October 19, 2023 11:09 AM UTC

A List of Progressive and Conservative Voter Guides for 2023

• 3 Comments
• by: Jason Salzman

(Knowledge is power — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Ballots are on their way to Colorado voters for the 2023 election. The Colorado Times Recorder has compiled a list of voter guides produced by conservative and progressive groups as well as news outlets and other organizations.

School Boards. Multiple statewide conservative groups have lists of preferred school board candidates or answers to questions by them – compared to only one statewide progressive group, the Colorado Education Association (CEA). And more Republican entities appear to have produced election guides/endorsements of school board races than Democratic ones.

Ballot Measures. Both conservative and progressive groups have released endorsements/guides about statewide ballot questions.

School board, municipal, and ballot measure contests are technically nonpartisan, but as a practical matter, they are not.

The Colorado Times Recorder will add more guides to this list as they become available to us. Please send us any that we missed.

Progressive Groups’ Voter Guides

The Bell Policy Center’s guide covers the two state-wide propositions.

The Colorado Education Association provides endorsements of school board candidates and initiatives for each district.

Conservative Groups’ Voter Guides

Conservative podcaster Kim Monson publishes a voter guide with choices for multiple local ballots including mayoral and school board candidates.

The Colorado Conservative Patriot Alliance has provided a list of preferred candidates.

Former Moms for Liberty leader Darcy Schoening’s Smart Choice Colorado provides recommendations for school board candidates in scores of districts. (A donation button on this website takes you to the Colorado Republican Party.)

Church Voter Guides is a faith-based non-profit that releases interviews with candidates. It doesn’t endorse or oppose candidates.

Transform Colorado provides voter guides, paid for by the right-wing Truth and Liberty Coalition, that provide answers by candidates to questions relating to, among other things, sex education and the use of pronouns.

Guides from Political Parties

Neither the Colorado Democratic nor Republican Party has released a voting guide this year.

County chapters of both parties have weighed in on both school board candidates and ballot measures — but it appears more Republican county chapters have endorsed school board candidates than Democratic county chapters.

Jefferson County

Jefferson County Democratic Party (no school board candidates)

Jefferson County Republican Party

Douglas County

Douglas County Democratic Party (no school board candidates)

Douglas County Republican Party

Arapahoe County

Arapahoe Democratic Party

Gunnison County

Gunnison County Republicans

News Outlets and Other Resources 

Several media outlets and organizations provide ballot explanations and voting information, without taking positions.

Chalkbeat Colorado

Coloradoan (Fort Collins)

Colorado Newsline

Colorado Public Radio

The Colorado Sun

Denverite (Denver)

The Denver Gazette (Denver)

KDVR

5280

League of Women Voters

Vote 411

State Ballot Information Booklet

Each year the Colorado General Assembly releases its official Blue Book, which provides non-partisan analysis of the measures on the ballots. The Blue Book covers the two state-wide initiatives that voters will decide on — Proposition HH and Proposition II.

Vote by Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

The deadline to vote in person is 7 p.m. on Nov. 7. If you’re mailing your ballot or dropping it off at a designated drop-off site, election officials must receive the ballot before 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 as well.

Peter Jonas is a co-author of this piece.