Colorado’s biannual exercise of direct democracy will get a real workout this year as voters are asked to sign in on more than a dozen changes to the state’s laws and constitution. Half of those questions were put to a vote by state lawmakers, while the rest came from interest groups outside the Capitol.

Here’s how they proceed:

This constitutional amendment increase the number of veterans living with disabilities Those who qualify for a property tax exemption for a portion of the value of their primary residence. At this time, what was known as the homestead exemption was limited to veterans with a completely permanent service-connected disability. If passed, Amendment G would also cover veterans with a significant service-connected disability that renders them unable to work, which the Veterans Administration classifies as having “individual unemployability” status. Nonpartisan legislative staff estimates this change would cover approximately 3,400 additional veteran homeowners.

Lawmakers are asking voters to change the rules for how Colorado handles misconduct in its judicial branch. This change will create a new order independent judicial disciplinary boardIt consists of judges, lawyers and the public. The Board will conduct disciplinary hearings and hear appeals of informal compensatory sanctions issued by the Judicial Disciplinary Commission.

This constitutional amendment First-degree murder suspects cannot be released on bailAs long as prosecutors can show they have a strong enough case. Currently, the state constitution says only people accused of “capital crimes” can be denied bail. While the state had the death penalty, it was available to anyone accused of first-degree murder (which was likely punishable by death). But last year, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that first-degree murder no longer constitutes a death penalty since Colorado abolished the death penalty. Changing the wording of the Constitution would allow the state to return to the bail practices it had before lawmakers repealed the death penalty.

This measure will lead to a strike. Language in the state constitution that states:: “Only the union of a man and a woman shall be valid or considered marriage in this state.” Colorado voters placed a gay marriage ban into the state constitution in 2006.

This constitutional amendment Deadline for citizen initiatives extended by one week to sign petitions. The same change will apply to the Declaration of Interest that judges and magistrates must submit if they wish to remain in office. Additionally, nonpartisan research staff are required to publish the official text and titles of ballot measures a month in advance.

This change Include the right to legal abortion in the state constitution and preventing future legislatures from passing laws limiting access. It also repeals the ban on public funding for abortion that voters approved 40 years ago. This would allow Colorado to cover more abortions under Medicaid and allow state and local governments to add abortion coverage to employee health insurance plans.

This one-paragraph amendment would secure in the state constitution the right of parents to choose the type of education they give their children from kindergarten through 12th grade, including neighborhood, charter and charter schools, homeschooling, the option of open enrollment and “future innovations in education.” education.”

This initiative Hunting season for mountain lions and bobcats ends in Coloradoand prohibit the state from ever permitting bobcat hunting (the bobcat, which reintroduced itself in Colorado in 1999, is still considered endangered by the state). Big cats may still be killed by state or federal employees as part of population management efforts, or by ranchers with state permission to prevent devaluation of the animals. People who accidentally hit an animal with their car will not be punished.

Under Proposition 128, people convicted of certain crimes must serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole or early release for good behavior. This is an increase from current law, which allows inmates to apply for discretionary parole after serving at least three-quarters of their sentence, or even earlier if they are granted leave for good behavior while in prison. The list of crimes covered includes murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery and serious assault, kidnapping, arson and theft.

Measurement creates a new mid-level position — between a veterinary technician with a two-year associate degree and a veterinarian with eight or more years of education — called a veterinary professional assistant, or VPA. VPAs will be individuals with a master’s degree in veterinary medicine who can diagnose animals, perform routine surgeries, and order and perform tests and procedures under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

This measure would require the state government to allocate $350 million. a special fund for law enforcement. The money will be used to award grants to local departments to help recruit, train and retain officers, as well as a new $1 million death benefit for families of law enforcement officers killed on the job.

How Colorado conducts its state and federal elections change in two important ways Within the scope of this initiative:

• No more party primaries: Instead of each party choosing its own candidate for the general election, all qualified candidates in a given race will be placed on the same primary ballot. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election.
• Ranked voting for general elections: Ahead of the November election, voters will receive a ballot listing four candidates. Rather than choosing just one, voters will rank some or all of them in order of preference. All voters’ rankings will be combined in a mathematical process to determine the winner. This version of ranked voting is also known as “instant runoff voting.”

This is Colorado It keeps and spends all the tax revenue it collects from sports betting. When voters approved sports betting five years ago, the state estimated it would generate about $29 million in tax revenue each year. But state economists now believe the 10 percent tax on betting transactions will generate much more than that in the coming years. Additional money will go to water conservation and conservation projects.

This proposal will be challenging A new 6.5 percent excise tax on arms and ammunition salesMoney from the tax goes to behavioral health supports for veterans and youth, as well as school safety and gun violence prevention programs and services for victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes.