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Local ballot measures
Polling for Colorado cities and towns
Cities and towns bring more questions to Colorado voters than any other level of government: sales and use taxes, lodging and short-term rental taxes, excise taxes on vacant and second homes, bond packages for streets and facilities, TABOR revenue retention, and charter amendments. We poll them for the councils deciding whether to refer them and for the campaigns that carry them.
Measures we have polled
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Crested Butte · 2026
Non-primary home and vacant lot tax
A graduated annual tax on homes that are not a primary residence, and on vacant lots, for town capital projects. Our June poll for the Town found 66% support, rising to 68% after voters heard arguments on both sides.
On the November 3, 2026 ballot
Read the poll → -
Aurora · 2026
Build Up Aurora
Three sales tax questions for transportation, public safety, and community facilities, financing $264.5 million in projects.
On the November 3, 2026 ballot
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Denver · 2025
Vibrant Denver bond package, 2A–2E
Five bond questions on one ballot. Our final tracking poll was 1.2 points from the result on average across all five.
All five passed, 63% to 71% yes
Poll vs. result, measure by measure → -
Denver · 2025
Referendum 310, flavored tobacco
A referendum on the City Council’s ordinance ending the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.
Ordinance upheld, about 72% yes
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Denver · 2024
2Q, Denver Health funding
A 0.34% city sales tax increase to fund Denver Health, the city’s safety-net hospital, raising about $70 million a year.
Passed, about 57% yes
What cities and towns bring to voters
- Sales and use tax increases and extensions
- Lodging, short-term rental, and excise taxes, including taxes on vacant and non-primary homes
- General obligation bonds for streets, parks, public safety, and facilities
- TABOR revenue retention (de-Brucing)
- Charter amendments and referendums on council ordinances
What the poll answers
- Can it pass? Support and intensity among the voters who will turn out in that election.
- How much, and for what? The amount, rate, or duration voters will accept, and the priorities that carry it.
- In what words? The TABOR ballot title voters will actually read.
- With what argument? The case for and against, tested head to head.
Polling this electorate
City electorates rarely match county lines. Aurora spans three counties, and an odd-year November city election draws a smaller, older electorate than an even-year general. We sample from the voter file inside the exact city limits and set completes by quota to a likely electorate modeled for that election.
Questions
Can a town as small as ours get a reliable poll?
Yes, sized to the decision. We design small-town polls to tell whether a measure is clearly ahead, clearly behind, or too close to call, and which version does best.
When should a city poll before referring a measure?
Before ballot language is final, usually in late spring or early summer for a November election, so the poll can shape the amount, the project list, and the ballot title.
Can a city pay for polling on its own ballot measure?
Colorado’s Fair Campaign Practices Act bars a local government from spending public money to urge a yes or no vote on a ballot issue once it has been referred or submitted for a title, so government-funded research usually comes first: whether to go to the ballot at all, for how much, for which projects, and in which election. Persuasion and message testing after referral are typically paid for by the campaign committee. Your attorney has the final word on where that line falls for your measure.
All local ballot measures → Counties → School districts → Special districts →
Talk to us about your research
Keating Research is based in Denver. You work directly with the people who design, field, and analyze your research. We travel throughout Colorado and the Mountain West for in-person work: client meetings, board and staff retreats, and presentations to city councils, commissions, and agencies.
Contact us