Tens of millions of dollars have poured into Colorado’s 2026 ballot measure campaigns, as issue committees that face no spending limits try to sway voters on a wide range of legal and policy questions.
Dozens of issue committees are supporting and opposing 14 statewide ballot questions this year, covering everything from taxes and public safety to transgender rights and conservation.
Issue committees in Colorado are allowed to collect and spend unlimited amounts as long as they follow election finance rules and report some basic information to the Secretary of State, which publishes the data on its website.
Statewide, issue committees have spent over $47 million on ballot questions this year, which marks the highest total since the 2020 election, according to Colorado Newsline.
The Biggest Spenders
Ten issue committees spent more than $1 million each this election cycle, and 10 more spent over $100,000 each.
A group called Yes for Colorado Kids was the biggest spender, dropping nearly $6.9 million to support Proposition NN, which would allow the state to keep tax money it would otherwise have to refund to taxpayers in order to spend it on education and other programs for kids. Yes for Colorado Kids is primarily funded by national and state-level teacher’s unions and a left-leaning, Colorado-based group called Gary Advocacy.
The next biggest spender was the Colorado Voter Trust Initiative, which doled out nearly $5.8 million to support Amendment 84. That measure would require Coloradans who vote by mail to write the last four digits of their social security, driver’s license or other state-issued ID number on the outside of their ballot envelope. The group’s contributors are all so-called “dark money” organizations that make it hard to trace the origins of their funding.
A group called Protect Colorado’s Land and Water, Prevent Wildfires was the third-biggest spender. It put $5.3 million behind Proposition 137, which would direct taxes from sports equipment sales and rentals toward conservation, wildfire mitigation and outdoor recreation. The group’s major funders are Colorado-based environmental organizations, The Nature Conservancy and Western Resource Advocates.
A coalition of consumer advocates, conservationists and left-leaning dark money groups called No Pollution in the Constitution came in fourth, spending more than $3.1 million to fight Amendment 82, which would add a right to buy and sell natural gas to the state constitution.
In fifth place, backing a slew of conservative ballot questions, was Brighter Colorado. The group receives most of its funding from conservative dark-money organizations linked to the Republican Party.
The Most Lopsided Issue Spending
Most of the ballot measure spending disproportionately came on one side or the other.
The backers of Proposition 137’s proposal to funnel sporting goods taxes to conservation spent nearly $850 for every $1 spent by their opponents.
The supporters of Amendment 84’s proposal to add ID requirements for mail-in voting spent about $63 for every $1 spent by the opposition.
Groups backing Amendment 85, which would require ballot questions to be written so an eighth-grader can understand them, outspent opponents 20-to-1.
A similar spending ratio was seen in favor of Amendment 83, which would add a right to hunt and fish to the state constitution.
Opponents of two anti-trans measures, Propositions 134 and 135, outspent supporters by a more than 10-to-1 ratio.
Only one ballot measure saw no spending in opposition: Amendment 86, which asks voters to change the state’s constitution to add obstacles to redrawing the districts that decide Colorado’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.
NEED TO KNOW
😵💫 Colorado’s ballot questions this year are the most confusing in the country, according to an analysis from the election information site Ballotpedia. (Axios / Alayna Alvarez, see the analysis)
⚕️ Colorado healthcare officials are preparing to help Medicaid recipients navigate program changes that could affect their eligibility. The efforts include an online self-screener tool to determine if they are subject to new requirements and a page with answers to frequently asked questions about the changes. (Colorado Newsline / Sara Wilson)
🧑🧑🧒 Colorado’s child welfare system still has a disproportionate number of Black and Latino kids in foster care, though the disparities are decreasing. State officials have made efforts to build out support services and keep kids with relatives when possible. (Colorado Sun / Jennifer Brown)
🏔️ Avalanche season is starting again, and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center is working to keep people safe in the backcountry. The state-supported organization tracks avalanche conditions, issues forecasts and investigates accidents to learn about how to better prevent and respond to them. (Colorado Sun / Betsy Welch) At least one skiing party has reported getting caught in an avalanche already this year. (CBS News / Jennifer McRae)
COMING UP
🗳️ Election day is next Tuesday, November 3, and your ballot has to get to your county clerk by 7 p.m. or it won’t be counted. Mailing it now risks missing the cutoff. In this video, I explain how to find your nearest ballot dropbox or polling station to make sure your vote gets recorded: