Voter guide: A quick guide to Colorado's 2024 ballot

Zoom in: Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know.

How to vote in Colorado

Election Day is Nov. 5, but Colorado allows residents to vote much earlier.

• Mail ballots are sent to active registered voters starting Oct. 11 and in-person voting starts Oct. 21.
• If you didn't receive a ballot in the mail, update your voter registration. (Check your registration here.)

How it works: Mail ballots can be returned via the U.S. Postal Service by Oct. 28 or at local drop boxes through 7pm on Election Day. Locations are available on your county clerk's website.

• You must be 18 years or older and a U.S. citizen to vote in Colorado. You can register to vote with a valid ID through Election Day.
• If you're currently incarcerated, you cannot vote. But if you're on parole, probation or served your sentence, you are eligible.
• Track your ballot to make sure it counts through BallotTrax. Sign up here.

Colorado ballot measures

The statewide ballot is packed with 14 questions voters must answer on an array of policies ranging from abortion to hunting mountain lions.

• 1-minute voting guide: Amendments G and K, and Proposition JJ in Colorado
• 1-minute voter guide: Amendments H and I, and Propositions 128 and 130
• 1-minute voting guide: Amendment J on the definition of marriage
• 1-minute voting guide: Amendment 79 protects abortion access in the Colorado constitution
• 1-minute voter guide: Amendment 80 would put school choice in the constitution
• 1-minute voting guide: Proposition KK puts new tax on firearms and ammunition

• 1-minute voting guide: Proposition 127 would ban mountain lion, bobcat and lynx hunting
• 1-minute voting guide: Proposition 129 would establish a new veterinary position in Colorado
• 1-minute voting guide: Proposition 131 on all-candidate primaries and ranked-choice voting

Go deeper

• Colorado's Prop. 127 goes national with big money donors
• Colorado campaign spending tops $100M
• Prop. 129 divides Colorado's veterinarians
• How ranked choice voting would work in Colorado
• Where the Colorado governor and Denver mayor stand on ballot measures
• Billionaires dominating Colorado's election, new reports show
• Colorado abortion rights advocates accelerate ballot campaign
• Proposed mountain lion hunting ban divides experts as Colorado's election nears
• Abortion rights group wants to use state measure to draw Latino voters
• Meet Kent Thiry, the money behind changing Colorado elections

Denver ballot measures

Denver's ballot also is historically long with nine referred measures for voters to decide.

• 1-minute voter guide: Ordinance 308 would ban fur sales
• 1-minute voter guide: Ordinance 309 would ban slaughterhouses in Denver
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Ballot Issue 4A
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Ballot Measure 6A
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Ballot Measure 7A
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Referred Question 2R
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Referred Question 2Q
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Referred Question 2S
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Referred Question 2T
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Referred Question 2U and 2V
• 1-minute voter guide: Denver's Referred Question 2W

Go deeper

• Activists release video they say shows abuse of lambs at Denver slaughterhouse
• These are the measures on Denver's ballot
• Denver's November ballot will be historically long

3rd Congressional District: Adam Frisch (D) vs. Jeff Hurd (R)

Democrat Adam Frisch hoped for a rematch against Lauren Boebert after narrowly losing to the congresswoman two years ago.

Yes, but: That won't happen in 2024. She moved to the 3rd District and now Frisch faces Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd, a more establishment Republican who is not as prone to negative headlines as Boebert.

The big picture: The shift made a toss-up race less competitive, according to nonpartisan analysts who now rank the contest as likely Republican.

Zoom in: Frisch, a former Aspen City Council member, is looking to counter the narrative. He's spent more than $10 million on his campaign and is focused on protecting water resources, securing the border and lowering the cost of living.

• Hurd also listed a crackdown on immigration as a top priority, as well as boosting oil and gas drilling.

4th Congressional District: Lauren Boebert (R) vs. Trisha Calvarese (D)

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert left a safe Republican seat for an even safer bet in the 4th District after narrowly winning re-election in 2022.

State of play: The district, which includes Douglas County in the Denver metro area, is overwhelmingly conservative and not considered a winnable race for Democrats.

• Former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, who resigned, won by more than 20 percentage points in the last election.

Yes, but: Trisha Calvarese is raising big dollars to make it closer this time. She is attacking Boebert for voting against a major military veterans bill and emphasizing her roots in the district, in contrast to her newcomer GOP rival.

The other side: Boebert remains a firebrand conservative and she's aligned herself closely with former President Trump.

Go deeper

• Democrat Trisha Calvarese launches new ad attacking Lauren Boebert
• Lauren Boebert's Democratic foe boasts major fundraising haul
• Rep. Lauren Boebert cruises to GOP primary victory in Colorado's 4th District
• Lauren Boebert looks to move beyond her firebrand image to win in new district
• Lauren Boebert blasted as carpetbagger in first debate in new congressional district race

6th Congressional District: Jason Crow (D) vs. John Fabbricatore (R)

The 6th District in Aurora is one Democrats expect to win, particularly with U.S. Rep. Jason Crow as the party's candidate.

Driving the news: Crow is emerging as a leader on national security issues in Congress, pulling on his background as an Army Ranger, and service as an impeachment manager against Trump.

The other side: His Republican opponent is John Fabbricatore, the former director of the Colorado field office for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

• In addition to making immigration a focus in the race, Fabbricatore is campaigning on improving the economy and addressing the rising cost of living.

7th Congressional District: Brittany Pettersen (D) vs. Sergei Matveyuk (R)

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen is facing re-election for the first time against a political newcomer, Republican Sergei Matveyuk.

State of play: Matveyuk, a small business owner who emigrated from Poland, is campaigning against what he believes is the country's slide into socialism. He wants to lower government spending and boost the housing supply to make the cost of living cheaper.

The other side: Pettersen, who's widely expected to win, is a former state lawmaker who made headlines as the first House member from Colorado to call for President Biden to drop his re-election bid.

• She is focused on addressing opioid addiction and passed bipartisan legislation to address synthetic drugs in 2023.

8th Congressional District: Yadira Caraveo (D) vs. Gabe Evans (R)

In Colorado's most competitive congressional contest, two Latino candidates are waging a big-money battle.

State of play: U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo narrowly won in 2022 and now must face re-election against a fresh-faced Republican, state Rep. Gabe Evans.

• The race is drawing major outside spending and is considered a battleground that will help determine which party wins the U.S. House.
• Reproductive health is the defining issue with Caraveo supporting abortion rights and Evans supporting state-level abortion bans.

Go deeper

• Evans expresses support for repealing ACA in 8th District debate
• The potential impact of two Latinos in Colorado's most competitive race
• Abortion is a dividing factor in 8th District race
• Immigration dominates 8th Congressional District debate
• In 8th District, Yadira Caraveo relies on prior record to fill resume gap
• How 8th Congressional District candidates plan to improve the economy
• U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo opens up about her depression

More 2024 election news from Axios Denver

• 1-minute voter guide: University of Colorado regents at-large election
• How to make an informed decision on Colorado's judges this election
• RTD candidates band together to push for change
• Why Donald Trump is campaigning in Colorado, a state he can't win
• Democrats pump big money into 2024 campaign
• How Colorado is working to prevent AI deepfakes
• What local Black women elected officials are saying about Harris' candidacy
• How Colorado is working to prevent another Tina Peters situation