Colorado 2026 ballot measures
As of September 29, 2025, zero statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in Colorado in 2026.
Potential measures
| Type | Number | Title | Subject | Description | Sponsor | Signature deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISS | #51 | Repeal Retail Delivery Fee Initiative | Business regulations | Repeal retail delivery fees on retail deliveries by the state | Jeremy Nuanes and Rick Nuanes | 11/28/2025 |
| CISS | #81 | Limit of Automatic State College Admissions for Top 10% of Graduating Class Initiative | Higher education governance | Establish a 75% limit to a state college's freshman class in automatic enrollments of high school students who graduated in the top 10% of their class | Kiran Herz and Jaiden Hwang | 12/26/2025 |
| CISS | #85 | Penalties for Fentanyl Sale and Possession Initiative | Drug crime policy | Increase the felony classifications for manufacturing, dispensing, sale, and possession of fentanyl and certain synthetic opioids; create mandated treatment for certain drug felony violations; and eliminate or narrow sentencing provisions to eliminate exceptions for crimes related to fentanyl and other drug-related deaths | Suzanne Taheri and Michael Fields | 11/28/2025 |
| CICA | #95 | Notify Homeland Security for Violent Crimes by Noncitizens Amendment | Immigration policy | Require the Department of Homeland Security to be notified if an individual is charged with a violent crime or any crime if the individual has a prior felony conviction, and if law enforcement cannot determine that the individual is lawfully present in the United States | Suzanne Taheri and Michael Fields | 12/26/2025 |
| CISS | #108 | Require Life in Prison for Sexual Trafficking of a Minor Measure | Criminal sentencing | Change sexual trafficking of a minor from a Class 2 felony to a Class 1 felony, and require a sentence of life in prison without parole or release | Erin Lee and Michele Austin | 02/13/2026 |
| CISS | #109 | Require Separate Teams Based on Biological Sex or Co-Ed Teams for School Sports Measure | Athletics and sports | Require all K-12 and collegiate school sports teams to be separated based on biological sex, unless the team is co-ed | Erin Lee and Michele Austin | 02/20/2026 |
| CISS | #110 | Prohibit Gender Transition Surgeries on Minors Measure | LGBTQ issues | Prohibit healthcare professionals from performing any surgeries on minors that would alter biological sex characteristics, and prohibit the use of state or federal funds from being used for this type of surgery | Erin Lee and Michele Austin | 02/20/2026 |
Getting measures on the ballot
Legislative referrals
The Colorado General Assembly may also propose amendments to the people as legislatively referred constitutional amendments. A two-thirds vote of each chamber of the legislature is required to refer an amendment to the ballot. Constitutional amendments require voter approval of 55% to be adopted.
Initiatives
In Colorado, citizens have the powers of initiative, both statute and constitutional, and veto referendum. To get an initiated state statute or initiated constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026, proponents need to collect 124,238 valid signatures. Petitioners have six months to circulate signature petitions. The deadline for submitting signatures is August 3, 2026.
Colorado is one of 23 states that allow citizens to refer an enacted bill to the ballot as a veto referendum. As with initiatives, a veto referendum requires 124,238 valid signatures. A referendum petition must be filed within 90 days following the Colorado General Assembly's final adjournment of the session in which the bill was passed.
Not on the ballot
The following citizen initiatives did not submit the required number of valid signatures before the deadline, or, in the case of legislative referrals, were not passed by both chambers of the Legislature, and therefore were not included on the ballot.
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Reason | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISS | Require Just-Cause to Suspend or Terminate Employees Initiative | Business regulations | Requires employers to have just-cause and give at least seven days notice to suspend or terminate an employee; allows employees to file civil action within 180 days | Withdrawn |  |
| CICA | Right-to-Work Initiative | Right-to-work laws | Prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to join or pay dues to a union unless authorized by the employee | Withdrawn | |
| CISS | End Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative | Forests and parks and Environment | Ends reintroduction of gray wolves by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on designated lands west of the continental divide, which was authorized in 2020 by voter approval of Proposition 114 | Failed | |
See also
- 2026 ballot measures
- List of Colorado ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Colorado
External links
- Colorado Secretary of State Proposed Initiative Status
- Initiatives Filed with the Colorado Legislative Counsel
