Ballots are on their way, here's what you need to know!

Yesterday morning I received a message from the Jefferson County Clerk's office alerting me that my ballot was on its way to me. This year's November 7 Election will be a coordinated election, so you too should receive a ballot in the mail from your local county clerk some time this week.

The November 2023 election will feature local races such as City Council and School Board, as well as two statewide Propositions. Local races tend to be nonpartisan in nature, meaning the candidates do not run with partisan labels. For the City of Westminster, all offices on the ballot are elected at-large, and there are 10 declared candidates to fulfill three City Council seats for a regular four-year term. In the City of Arvada, there are two council districts seats of the four up for election District 2 and District 3, one at-large position, and the Mayor's race (which is also at-large).

In Jefferson County, Jeffco Public Schools will have two of its five Board of Education seats open for election: Director District 3 (Arvada, Wheat Ridge, north-central Lakewood)

and Director District 4 (central/south-central Lakewood, Edgewater). In Adams County, the Adams 12 Board of Education has three seats up for election: Director Districts 1, 2, and 5, each for a four-year term of office. And the Westminster Public Schools Board of Education has three of their five directors up for election.

Finally, there will be two statewide ballot issues this year: Proposition HH is a referred measure that would reduce the assessment rates for all properties and thereby reduce taxes, and Proposition II, also a referred measure that would allow the state to keep revenue that exceeds official projections from increased taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and nicotine products, which voters approved as Proposition EE in 2020, to be used for preschool programming. You can learn more about these initiatives in the Colorado Blue Book.

Again, ballots are slated to arrive in the mail sometime this week. If you do not receieve a ballot, contact your county clerk's office. Your ballot must be received by 7 pm on Tuesday, November 7. You can mail in your ballot (using a regular postage stamp) until Friday, November 3rd, or drop it off at a secure dropbox location. For more information on Voter Service Centers, dropbox locations, or if your ballot doesn't arrive, visit Adams County Elections and/or Jefferson County Elections.

Election Resources: Voting is very easy (and safe) to do in Colorado. We have one of the best election systems in the nation, with plenty of ways to participate.

The first step is to make sure you are registered to vote. You can do that by going to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Voter web page. There you can register to vote, check or update your registration, and find more helpful information for military or overseas voting.

You can also sign up for BallotTrax to receive an email, text, or phone update on the status of your ballot as well.

Finally, you can vote by mail by simply dropping your ballot in the mail using a regular postage stamp. Or, you can vote early and in person at a Voter Service Center. To find your closest 24-hour drop box or in-person vote center in Jefferson County, click HERE. For VSC and dropbox locations in Adams County, click HERE.

Proposition HH: Several people have reached out to me with questions about Proposition HH, so here is a summary. Proposition HH is a referred measure that will appear on the November ballot. The measure decreases the residential assessment rate for homes and businesses and reduces the portion of a home that is taxed by $50,000 in 2023 and $40,000 moving forward. Here's how it works:

• First, HH reduces assessment rates for all properties–residential, commercial, agriculture, etc. The residential rate will go from 7.2% to 6.7% and commercial will go from 29% to 25.9%. It also provides a $50,000 deduction for homeowners in the first year and $40,000 each year thereafter.
• Second, HH contains targeted help for seniors and renters. The measure allows seniors who are eligible for the senior homestead exemption to move to a new home and continue receiving the same savings. In addition to avoiding the tax increases that their landlord will pass onto them in the form of increased rent, HH also dedicates $20 million each year for rental assistance.
• Lastly, the measure caps future tax increases by implementing a property tax growth cap. If revenues are projected to exceed the rate of inflation, the district must reduce its tax rates. If they want to retain any of the surplus revenue, they must conduct a public process to do so.

But we know that we can’t just cut property taxes without making sure that the critical services that are funded by property taxes, like our schools, aren’t harmed. So the measure asks voters to allow the state to retain more of the revenue it already collects but would otherwise be refunded to taxpayers in order to pay for the property tax cuts. This will ensure that school budgets aren’t cut, that fire districts can continue to keep their communities safe, and libraries remain open.

Under Proposition HH, taxpayers will still receive an increased TABOR refund of $898 in 2023. In 2024, the impact to the average taxpayer’s TABOR refund will be only $48—much less than the average $600 savings in property taxes. Taxpayers are expected to continue receiving $1 billion in refunds each year, even if Proposition HH passes. The math shows that the tax relief benefits to taxpayers are much higher than any reduction in refunds. For more information, here is a link to the Colorado Blue Book, as well as the Proposition HH Calculation Tool.

Proposition II: We had a very nice presentation on Proposition II at our town hall meeting last month. Here is what our guest speaker had to say about the measure:

• In 2020, Colorado’s legislature referred Proposition EE to the voters to increase existing taxes on tobacco and institute a new tax on other nicotine products.
• The voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition EE, generating approximately $275 million per year for public health and education priorities, in particular, universal preschool.
• The problem is that Proposition EE is bringing in more revenue than was estimated in the Blue Book revenue analysis in 2020. Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires that voters approve the state’s retention of the excess revenue. 
• If Proposition ii doesn’t pass, Colorado will have to immediately refund the $23.65 million to tobacco wholesalers and distributors, and then reduce the tax rate going forward.
• By voting YES on Prop II, we can respect the voters' intent and retain the $23.65 million for universal preschool. 

For more information, here is a link to the Colorado Blue Book, as well as a Voter Guide by Chalkbeat Colorado.

Election Forums & Guides: If you are still looking for information about the candidates or the statewide ballot measures, here are a couple of options:

• Legislative Town Hall Meeting: On Saturday, October 21, we will host a School Board Candidate Forum featuring the candidates running for Jeffco School Board and the Adams 12 School Board. The forum will begin at 10:30 am at the Standley Lake Library Community Room. Click HERE for more information.
• Jefferson County League of Women Voters: The League hosted a candidate forum for the Arvada City Council Candidates on September 28. You can view the forum on YouTube by clicking HERE.
• Meet the Westminster City Council Candidates: The City of Westminster produced a series short videos where the candidates for Westminster City Council were able to introduce themselves. To view the videos, click HERE.
• Meet the Arvada City Council Candidates: The City of Arvada website contains information on all the candidates running for Arvada City Council. To view the candidate information, click HERE.
• Jeffco School Board Candidate Forum: On September 26, 2023 the Jeffco PTA hosted a candidate forum for candidates running for the Jeffco School Board. You can view that forum HERE.
• Chalkbeat Colorado has written a handy voter guide titled "Everything you need to know about voting in Colorado’s 2023 elections."
• The Colorado Sun produced their annual voter guide called "Election 2023 ballots are in the mail. Here’s what Coloradans need to know to cast their vote."

Endorsement of Amber Hott for Westminster City Council: While I rarely weigh in on endorsements for local elections, there are always exceptions, and Amber Hott is a candidate worthy of this distinction. I have known Amber for several years, more recently when Amber served as an intern for my office at the State Capitol. Amber delivered exceptional constituent services, a skill that will translate well as a member of the Westminster City Council. Amber was thoughtful in their approach and took the necessary time to truly listen to constituents and their concerns. Amber is intelligent and highly intuitive, but more importantly, Amber is a critical thinker who tackles problems with a postive attitude. I am confident that Amber will be an excellent councilperson and I highly encourage you to vote for Amber Hott! To learn more, click HERE.

Legislative Town Hall Meeting: School Board Candidate Forum



Election season is upon us! Please join us on Saturday, October 21 at 10:30 am for our regular monthly town hall meeting featuring candidates from the Jefferson County and Adams County School Board. This will be an informational forum where the voters can learn more about the candidates and their positions. We will meet at the Standley Lake Library, 8485 Kipling St, Arvada, CO 80005. For more information, click HERE.

October 5, 2023 UPDATED RELEASE: Zenzinger Recognized for Work to Support Colorado Children & Families

2023 “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Economic Development Council of Colorado

2023 “Common Sense in the Courtroom” from the Colorado Civil Justice League

2023 “Legislator of the Year” from the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented

2023 “Walking Stick Award” from CAMES Colorado Association of Medical Equipment Services

2023 “Education Policy Leader Award” from the Colorado Association of School Executives

2023 “Legislative Hero Award” from the Colorado Municipal League

2023 “Meritorious Service Award” from the Colorado BOCES Association

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