Updated at 9:37 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
Mayor Mike Johnston declared victory on Tuesday night for the Vibrant Denver bond campaign, which asked voters to approve about $950 million of long-term debt to pay for projects across the city.
“Tonight, Denverites voted in overwhelming favor for a vibrant Denver,” Johnston said in a victory speech.
All five measures in the Vibrant Denver bond package are leading by a wide margin in early returns. As of 8:30 p.m., every component of the proposal had the support of about 60 percent of voters or more.
"Enjoy tonight, because tomorrow we go back to work. All that we won tonight is the chance for us to deliver on the dream of what's possible for the future of Denver," Johnston told the crowd.
About 101,000 ballots had been counted, which is likely more than half the total turnout.
Vibrant Denver, on the ballot as issues 2A through 2F, asked voters to approve $950 million in long-term debt for projects like new parks, new and renovated recreation centers, road improvements and more. Each individual measure had a different theme. (A full list is at the end of this article.)
The bond has been defined by some of its highest profile projects. It would fund expensive rebuilds of road bridges near the planned new Broncos stadium; construction of the sprawling new Park Hill Park; and a new training center for the city’s first responders, among many other projects.
Johnston has touted the bond as an important stimulus during a difficult economic period for the city.
“I think what we're trying to do is focus: This is just about repairing and improving infrastructure use every day,” he said while campaigning over the weekend. “A lot of things …are political right now, this is not one of them.”
The debt will be paid off over decades with the city’s existing property taxes, which will not change as a result of the vote.
City leaders past and present gather to watch election results.
Bond supporters gathered at craft beverage hall Apres, across from the Governor’s Residence in Capitol Hill, for an election party. Attendees included former mayor Federico Peña and various city department heads and dozens of others.
As initial results dropped at 7 p.m. — showing good news for the bond — the reaction at the party was reserved. Quiet whoops were heard from corners of the room.
A victory kicks off nearly a decade of new city projects that could change neighborhoods and Denver itself. It also marks a bounceback from the failure of Measure 2R — Johnston’s proposed affordable housing sales tax that voters rejected in 2024 — and weeks of controversy over surveillance technology.
Johnston said the results showed that Denverites care for their neighborhoods and communities despite a fractured political and economic landscape.
“In the most difficult moments, we bet on Denver,” he said.
In an interview, Johnston said he’s been wearing sneakers instead of boots this week because he’s been on his feet campaigning.
“I think we had to really earn the people’s trust over time, and we’re not at all done yet,” he said.
Denver voters have approved almost every bond proposal in recent years, but the city's budget shortfall and a sour political mood had raised questions for some.
The campaign was uneven.
The bond campaign pitted some of the city’s most influential players against a small opposition campaign.
The Vibrant Denver bond campaign raised $1.9 million from 167 contributions as of Nov. 3. Donors included several of the city’s cultural institutions, developer companies and multimillionaire Kent Thiry.
Volunteers put up signs across the city and organizers, including the mayor himself, knocked doors to raise awareness of the issue. It also pulled some new moves — like paying for influencers to endorse the bond on social media, instead of relying on ads in traditional media.
A loosely organized opposition campaign known as “Citizens for NO New Debt” raised less than $10,000 as of the most recent campaign finance reports.
Off-year elections are often sleepy.
With few big races on the ballot, years like this are often slow. Voter turnout for bonds on the ballot over the last 20 years has averaged about 28 percent in Denver, according to an analysis of election data from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
Rosemary Brown, a 75-year-old who identifies as a political independent, had already turned in her ballot when we spoke to her at the Colfax location of Tattered Cover. She said she voted against two of the bond measures: 2A (for transportation and mobility) and 2B (for parks and recreation).
“Transportation, it sounded like it maybe didn't address what was needed to be addressed,” she said. “Parks, they're important to me, but I think I'd like us to pay down our debt sooner.”
Several voters told Denverite the bond is a referendum on Mayor Johnston himself.
The city collects 6.5 mills of property tax that is used to fund debt packages like Vibrant Denver. If Vibrant Denver had failed, that revenue stream would instead have been used to pay down the city’s existing debt faster.
In recent off-year elections, an average of about 170,000 Denverites have voted.
CPR News reporter John Daley contributed to this report.
