday Concert

3 p.m. Dec. 8

e Green Center, 924 16th St., Golden

Get into the holiday spirit as the JSO plays a variety of festive winter classics, carols and holiday favorites.

JSO-YAC Winner’s Recitals

7 p.m. Jan 11

Wellshire Presbyterian Church,

Plains Metropolitan District website at www.plainsmetrodistrict.specialdistrict.org; and that such proposed budget will be considered at a hearing at the Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the District to be held at KC & Associates, 10106 W. San Juan Way, Suite 210, Littleton, Colorado 80127 on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 12:00 p.m..

Any interested elector of the District may, at any time prior to the adoption of the 2025 Budget, inspect the budget and file or register any objections thereto.

This meeting is open to the public and the public is welcome to attend. Meeting information will be posted on the District’s website prior to the meeting.

BY THE ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PLAINS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

/s/ Dave Peak, District Manager

Legal Notice No. CAN 1680

Musicians in the Je erson Symphony Orchestra rehearsing earlier this year at the Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church.

FILE PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

2999 S. Colorado Blvd. #6607, Den-

ver

e Young Artist Competition is an annual event held by the JSO to amplify and encourage the solo careers and talents of young musicians. Following the competition, the top three nalists will perform at this recital to celebrate their accomplishments as artists. is year’s competition is focused on the following classical string instruments in full concerto: e violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp and classical guitar.

Poetry and Music

3 p.m. Feb. 2

e Green Center, 924 16th St., Golden

e JSO’s Winter Concert will feature a variety of “Symphonic Tone Poems,” which are compositions that were initially made to emulate the structure and rhythm of speci c poems or stories. First, Alicia Watson will feature as a solo artist playing the french horn part of Paul Hindeminth’s three-movement, rhythmically erratic “Horn Concerto.” e

First Publication: October 17, 2024

Last Publication: October 17, 2024

Publisher: Canyon Courier

Public Notice

NOTICE AS TO PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET AND AMENDMENT OF 2024 BUDGET

IDLEDALE WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT

JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Sections 29-1-108 and 109, C.R.S., that a proposed budget has been submitted to the Board of Directors of the Idledale Water and Sanitation District (the “District”) for the ensuing year of 2025. The necessity may also arise for the amendment of the 2024 budget of the District. Copies of the proposed 2025 budget and 2024 amended budget (if appropriate) are on file in the office of the District, c/o AJ Beckman, 405 Urban Street, Suite 310, Lakewood, Colorado 80228, where same are available for public inspection. Such proposed 2025 budget and 2024 amended

JSO will continue on to play Modest Mussorgsky’s terrifying “Night on Bald Mountain,” as well as Silvestre Reveultas’ foreboding “Sensemayá,” and Richard Strauss’ playful “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks.”

Young Artist Recital

7 p.m. March 28

Je erson Unitarian Church, 14350 W 32nd Ave., Golden e winner of the 2025 Young Artist Competition will perform a solo recital.

Young Artist Concert

3 p.m. March 30  e Green Center, 924 16th St., Golden

e winner of the 2025 Young Artists Competition will get the privilege of performing alongside the JSO to play the young artist’s concerto and the orchestra’s favorite overture! en, the orchestra will close out the night with Johannes Brahm’s classic “Symphony No. 2.”

Spring Symphony Showcase

7 p.m., April 11

Je erson Unitarian Church, 14350 W 32nd Ave., Golden JSO musicians will round out the season’s recitals with more chamber music to welcome in the spring season.

Tribute To Star Wars

3 p.m. May 18

e Green Center, 924 16th St., Golden

Bring the whole family to enjoy arrangements from the classic scifranchise that has spanned over nearly ve decades. Enjoy Darth Vader’s “Imperial March” and other notorious themes composed by John Williams, the world’s most well-known living composer, during this interactive performance.

budget will be considered at a special meeting to be held on October 21, 2024 at 6 30 p.m. at Idledale Community Church, 21429 Highway 74, Idledale, Colorado 80453. Any interested elector within the District may, at any time prior to the final adoption of the 2025 budget or the 2024 amended budget, inspect the 2025 budget and the 2024 amended budget and file or register any objections thereto.

IDLEDALE WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT

Peter Weber, Secretary

Legal Notice No. CAN 1681

First Publication: October 17, 2024

Last Publication: October 17, 2024

Publisher: Canyon Courier

Notice to Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Sue Breen, Deceased Case Number: 2024PR 368

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Jefferson County, Colorado on or before February 10, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Melissa Moore, Personal Representative 6936 Everest Lane

Evergreen, Colorado 80439

Legal Notice No. CAN 1668

First Publication: October 10, 2024

Last Publication: October 24, 2024

Publisher: Canyon Courier

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