Who should I vote for in Denver County? A nonpartisan guide to the 2026 ballot

How to decide, step by step

1. See your exact ballot. Enter your address: districts depend on where you live. It stays in your browser.
2. Pick the two or three issues you care about most. For federal and state candidates, open "Where they stand on issues" on each one: it covers taxes and spending, immigration, abortion, guns, energy and gas prices, and health care, plus Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran, and China and Taiwan for congressional candidates, with their actual votes for anyone who has served. For local races, where those issues rarely come up, read what the office does and each candidate's own website.
3. Compare candidates race by race. Look at each one's record, where they fall left to right, who funds them and who endorses them. Every fact links to its source.
4. Read every ballot measure. Check what a YES and a NO vote each do; the wording on the ballot can be confusing.
5. Don't skip the bottom of the ballot. County, school board, city and judicial races decide your property taxes, schools and roads, and they're often decided by a few hundred votes.
6. Make a plan to vote: early, by mail or on Election Day, November 3, 2026.

What's on the Denver County ballot

16 races and 6 ballot measures decided in Denver County, plus the statewide, legislative and congressional races on the Colorado page.

• 2nd Judicial District Court Judge (retention) — Andrew Luxen
• 2nd Judicial District Court Judge (retention) — Christopher J. Baumann
• 2nd Judicial District Court Judge (retention) — John Eric Elliff
• 2nd Judicial District Court Judge (retention) — Jon J. Olafson
• 2nd Judicial District Court Judge (retention) — Michael W.V. Angel
• 2nd Judicial District Court Judge (retention) — Sarah Block Wallace
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Andrea Eddy
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Chelsea Malone
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Isaam L. Shamsid-Deen
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Judith Smith
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Kerri Lombardi
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Michelle Martinez-Thomas
• Denver County Court Judge (retention) — Olympia Z. Fay
• Denver Juvenile Court Judge (retention) — Elizabeth Joan McCarthy

Ballot measures

• City and County of Denver Referred Question 2H — Charter amendment: Auditor enforcement of wage and worker-protection laws
• City and County of Denver Referred Question 2I — Charter amendment: budget and appropriation process (two-year budget option)
• City and County of Denver Referred Question 2J — Charter amendment: Civil Service Commission and Department of Safety
• City and County of Denver Referred Question 2K — Xcel Energy (Public Service Company of Colorado) 20-year franchise
• City and County of Denver Initiated Ordinance 311 — Ban on force-feeding birds and sale of force-fed products (foie gras)
• Denver Public Schools Ballot Issue 4A — Mill levy override (up to $44 million)

See every Denver County race and measure →

Quick answers

Who should I vote for in Denver County?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. No honest nonpartisan source will. What SpectrumVote does is show every race on your Denver County ballot with each candidate's record, funding, outside spending and endorsements side by side, so you can decide based on the issues you care about.

When is the election?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

How do I see my exact ballot?

Enter your address at spectrumvote.com. Which state House, state Senate and congressional districts you're in depends on your address, so two neighbors in Denver County can have different ballots. Your county election office also publishes official sample ballots.

Do I have to vote in every race?

No. You can leave any race or measure blank; the rest of your ballot still counts.

What do the left–right placements mean?

Each candidate is placed on one scale from their own record: votes in Congress or the state legislature, or who donates to their campaigns, using published academic research. First-time candidates with no record get an AI estimate from their own website, clearly labeled, or no placement at all. The placement describes; it isn't a recommendation.

How do ballot measures work?

A YES vote supports the change the measure describes and a NO vote keeps things as they are. Denver County has 6 on the ballot; each page explains what YES and NO do in plain language, with the official text.