2023 Coordinated Election: What's on the ballot and where to vote in Crowley County

CROWLEY COUNTY — In addition to the two statewide ballot measures regarding taxes, voters in Crowley County will decide on leadership and a ballot issue for their school district.

News5 is helping you prepare for the November 7, 2023, Colorado Coordinated Election with guides to find out what's on the ballot, what it means to you, and where to deliver your ballot across the region.

Deadlines for the General Election:

• Monday, October 16 - First day ballots can be mailed out
• Friday, October 20 - Deadline for all ballots to be mailed out
• Monday, October 30 - Last day to submit an application to register to vote through the mail, a voter registration agency, a local driver's license examination facility, or online to receive a mail ballot for the 2023 General Election.
• Tuesday, November 7 - Election Day - All ballots must be received by county clerks no later than 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 15 - Last day for military and overseas elector ballots to be received by county clerks
• Friday, November 17 - Deadline for County Clerks to tabulate all mail-in and in-person votes

Not sure if you are registered to vote in Colorado? Use the state's Find My Voter Registration system.

See the Crowley County Sample Ballot
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Here's where to find a Voter Service and Polling Center in Crowley County. Days and times of operation vary by location.
Crowley County Clerk & Recorder's site

The Crowley County Clerk’s office located at 631 Main, Suite 102 in Ordway, Colorado, 81063, will be the Voter Service Polling Center for all of Crowley County. This will be the drop-off location for all ballots to be returned that are not mailed back or for any voter registration, ballot issuance, ballot replacement or information.

Hours for this service will be during regular business days:
Monday - Friday, October 23th through November 7th, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 4th, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Election Day, November 7th, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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Information from the Crowley County Official Sample Ballot for the 2023 Coordinated Election

Statewide Propositions:
Ballot questions referred by the general assembly or any political subdivision are listed by letter, and ballot questions initiated by the people are listed numerically. A ballot question listed a "proposition" proposes a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes. A "yes/for" vote on any ballot question is a vote in favor of changing current law or existing circumstances, and a "no/against" vote on any ballot question is a vote against changing current law or existing circumstances.

The information for each proposition comes from the 2023 State Ballot Information Booklet (aka The Blue Book) compiled by the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly

Proposition HH Reduce Property Taxes and Retain State Revenue
Shall the state reduce property taxes for homes and businesses, including expanding property tax relief for seniors, and backfill counties, water districts, fire districts, ambulance and hospital districts, and other local governments and fund school districts by using a portion of the state surplus up to the proposition HH cap as defined in this measure?

• YES: A “yes” vote on Proposition HH lowers property taxes owed, allows the state to keep additional money that would otherwise be refunded to taxpayers, temporarily changes how taxpayer TABOR refunds are distributed, and creates a new property tax limit for most local governments.
• NO: A “no” vote on Proposition HH maintains current law for property taxes, TABOR refunds, and state and local government revenue limits.

Proposition II Retain Nicotine Tax Revenue in Excess of Blue Book Estimate
Without raising taxes, may the state retain and spend revenues from taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and maintain tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and use these revenues to invest twenty-three million six hundred fifty thousand dollars to enhance the voluntary Colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free instead of reducing these tax rates and refunding revenues to cigarette wholesalers, tobacco product distributors, nicotine products distributors, and other taxpayers, for exceeding an estimate included in the ballot information booklet for proposition EE?

• YES: A “yes” vote on Proposition II allows the state to keep and spend $23.65 million in tax revenue that has already been collected from the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, including interest, and to maintain the current tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products. The tax revenue will be spent on preschool programs.
• NO: A “no” vote on Proposition II means that $23.65 million will be refunded to wholesalers and distributors of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, and tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products will be reduced.

Local Races & Ballot Measures

Crowley County School District RE1-J Board of Directors - 4-year term (Vote for no more than three)

• Tyler Karney
• Amber Lovato
• Cheryl Salzbrenner
• Christoper L. Tuma

Crowley County School District RE1-J Board of Directors - 2-year term (Vote for one)

• Jeffrey Scott Keyes
• James Charles Watkins

Crowley County School District RE1-J Ballot Issue 5A: Bonds
Shall the Crowley County School District RE1-J Debt be increased up to $11.78 million with a repayment cost of up to $19.9 million, and shall district taxes be increased by up to $995,000 annually, with the increase in debt to occur only if the school district receives a "BEST" grant which exceeds $50 million in awarded "BEST" grant funds (which are not required to be repaid), and seeks additional grant opportunities to finance the costs of:

• The construction of a new consolidated K-12 building, including VO-AG and athletic facilities, with outdoor play areas and safe sufficient parking, student pickup and drop offs on a single campus currently owned by the district to address health, safety, security, and educational deficiencies in the district's current school facilities;

By the issuance and payment of general obligation bonds which shall bear interest, mature, permit redemption, and be issued at such time and prices (at, above or below par), and containing terms consistent with this ballot measure as the Board of Education determines; shall ad valorem property taxes be levied without limit as to the mill rate to generate amounts, not to exceed the above amounts, sufficient in each year to timely pay the principal of and interest on the bonds?

• YES/FOR
• NO/AGAINST

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