Results as of 11:30 p.m.: The measures issuing $450 million in municipal bonds to pay for building and maintaining numerous city projects and cultural institutions are so far passing, with the exception of the one that would pay to construct a new, 10,000-seat arena.
Measures 2A to 2D are leading by comfortable margins, while 2E is the only one voters are rejecting.
- Referred Question 2A: 63.19% yes, 36.81% no
- Referred Question 2B: 61.03% yes, 38.97% no
- Referred Question 2C: 61.11% yes, 38.89% no
- Referred Question 2D: 61.96% yes, 38.04% no
- Referred Question 2E: 41.37% yes, 58.63% no
The package is split between money for city facilities (2A, $104 million); housing and shelters (2B, $38.6 million); transportation (2C, $63.3 million); parks and recreation (2D, $54 million); and upgrades to the National Western Center campus (2E, $190 million). The money will come in the form of municipal bonds, which means the city is borrowing the money. It will pay to help maintain stuff the city owns, like libraries and sidewalks and bike infrastructure, and build new things, like parks and two more libraries. It also provides money to maintain places like the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver Zoo, and upgrade city infrastructure including field and court replacements at certain parks and restrooms, as well as make ADA improvements.
Dubbed RISE Denver by the city, the $450 million bond package has been framed by Mayor Michael Hancock's administration as helping with the city's recovery from the pandemic.
The bond package was backed by a political committee called RISE Denver, which included among its supporters Hancock, former mayor Wellington Webb, former House Speaker Terrance Carroll, and current city council members Kendra Black, Jolon Clark, Chris Herndon and Debbie Ortega. A political committee called Friends of National Western Stock Show supported the ballot question for the National Western Center facilities and sent out mailers encouraging people to vote yes.
Opponents of the measure specifically asking for money for the National Western Center facilities included Vote No on the Arena Bond. There was also people and activists in the community who opposed the proposal to build the new arena.
Election results are not final until they're certified by the Clerk and Recorder, days or sometimes weeks after Election Day. The Associated Press is not calling races in Colorado this year, and Denverite doesn't call races. We will report vote tallies as they are counted and reported by the Denver Elections, and we will report if a group supporting or opposing a ballot measure concedes defeat.
