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Tag: Elections

Denver voters reject Mike Johnston’s sales tax hike for affordable housing, latest tally shows
denvergazette.com, Local

Denver voters reject Mike Johnston’s sales tax hike for affordable housing, latest tally shows

By Alexander Edwards | Denver Gazette Denver voters have rejected Mayor Mike Johnston's proposal to increase the city’s sales tax rate by 0.5 points in order to pay for housing projects citywide. The tax hike proposal divided the Denver City Council, where it was delayed, amended and ultimately sent to the Denver ballot in August. Johnston, who campaigned for the measure at several events ahead of the November election, said the increase would raise about $100 million annually. Using existing funds, city staffers earlier said Denver can expect to build or preserve about 20,000 units. Revenue from the sales tax increase would double that over 10 years. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Close to 1 million Colorado voters returned their ballots on Election Day
kdvr.com, State

Close to 1 million Colorado voters returned their ballots on Election Day

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News On Election Day, many Coloradans were still in the process of casting their votes. Within less than 24 hours, almost a million people returned their ballots. On Monday, only about half the registered voters in Colorado had voted. The Colorado Secretary of State said that 2,092,035 people returned their ballots by Monday, marking over half the 4,027,830 active voters in Colorado. However, voter turnout continued to rise. By Tuesday morning, another half a million people returned their ballots, totaling 2,507,472 Coloradans. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Downtown Denver’s $570M recovery plan gets strong support from voters
coloradopolitics.com, Local

Downtown Denver’s $570M recovery plan gets strong support from voters

By Bernadette Berdychowski  | Colorado Politics Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s first major initiative toward reviving downtown from its pandemic downturn got strong support from eligible voters. More than 81% of voters chose to expand the Downtown Development Authority — created to fund Union Station’s 2014 restoration using tax-increment financing — to cover the rest of downtown Denver and generate nearly half-a-billion dollars for funding projects across the city core. “As cities across the country struggle to bring their downtown back to pre-pandemic levels, Denver has decided to face this seemingly unsolvable challenge head-on and bet on our cultural, civic, and economic core by passing 6A with more than 80% support,” Johnston said in a statement Wednesday. READ THE FULL...
Pugliese elected House minority leader, Winter as assistant leader by Republicans
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Pugliese elected House minority leader, Winter as assistant leader by Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Rose Pugliese will again serve as Colorado House Minority Leader, following an unopposed election to the position Friday, Nov. 8. She will be joined in Republican House leadership by Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, Minority Whip Ryan Armagost and Caucus Chair Anthony Hartsook. As the House Republican leader, Pugliese pledged to continue a practice of inclusion of all voices within the caucus from all areas of the state. "We have made decisions together," she said. "I think it is important to have each member of the caucus have a voice." Pugliese headed up a Republican caucus of 19 members in the 74th Legislative Session, and continues to hope a few yet to-be-decided races fall in Republicans' favor to give her more membership....
UPDATED: Colorado House Republicans to choose leadership Friday for 75th session via Zoom; House Dems election adds Zoom link
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

UPDATED: Colorado House Republicans to choose leadership Friday for 75th session via Zoom; House Dems election adds Zoom link

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice At least two new legislators will be selected Friday, Nov. 8, to Republican leadership when the Colorado House Republican Caucus convenes for leadership elections at 10 a.m. The election was to take place in the historic Old State Library at the Colorado State Capitol, but a winter storm caused leadership to announce a move to Zoom. You can join the meeting HERE. "We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we prioritize safety," the announcement from Colorado House Republicans reads. The elections set the minority party's leadership for the 75th General Assembly. Returning to the 75th General Assembly are Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, Caucus Chair Mary Bradfield ...
What a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate means for Americans
National, Rocky Mountain Voice

What a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate means for Americans

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Republicans held their first U.S. Senate majority from 1869-1871, after the Civil War. When the 119th Congress meets on Jan. 3, 2025, the seventh Republican Senate majority in history will get to work. With this Senate majority, President Trump will likely have the legislative support to enact his GOP platform without significant roadblocks. As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., steps down, choosing his successor for the new majority is key. It will shape the Senate's direction. After being sworn in on Jan. 3, the next leader will be chosen. McConnell held a hearing this week to discuss election outcomes. He stressed that, by regaining the Senate, Republicans could "set the guardrails" on legislation. "One of the...
Trump announces Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff
National, The Daily Caller

Trump announces Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff

By Reagan Reese | Daily Caller President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that his 2024 campaign manager, Susie Wiles will be his Chief of Staff in his administration. Wiles, who led Trump’s return to the White House alongside Chis LaCivita, has largely been praised for her disciplined and professional operation in the 2024 run. Heading up Trump’s second administration, Wiles will be the first woman to be appointed White House Chief of Staff. “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in a Thursday statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America ...
Caraveo’s lead has declined by 0.83%, as Evans now behind by 2,096 votes
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Caraveo’s lead has declined by 0.83%, as Evans now behind by 2,096 votes

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It is officially nearly two full days after the closing of polls on Election Night, but who the winner will be in Colorado's 8th District U.S. House race remains undecided. Republican challenger Gabe Evans presently trails Democrat Yadira Caraveo by 2,096 votes, less than one-tenth of 1% of all votes to have been counted in the district. In the past 24 hours, Caraveo's lead has gone from what could have been comfortably outside the criteria for a mandatory recount to nearing it. She leads Evans now by just 0.76%. Her lead was at 1.59% at one point on Wednesday, back when she had a 3,817-vote lead. An estimated 16.63% of votes in the race have not been reported, meaning there still could be considerable change. The 8th District is typically...
Long after ‘the call’ there’s work being done in election offices across Colorado
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Long after ‘the call’ there’s work being done in election offices across Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER and JEN SCHUMANN | Rocky Mountain Voice When the polls close and enough ballots are counted on Election Night, voters are familiar with news agencies "calling" a winner in a race. "The call" is generally an estimation based on many factors, such as the percentage of votes counted against the anticipated total ballots cast, whether the margin is moving with each data release, if outstanding votes in a certain area might be a significant anomaly from the returned votes, and possibly a mathematical formula of what it may take to flip the race with the remaining outstanding votes. In other words, would a candidate with 35% of ballots remaining and only 20% of the vote need 90% of remaining ballots to favor him, a statistical improbability? Once all of those considerati...
Voters approve lodging taxes for child care in Montrose, along with La Plata, Grand counties
Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Voters approve lodging taxes for child care in Montrose, along with La Plata, Grand counties

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Voters in three western Colorado communities approved lodging tax measures in Tuesday’s election that will send money to efforts aimed at making child care more affordable and easier to find. The measures passed easily in La Plata and Grand counties and by a slimmer margin in the City of Montrose, according to unofficial election results. With Tuesday’s lodging tax victories, the three communities join about a dozen others in Colorado’s mountain resort regions where voters have agreed to allow some lodging tax proceeds to be used for child care efforts. Often, the funding is used to help families pay for child care or to boost wages for teachers. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO