What to expect in Colorado on Election Day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Colorado’s new free school meals program will face a major test when voters decide on two statewide ballot measures that would put the program on healthier fiscal footing, mostly by raising taxes on high-income individuals.

The outcome of the proceedings in the Nov. 4 election will determine whether the Healthy School Meals for All program will continue to provide free breakfast and lunch to all Colorado public school students or be significantly scaled back.

He watches: Schools and families are feeling the pinch after the federal free meal program ends

Approved by voters in 2022, the program was originally expected to cost about $115 million in its first year but ended up costing about $162 million due to higher-than-expected participation, according to a December 2024 report by the Colorado Department of Education.

Proposition MM would increase funding for free school meals by capping tax deductions for individuals who earn $300,000 or more annually. The move would affect nearly 194,000 Colorado taxpayers in 2026 with an average tax increase of about $385 for single filers and about $570 for those filing jointly, according to an analysis by the Colorado General Assembly’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research.

The second measure, Proposition LP, would allow the “Healthy School Meals for All” program to use about $12 million in tax money already collected for the program but slated to be refunded to taxpayers. Under the state’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, any excess taxes collected must be returned to taxpayers, and the state must ask voters for permission to keep and spend excess tax money.

If both measures are approved, the meal program is expected to be able to receive an additional $65 million for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year and about $119 million for the following year.

A 2022 proposal allowing “healthy school meals for all” was approved by about 57% of voters and 43% voting against. A majority of voters in 34 of the state’s 64 counties supported the measure. A narrow majority of voters approved the measure in El Paso County, the state’s most populous, while the next four largest counties, Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Adams, supported the measure by much larger margins.

In November 2023, Colorado voters took up two unrelated measures that also could have affected how the state handles excess tax revenue. About 59% of voters rejected His Highness’s proposal, which would have gradually reduced the amount of TABOR tax refunds taxpayers would receive in exchange for lower property tax rates. Meanwhile, nearly 68% of voters approved Proposition 2, which allowed the state to keep $23.7 million in excess tobacco and nicotine taxes and direct the money to the state’s universal preschool program.

The strongest opposition to tax proposals over the years has come from traditionally Republican voting areas, while support has been strongest in more Democratic voting areas.

In the 2022 school meals proposal, voters in districts won by President Donald Trump in 2024 unanimously opposed the measure, with about 52% voting against it. Voters in counties supporting Harris supported the school meals measure with 62% of the vote.

Colorado is one of nine states that offers free meals to all public school students regardless of income.

The Associated Press does not provide projections, and will declare a winner only when it is determined that no scenario exists that would allow the late nominees to close the gap. If the race is not called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or announcements of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet announced a winner and explain why.

In Colorado, a recount is held automatically if the margin between the top two votes is 0.5% or less of the leading candidate’s total votes. The AP may declare a winner in a race eligible for a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the November 4 election:

Election day

Colorado votes on Propositions LL and MM will be held on Tuesday. Polls close statewide at 7 p.m. local time, which is 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will present the voting results and announce the winners of each of the statewide ballot measures.

Who is entitled to vote?

Any registered voter in Colorado may participate in the general election.

What does turnout and advance voting look like?

As of October 3, there were about 4.5 million registered voters in Colorado. Of these, about 25% were Democrats, 22% were Republicans, and just over 50% were not affiliated with any party. The rest were registered with other parties.

In November 2023, Colorado’s last general election when two propositions were the only contenders for the statewide ballot, nearly 1.7 million voters cast ballots on the measures, about 39% of registered voters. Colorado conducts its elections mostly by mail.

As of Thursday, nearly 355,000 votes had already been cast before Election Day, about 30% from Republicans, about 28% from Democrats and about 40% from voters unaffiliated with any party. Check AP’s early voting tracker for the latest update.

How long does it usually take to count votes?

In the 2024 presidential election, the AP first announced results in Colorado at 9:05 p.m. ET, or five minutes after polls closed. The tabulation of votes ended overnight at 5:35 a.m. ET with about 79% of the total votes counted.

Votes were reported to be being counted at a similar pace for the two November 2023 ballots statewide. The first votes were announced at 9:03 PM ET, while the final update occurred overnight at 6:21 AM ET with about 85% of the votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of the Nov. 4 election, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.

Find out more 2025 voting coverage