KRCC’s 2023 November election voter guide for Southern Colorado

Live Southern Colorado coordinated election results: Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and Pueblo

No, it’s not a presidential election, but this year’s coordinated election has a number of ballot issues for voters to decide on throughout Southern Colorado.

Before we highlight what’s on your ballot, here are some important dates to keep in mind:

Monday, Oct. 16 - Ballots begin to be sent to voters
Monday, Oct. 30 - Last day to register to vote through mail or online to receive a mail ballot
Tuesday, Nov. 7 - Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 15 - Last day for ballots cast by military and overseas voters to be received
Thursday, Nov. 16 - Last day to verify and count provisional ballots
Wednesday, Nov. 29 - Last day to file a recount

Happy voting!

How do I....

Register to vote online here and complete a paper form here. If you want to receive a mail ballot you will need to register by Oct. 30. You can register to vote in Colorado up until 7 p.m. on Election Day and cast a provisional ballot in person.

Find your voter information here, including your registration status, party affiliation, residential address, sample ballot and in-person voting locations. You can also update personal information.

The state’s Ballot Information Booklet is prepared by nonpartisan staff at the capitol: English version here, Spanish version here, audio version here.

If you are a military or overseas voter, click here to vote your ballot and click here to return your ballot.

Have questions about election security? Check out what the Secretary of State’s office has to say. Plus, check out our previous feature about everything you wanted to know about voting, election security and ballot counting in Colorado.

Still have questions? Check the Secretary of State’s election section here.

Colorado Springs

Voters in the city of Colorado Springs will decide on whether or not the city can keep money that would otherwise be refunded under the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, or TABOR. The funds would go toward a new police training facility.

Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs voters will be choosing a mayor for a two-year term and three At-Large City Council members for four-year terms. Some voters will also be choosing candidates for three open Board of Education seats. The directors would hold four-year terms.

Get to know the candidates courtesy of these candidate forum videos provided by the League of Women Voters Pikes Peak Region:

Pueblo

Pueblo Mayor

A total of nine candidates are running for mayor of Pueblo. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the total votes cast there will be a mayoral runoff election between the top two candidates on January 23, 2024.

KRCC sent surveys to all candidates, including a request for a bio. For those who did not complete the survey, KRCC wrote a small bio based on the information available. Get to know the candidates and their vision for the city here.

Mayoral candidates

The following mayoral candidate did not respond to KRCC's questionnaire:

Deryk Trujillo

Trujillo announced his candidacy for Pueblo Mayor on his Youtube page in February. In the video, Trujillo said he decided to run because he believes more young people should be involved in politics. According to reporting from Fox21, Trujillo is the youngest person in the mayoral race.

Pueblo City Council

A total of nine candidates are running for a seat on Pueblo’s City Council. Four candidates are running for the District 2 seat left open by the term-limited Larry Atencio. Two candidates are running for District 4, including incumbent Vincete Martinez Ortega. The At-Large council seat has three candidates campaigning to replace Lori Winner. Winner decided not to run for another term.

City Council District 2

Joe Latino
Gerald Pete Madrid
Tom Carrigan
Samuel Hernandez Jr.

The following District 2 council candidates did not respond to KRCC's questionnaire:

Samuel Hernandez Jr.

Hernandez is a local business owner and has not run for elected office before. According to his Facebook page, he's a Pueblo native and is endorsed by the Pueblo Association of Realtors. Hernandez said on his page he’d improve public safety by increasing police presence.

Gerald Pete Madrid

Madrid filed to run for city council in March 2023. On his Facebook page, Madrid said his experience working with different civic organizations and public service projects qualify him to run for city council.

City Council District 4

Roger Gomez
Vincente Martinez Ortega

The District 4 council candidates did not respond to KRCC's questionnaire:

Roger Gomez

Gomez’s website said he is running with the goal of revitalizing the Bessemer area. As part of his experience, the site said Gomez has worked in and with law enforcement, higher education and government relations. His website lists public safety as his top priority. He also addresses homelessness and improper drainage and street flooding in District 4.

Vincente Martinez Ortega

Martinez Ortega is a Pueblo native and was first elected to represent District 4 in 2020 for a term spanning January 2021 - December 2023. He is running for a second term. He’s endorsed by Conservation Colorado. In the past few years, Martinez Ortega has faced charges related to damaging a controversial bust of Christopher Columbus during a protest, as reported by the Pueblo Chieftain. Pueblo city council has also dismissed ethics complaints about Martinez Ortega involving his campaign, according to the Chieftain.

City Council At Large

Elvis Martinez
Brandon Martin
Mark Aliff

The following At Large council candidate did not respond to KRCC's questionnaire:

Mark Aliff

Aliff previously served on Pueblo City Council from 2018 until 2022. He was elected in 2017 and did not win another term in 2021. He’s currently a manager at a car dealership in Pueblo, according to his Linkedin page. According to Aliff’s Facebook Page, he is endorsed by the Pueblo Association of Realtors.

Statewide ballot measures

Proposition HH

Lower property tax rates, smaller TABOR refunds, maybe more money for schools?

Proposition II

What to do with $24 million in excess tobacco and nicotine taxes?

School board races

As Colorado school boards become more politicized, here are the district elections to watch this fall

Candidate forum videos, courtesy of the League of Women Voters

Find out what's on the ballot in other southeastern Colorado counties

Communities across southeastern Colorado will be voting on issues that will have an impact on taxes, term limits, transportation and even short-term rentals. Below you’ll find a roundup of local issues you’ll see on your ballot.

Dots on the map show the municipalities with ballot items. The counties with ballot items are in yellow. School, special district and some municipal issues are not included.

Refresh the page if graphics don't initially appear. Zoom in on the map and click on the dots or hover your cursor over the title column for each item in the table to see additional information.

Editor’s note: The Colorado Health Foundation and Health Institute are financial supporters of CPR, but have no editorial influence. The information in these graphics may be updated as additional information is received.

Refresh the page if graphics don't initially appear.

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KRCC’s 2023 November election voter guide for Southern Colorado

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Colorado Springs

Manitou Springs