Nearly all of the state's initiatives have been called by the Associated Press. Here's the outcomes:

✅Proposition 121 - Reduce income tax rate
Proposition 121 would reduce the state income tax. The tax would go from the current 4.55% to 4.40%.

✅Proposition 122 - Decriminalizes hallucinogenic compounds for adults 21+
Proposition 122 would allow access to certain natural controlled substances, like so-called magic mushrooms, for use in mental health treatment. It would allow limited personal use and possession and, in some cases, retroactively remove convictions. It would also establish a program for safe, supervised use of the substances and an advisory group to guide the program. Local government would also have limited regulatory power under the proposition.

❔Proposition 123 - Allocates tax revenue for an affordable housing fund
Too early to call
Proposition 123 would earmark already-existing tax revenue as funding for affordable housing. 60% of the dedicated money would go to financing programs to reduce rents, purchase property for affordable housing projects and build other assets for renters. The other 40% would go to programs for affordable homeownership, for people experiencing homelessness, and support local planning. The proposition would also require local governments to look for more affordable housing funding than they currently are.

🚫Proposition 124 - Increases number of retail liquor stores
Proposition 124 would increase the number of liquor businesses and licenses that a person can be connected with. It would allow for up to eight licenses by 2026.

❔Proposition 125 - Allows beer licensees to sell wine
Too early to call
Proposition 125 would create a new type of license to sell beer and wine. The new license would allow grocery stores, convenience stores and other businesses to sell beer and wine.

🚫Proposition 126 - Allows alcohol delivery
Proposition 126 would make it easier for businesses to deliver alcohol. It would allow establishments with liquor licenses to deliver alcohol through third-party services and would make it easier for those services to provide alcohol delivery. It also would remove the cap on the percentage of a business’ sales that can go to alcohol delivery.

✅Amendment D - Creates new judicial districts
Amendment D would direct Gov. Jared Polis to reassign judges from the existing 18th Judicial District to the new 23rd Judicial District, which was created through legislation in 2020.

✅Amendment E - Extends homestead exemption to surviving military spouses
Amendment E would reduce the property taxes for spouses of military members who died in the line of duty. It would also apply to spouses of veterans who died as a result of a service-related injury or disease.

🚫Amendment F - Changes charitable gaming conduct
Amendment F could lessen some requirements on nonprofit organizations relating to games of chance, specifically raffles and bingo, that raise money. If approved, it would allow nonprofits to apply for bingo-raffle licenses after three years of operation as opposed to five. It would also allow people who work on charitable games of chance to be paid.

✅Amendment FF - Creates and funds school meal program
Proposition FF would increase state income taxes to pay for free school lunches at Colorado public schools. Taxes would only be increased for individuals making over $300,000 per year. It also would provide grants for schools to buy local food products, increase wages for school food workers, and create parent and student advisory committees that would have input on school meals.

✅Amendment GG - Requires tax impact table
Proposition GG would require that any ballot initiatives clearly lay out how they would change taxes. It would require proposed initiatives to include a table showing the average tax change for different filers.

Colorado appears to be turning a deeper shade of blue.

Democrats are projected to maintain their control of every statewide office, from Governor to Secretary of State.

U.S. Senator Michael Bennett fended off a challenge from Republican Joe O’dea and early returns show Democrats are likely to maintain or even expand their control of the state legislature.

Polis cruises to re-election

Voters have overwhelmingly decided to reelect Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat whose first term was defined by his response to monumental challenges ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to record-breaking wildfires.

“The people of Colorado have chosen to share my belief that Colorado’s best days are still ahead,” he said. “As we plan for what’s next, we draw from the lessons that got us to this outcome tonight. The fact is we did something simple. We focused on issues that really effect people’s lives.”

Polis touted his response to the coronavirus pandemic and his delivery of free full day kindergarten early in his first term.

Republican Heidi Ganahl conceded early in the evening. In a statement, she said the race did not go the way she had “hoped and prayed for.”

“Governor Polis, I wish you well, and my prayers will be with you,” she said. “This election is over, but our problems are not.”

Polis and Ganahl offered dramatically different visions for the state.

They have different views about abortion and the government’s role in creating new affordable housing projects.

Polis approved new government spending in support of efforts to create new units.

Ganahl said the state should not play a role in subsidizing the housing. Instead, she campaigned on trying to motivate private developers to get creative and create new units in closed shopping malls.

At times, things got personal. Ganahl called Polis a ‘spoiled brat’ as the campaign got more heated.

Weiser wins second term as Attorney General

Democrat Phil Weiser overwhelmingly defeated Republican challenger John Kellner in the race to become the state’s top prosecutor.

Kellner criticized Weiser for not doing enough to lobby the legislature for tougher criminal penalties during his first term.

Weiser ran on his record of securing large settlements in civil suits and his focus on consumer protections.

Bennett defeats O’Dea

U.S. Senator Michael Bennett cruised to a third term, beating back a challenge from Republican businessman Joe O’Dea.

“We won this campaign because we told the truth from the beginning to the end of this election,” he said. “We said the same things in the red parts of the state and the blue parts of the state. And we focused on the struggles of working people in this economy.”

Bennett said families came to him during the campaign saying they were working incredibly hard but still found it difficult to afford health care and housing in the state.

“As we stand here tonight, we have the worst income inequality we’ve had in America in a century….and I think that is unacceptable,” he said. “We have to change that.

He touted his efforts to cap drug prices for seniors and requiring Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the American people.

Other big races too close to call

As of 10 p.m. on election night, it was too close to call whether Colorado’s delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives will have more Democrats or Republicans next year.

Incumbent Republican Lauren Boebert was slightly behind in the vote count against Democratic Challenger Adam Frisch as of 10 p.m. in the 3rd Congressional District.

Meanwhile, Democrat Yadira Caraveo held a slight lead over Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer in the returns that had been counted as of 10 p.m.

Amendment D has been called by the Associated Press.

The Amendment will direct Gov. Jared Polis to reassign judges from the existing 18th Judicial District to the new 23rd Judicial District created through legislation in 2020.

We are still waiting on results from Districts 3 and 8, which are both too close to call at the moment.

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Meet some of the Northern Coloradans that came out this morning to cast their ballots.

KUNC's Alex Hager spoke with residents as they gathered at polling places.

Alexis Rhyner

Alexis Rhyner

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Rhyner said she's found it easier to connect with ballot measure than with candidates, and has a distaste for the two-party system.

Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson

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Stephen Thompson and his son Brayden, of Fort Collins, dropping off their ballot. He emphasized the importance of teaching his son about voting.

Elia Rodriguez

Elia Rodriguez

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Elia Rodriguez, of Fort Collins, shared a long list of concerns weighing on her mind while voting. Inflation, immigration & fentanyl, among others.

She said this election felt more important than others because of the need for change. She's pictured here with Anthony Rodriguez.

Daren Dunnick

Daren Dunnick

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Daren Dunnick of Fort Collins said he came to vote because of the direction of the country, and to show his grandson, Hayden Schleppenbach, a first-time voter, the importance of the practice. He also said that voting is important because “that’s how weed was legalized, and I’m an advocate for that.”

Proposition E, which extends Homestead Exemption to surviving military spouses has passed. Amendment E Passed with a 87.99% and it needed 55% of the vote to pass.

Our reporter Robyn Vincent is at a watch party at the Irish Rover Pub in Denver for Proposition 123 where she says supporters say this is the first statewide measure of its kind to address housing and homelessness.

"It's starting to fill up with a lot of hopeful volunteers and supporters. Some people are here because they have been directly affected by Colorado's housing crisis. Others are people who have been working on the campaign nonstop and are hoping for a big win tonight."

Here's a glimpse into how voting is going in Northern Colorado

As of this morning, more than 1.7 million ballots were returned in Colorado, according to data from the Colorado Secretary of State's website.

Most of those ballots came from unaffiliated voters, followed by Democratic and Republican voters.

However, participation is still lagging when compared to previous years. More here.

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Rae Solomon

The 2022 midterms have arrived. Coloradans must submit their ballots by 7 p.m., either via an official drop box or in-person at a voter service and polling center. It’s too late to submit ballots by mail. For specific information on polling center and dropbox locations, head to GoVoteColorado.org.

Since ballots were mailed to voters a few weeks ago, 1,339,399 ballots have been returned, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Of those ballots, 503,793 are from unaffiliated voters, 432,527 are from Democratic voters and 389,352 are from Republicans. There are 3,814,450 total active, registered voters in Colorado.

There’s a lot on the ballot this year. Coloradans are weighing in on races for governor, the U.S. Senate, two Congressional seats, Secretary of State and Attorney General. There are also 11 ballot measures up for a vote and local elections across the state.

Governor’s race:

In the race for governor, incumbent Democrat Jared Polis is seeking a second term. His challenger is Republican Heidi Ganahl, who was elected to the CU Board of Regents in 2018. Ganahl is focused on the economy and said she’ll cut taxes and increase fossil fuel production.

Polis said his policies are saving Coloradans money, and will continue to do so. He also cites his record as governor, including his administration's delivery of free full-day kindergarten and leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic. Government watchdog reporter Scott Franz recently interviewed Polis and Ganahl about their platforms on KUNC’s Colorado Edition.

U.S. Senate race:

Incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet is facing off against Republican challenger Joe O’Dea. Bennet was first elected to the Senate in 2009. His platform includes expanding tax benefits for parents, increasing transparency in healthcare and getting special interests out of American politics.

O’Dea’s platform includes shrinking government bureaucracy and spending. O’Dea also supports limited access to abortion, increasing access to mental healthcare and codifying same-sex marriage. Both Senate candidates were also recently interviewed on KUNC’s Colorado Edition.

8th Congressional District:

The Congressional race in Colorado’s newly created 8th District is considered a toss-up between Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer and Democrat Yadira Caraveo. Kirkmeyer is a state senator from Weld County, and Caraveo is a pediatrician who serves in the State House of Representatives.

The 8th district also has a larger Latino population than any other district in Colorado, and both Republicans and Democrats have been vying for their votes. However, according to local political organizers, including the Latino Coalition of Weld County, Latino voters will likely vote according to issues impacting their lives as opposed to politics. KUNC’s recent story about the 8th Congressional District dives into the Latino community’s role this election season.

Secretary of State and Attorney General races:

Republican Pam Anderson is challenging incumbent Democrat Jena Griswold for the Secretary of State’s office. Griswold was elected in 2018 after working for then-Gov. John Hickenlooper and in the Obama Administration. She said she will use her position to protect reproductive rights and same-sex marriage.

Anderson was the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder for eight years until 2015. She is a moderate Republican who is pro-choice and has pushed back against claims that the 2020 Presidential Election was fraudulent.

Incumbent Democrat Phil Weiser is up against Republican District Attorney John Kellner in the Attorney General’s race. Weiser’s platform includes protecting abortion and addressing the fentanyl crisis. Kellner’s platform centers largely around public safety and cracking down on crime. Interviews with the attorney general candidates aired on KUNC’s Colorado Edition.

Ballot Measures:

The eleven propositions on the ballot deal with a variety of issues. Proposition FF would fund free school lunches across the state by adding a tax on Coloradans making over $300,000 per year. Proposition 122 would legalize the use of psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in so-called magic mushrooms, for use in some mental health treatments. Then, Proposition 123 would dedicate some existing income tax revenue to affordable housing projects. There are also three measures on the ballot that would make changes to Colorado’s alcohol industry. For a breakdown of each ballot measure, head to KUNC’s election guide.

Have you ever been curious how your mail-in ballot signature is verified? The Weld County Clerk and Recorder's Office has this detailed account on their website.

Weld County

Emma VandenEinde

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KUNC

Our reporter Emma VandenEinde was in Thorton this morning and reported that the Thornton Civic Center voting location had a steady stream of voters dropping off their ballots from their cars. She is currently reporting from Platteville in Weld County, where in-person voting has been a bit slow this morning. They have plenty of stickers for voters who come in throughout the day!

RTD services will be available at no cost to all users today to encourage voter participation in the mid-term election. To plan your trip today, visit https://app.rtd-denver.com/vote.

Find yourself looking for your polling locations this morning? We have you covered! Every county in Colorado has polling locations and ballot drop box locations listed online. Find yours here.