DENVER — Ballots for the Nov. 5 election just started arriving in Coloradans' mailboxes, and Next viewers are wasting no time sending in their questions. Here are a few questions and answers about Denver's ballot.
Do you have a ballot question you want answered? Email marshall@9news.com.
Where is Denver Ballot Question 6A?
Denver voter Kalen asked why Question 6A is missing from ballots.
Kalen is not the only one who emailed wanting to know why her ballot has the issues that start with the number “2,” Ballot Issue 4A and Ballot Issue 7A -- but not Ballot Issue 6A.
Ballot Issue 6A will not appear on all ballots for Denver voters. In fact, it will only be sent to 1,954 voters in the Downtown Denver Development Authority (DDDA), which is around Union Station and Market Street Station.
The ballot question asks those voters if the city can incur debt to spend money to improve an extended part of downtown Denver. That extended part would include areas from Wynkoop Street to Cleveland Place and from 14th Street to 20th Street. It would also include areas of Uptown east of Broadway to Grant Street and from Colfax Avenue to 20th Avenue.
'Incomplete' Denver Blue Book
Mark from Denver asked, "There seems to be a discrepancy with no information in the ballot book regarding 2S, 2T, 2U, 2V and 2W, along with [Initiatives] 308 and 309. Can someone explain why?”
Mark received Denver’s version of the Blue Book, called the “Ballot Issue Notice.” That notice is only for tax and debt ballot issues, and is not required to include information on all ballot issues. This book only includes information and yes/no statements on these ballot issues:
- 2Q (city sales tax increase for Denver Health)
- 2R (city sales tax increase for affordable housing)
- 4A (Denver Public Schools bond)
- 6A (DDDA)
- 7A (RTD TABOR override)
Denver Clerk Paul Lopez explained on the first page of Denver’s Blue Book why it does not include the other ballot issues.
“Information about Denver’s other ballot measures will be in our Ballot Information Booklet, which will be available online at denvervotes.org, with a limited number of printed copies available at our Denver Elections Division Office at 200 W. 14th Ave. and at all Voter Service and Polling Centers," Lopez wrote. "We will also mail a Ballot Information Booklet to anyone who requests one via email to elections@denvergov.org or calling us at 720-913-VOTE."
> Here is a link to Denver’s Ballot Information Booklet, which contains information and yes/no statements on the remaining ballot issues:
- 2S (Charter amendment – human rights and community partnerships)
- 2T (Charter amendment – police/fire citizenship)
- 2U (Charter amendment – collective bargaining)
- 2V (Charter amendment – arbitration)
- 2W (Charter amendment – elected official salaries)
- Initiative 308 (limits on fur products)
- Initiative 309 (ban slaughterhouses)
Why is it a separate ballot information guide, only by request or online?
Lopez answered that on page one of the Denver Blue Book that did get sent out.
“This decision will help better steward taxpayer dollars by keeping printing and mailing costs down, as well as reducing our environmental impact,” Lopez wrote.
The information in the ballot guides is just that, a guide. As Next with Kyle Clark has previously reported, the yes/no statements are opinions and are not checked for facts.
In the by-request "Ballot Information Booklet," Lopez wrote, “Our office is legally required to allow anyone to submit a comment in favor of or against any measure that will be on the ballot. This booklet includes all the comments we received by the submission deadline. We do not verify or edit the information or claims made in the comments, except to the extent that comments are summarized to meet the 500-word limit set by law. Denver voters using this booklet are advised to consult other trusted sources to further supplement and/or verify the information submitted here.”
Have a ballot question? Email marshall@9news.com.