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

LAS ANIMAS COUNTY — In addition to the two statewide ballot measures regarding taxes, voters in Las Animas County will decide on leadership for the City of Trinidad, the Primero School District, and consider several ballot measures.

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.
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Information from the Las Animas 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

Trinidad Mayor - At Large (Two-year Term) (Vote for One)

• Dan Ruscetti
• Karen Griego
• Tomasino Cosenza
• Carlos R. Lopez

Trinidad City Council Members - At Large (Four-year term) (Vote for Three)

• Sky Tallman
• Sam Coker
• Franklin Shew
• Manuel (Manny) Trujillo Ryan Dornan
• Suzanne Magnuson Aaron Williamson
• Ray Garcia
• Joe Bonato
• Keely Williams

Primero School Board (Vote for Three)

• Peter Saint
• Dixon Schafer
• Jeremiah Harris
• Carey Rivera
• Lonny Lopez

City of Trinidad Ballot Issue 2A (TABOR)

Shall the city of Trinidad taxes be increased by $550,000 annually, beginning January 1, 2024, and by such other amounts raised annually thereafter, by the imposition of an excise tax on lodging in the amount of six percent (6%) (which replaces the three percent (3%) lodging tax approved by voters in 2001) with the proceeds to be used for community projects, programs and services that improve quality of life, arts and culture, and tourism, and shall all revenues from such taxes and any earnings thereon be collected, retained, and spent as a voter approved revenue change without limitation or condition, and notwithstanding any revenue or expenditure limitations contained in article x section 20 of the Colorado Constitution or any otherlaw?

City of Trinidad Ballot Question 2B
Shall section 5.6 paragraphs (d) and (f), of chapter v ("council procedure"), of the home rule charter for the city of Trinidad, Colorado, be amended; all as set forth in Trinidad city ordinance no. 3079, section 1?

City of Trinidad Ballot Question 2C
Shall sections 11.9 and 11.10, of chapter xi ("utilities and franchises"), of the city of Trinidad home rule charter be amended to remove the municipal landfill as an enterprise in order to ensure its solvency through the availability of general fund resources?

County Question
Shall the term limits for the County Commissioners of Las Animas County, Colorado, be increased by one additional four-year term (for a maximum of three consecutive terms)