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

FREMONT COUNTY — In addition to the two statewide ballot measures regarding taxes, voters in Fremont County will decide on the leadership of Cañon City, Florence, and a bond issue for a local 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 Fremont County Sample Ballot

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Here's where to find a Voter Service and Polling Center in Fremont County. Days and times of operation vary by location.

Visit the Fremont County Clerk & Recorder's site

Garden Park BuildingN 6th St.
201 N 6th St.
Cañon City, CO 81212

Pathfinder Event Center
6655 St. Hwy 115
Florence, CO 81226

Penrose Community Library
35 7th Ave.
Penrose, CO 81240

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ADDITIONAL SECURE 24-HOUR BALLOT DROP BOX LOCATIONS

Florence City Hall
600 W 3rd St.
Florence, CO 81226

Penrose School
100 Illinois St.
Penrose, CO 81240

Fremont County Admin Bldg.
615 Macon Ave.
Canon City, CO 81212 (West end doors)

Cotopaxi School
345 Cnty Rd 12
Cotopaxi, CO 81223

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Information from the Fremont 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

City of Cañon City Mayor (Vote for One)

• Preston Troutman
• Phillip Lund Jr.

City of Cañon City Council Member - District 2 (Vote for One)

• Kathy Worthington

City of Cañon City Council Member - District 4 (Vote for One)

• Timothy Dennehy

City of Cañon City Council Member - At-Large (Vote for Two)

• Richard Ratzlaff
• Elizabeth Oberle
• Gerald Meloni
• Amy Schmisseuer

Cañon City School District RE-1 Board of Directors - At-Large (Vote for Three)

• Matthew Alexander
• Graceanne Pittner
• Janelle Valladares
• Bret Meuli
• Robin Reeser
• Thomas Wenzi

Cañon City School District Re-1 Issue #4A: Bonds
Without imposing a new tax, shall Cañon City school District RE-1 (school district Fremont RE-1) debt be increased up to $34.5 million, with a repayment cost of up to $71.5 million, and shall annual bond redemption taxes approved by district voters in 2003 and 2017 be extended to pay the new debt incurred for the purposes of:

• providing $12,950,043 of matching money required to receive $23,022,300 in state financial assistance already awarded under the building excellent schools today “BEST” program (which state funds are not required to be repaid but will not be received by the district without approval of this ballot issue) to construct a new classroom wing at Cañon City High School to replace the structurally deficient 1961 classroom wing, library, and student services center, as well as related renovations;
• remodeling classroom learning communities at Cañon Exploratory school to better support teaching and learning practices and increase flexibility for personalized learning;
• constructing new gym additions and other improvements to Lincoln School of Science and Technology and to McKinley Elementary School to create healthier eating and physical education space for students, to allow for more flexibility in daily instructional scheduling, and to complete other health and safety building improvements; and
• if there are any remaining proceeds, constructing improvements to the existing Cañon City High School football stadium and track and field facilities;

by the issuance and payment of general obligation bonds which shall bear interest, mature, are subject to redemption, with or without premium, and are issued at such time, at such price (at, above or below par) and in such manner and containing such terms, consistent with this ballot issue, as the Board of Education may determine; and shall ad valorem property taxes be levied without limit as to the mill rate but by not more than $3.85 million annually, to generate an amount sufficient in each year to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds?

• YES/FOR
• NO/AGAINST

City of Florence Mayor (Vote for One)

• Steve Wolfe

City of Florence City Council - Ward 1

• Kathy Madonna
• Rudy Mergelmann
• James Vanhoutan

City of Florence City Council - Ward 2

• Matt Stiefel
• Tammy Stone
• Cathey Young

City of Florence City Council - Ward 3

• Gayle MacKinnon
• Sue Kinzer
• Brenda Gardner

Florence School District RE-2 Board of Directors - At-Large 4-Year Term (Vote for Three)

• Robin Dickey
• Beth A. Roman
• Janelle Dodd
• Elias "Lee" Vigil Jr.

Florence School District RE-2 Board of Directors - At-Large 2-Year Term (Vote for One)

• Brad Knifong

Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees - District 2 Four Year Term (Vote for One)

• Marianna Virgilli
• David Use

Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees - District 4 Four Year Term (Vote for One)

• Kerry Buhler

Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees - District 5 Four Year Term (Vote for One)

• Bob Kuusinen

Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees - District 6 Four Year Term (Vote for One)

• Gloria Perez

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