Editor’s note: Aspen Public Radio will continue to update this resource page up until the Nov. 7, 2023 election.
Pueden encontrar la versión en español aquí.
How To Vote
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, and ballots were mailed to registered voters on Oct. 16. If you think your ballot was lost in the mail, you can still vote in person at designated polling centers until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
GoVoteColorado.gov is the state’s main landing page. You can register to vote for the first time, check your voter registration, and view your sample ballot. If you’ve moved, you can change your address to make sure you receive your ballot. And once you’ve voted, you can also track your mail-in ballot’s status there.
Oct. 30 is the last day you can register to vote through the mail or online. If you wish to register in-person at a polling center, there is no deadline. Same-day registration is available as long as you have lived in Colorado for 22 days prior to the election.
If you're mailing in a ballot, it should have been in the mail by Oct. 30 to ensure it arrives in time to be counted. If you haven't returned your ballot yet, you can still bring it to a local drop box by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
For Pitkin County voters, there are three drop-box locations: the Pitkin County Administration Building in Aspen; the Snowmass Village Town Hall; and the Basalt Town Hall. In-person early voting begins Oct. 30 in the Pitkin County Administration Building’s Roaring Fork Room; more information is posted on the Pitkin County’s website.
For Eagle County voters, there are two drop-box locations in the Roaring Fork Valley: the Basalt Town Hall and the Eagle County Clerk and the Recorder office in El Jebel. In-person early voting begins Oct. 30 at the Clerk and Recorder office in El Jebel. Other drop boxes and voting centers are located along the I-70 corridor between Gypsum and Vail. More information is posted on the Eagle County’s website.
For Garfield County voters, there are six drop-box locations: Carbondale Town Hall; Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs; Rifle County Administration Building D; New Castle Town Hall; Silt Town Hall; and Parachute Town Hall. In-person early voting begins Oct. 30 at the Glenwood Springs Community Center and the Garfield County Fairgrounds in Rifle. On Election Day, Nov. 7, there are two additional polling centers located at the Carbondale Town Hall and the Parachute Branch Library. More information is posted on Garfield County’s website.
What’s On The Ballot
Where you live determines what you’ll see on the ballot this fall.
All Colorado voters will see two statewide ballot measures: Proposition HH, which relates to state property taxes and revenue limits, and Proposition II, which relates to the tax revenue generated by tobacco and nicotine product sales. You can learn more about the measures, and what a “yes” or “no” vote means for each one, in the state’s ballot information “blue book.”
School Board Elections
In the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, most voters will also see a local school board election. If you’re not sure what district you live in, you can use this map to get a general sense; you may need to zoom in for a detailed look at your region.
In the Aspen School District, there are two at-large seats up for grabs, and four candidates running. Incumbent Katy Frisch is on the ballot alongside three challengers: Sally Goulet, Sarah Daniels and Cassie Harrelson. Each at-large seat comes with a four-year term on the board.
In the Roaring Fork School District, there are three seats up for election, each in a different “director district” that represents different communities. Voters are not limited to their director district and can vote in all three director races regardless of the neighborhood in which they live.
In Director District B, there are two candidates: Elizabeth “Betsy” After and Alan Kokish. In Director District C, there are also two candidates on the ballot: Phillip Bogart and Lindsay DeFrates. In Director District D, incumbent Jasmin Ramirez is running uncontested. Each seat comes with a four-year term on the board.
In the Garfield Re-2 School District, there are three seats up for election, each in a different “director district” that represents different communities. Voters are not limited to their director district and can vote in all three director races regardless of the neighborhood in which they live.
In Director District B, there are two candidates: Cassie Haskell and Kaylin Harju. In Director District C, there is just one candidate, Fathom Jensen, running uncontested. In Director District D, there are three candidates: Chance Jenkins, Daniel Adams and Nicholas Cocina. Each seat comes with a four-year term on the board.
The Garfield 16 School District has canceled its Board of Education election because there were only three candidates for the three open positions.
On the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, there are four open seats, each in a different trustee district. Voters are not limited to their district, however, and can vote in all four Board of Trustees races regardless of the community in which the voter lives.
In District 2, there are two candidates: Marianne Virgili and David Use. In three other districts, there is only one candidate running: Kerry Buhler is on the ballot in District 4, Bob Kuusinen in District 5 and Gloria Perez in District 6.
Rifle City Council Election
There are three city council seats up for election for four-year terms, though the mayor and mayor pro tempore will be appointed by the Council at an organizational meeting. According to the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, there are four candidates running for three seats, including incumbents Chris Bornholdt and Brian Condie and challengers Tanya Perea Doose and Karen Roberts.
Additional Ballot Measures
Depending on where you live, you may also see municipal ballot measures and special district questions. You can learn more by viewing a sample ballot for your county:
Pitkin County Sample Ballot (English)
Eagle County Sample Ballot (English)
Garfield County Sample Ballots (English and Spanish)
State Ballot Measures Blue Book
Candidate Forums
Note: Additional links and information will be added as available. The following information about upcoming public forums are listed in the order in which they are scheduled.
The Colorado River Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted a "candidate Q&A" for Rifle City Council candidates on Oct. 3 at Rifle City Hall. The forum was recorded and is available to stream on the city of Rifle's Facebook page. It’s also posted on Rifle’s community access channel, available online at RifleTV.plus.
The Roaring Fork School District hosted a Board of Education candidate forum on Oct. 3 at the district offices in Carbondale. It has been recorded and archived on the district’s YouTube page. Additional information about the election is posted on the district’s website.
Candidates for the Roaring Fork School District Board of Education and the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees spoke at an “Issues and Answers” forum on Oct. 9 at the Glenwood Springs City Hall. Representatives both in favor of and against Proposition HH also attended. The forum was co-hosted by the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce and KMTS Radio. The event was recorded and is available to view on the Post Independent's Facebook page and on the Glenwood Chamber website. You can learn more about the RFSD election on the district’s website, and more about the CMC election on the college’s website.
Candidates for the Garfield Re-2 Board of Education spoke at a forum on Oct. 9 at the Rifle Branch Library. It was sponsored by the West Garfield Education Association teachers’ union. The forum was recorded and is available to watch online on the school district's Facebook page and on Rifle Community TV. Additional information about the election is posted on the district’s website.
The Aspen School District hosted a candidate forum on Oct. 10 at the Aspen District Theatre. Journalists from Aspen Public Radio, The Aspen Times, The Aspen Daily News and Aspen High School's Skier Scribbler asked questions. You can watch a recorded video of the forum on the district’s Facebook page. Additional information about the election is posted on the district’s website.
Candidates running for the Roaring Fork School District board participated in a third debate on Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Basalt Regional Library. The library and the Basalt Education Forum co-hosted the event. Colorado Mountain College’s director of strategic initiatives Yesenia Silvia Estrada moderated.
Additional News Coverage
Note: Links here are compiled from several local and regional news outlets. They are listed within each category from newest to oldest, in order of publication date. This list does not include letters to the editor or opinion coverage. If there’s an article we’ve missed that you’d like to see included here, send it to news@aspenpublicradio.org for consideration.
Rifle Municipal Election:
Q&A with Rifle City Council candidates | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Nov. 6, 2023)
Rifle City Council candidates discuss housing, downtown development, sales tax in election forum | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Oct. 4, 2023)
Meet the candidates: Rifle City Council candidates to participate in public Q&A | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Sept. 27, 2023)
Rifle sales tax increase proposal secured for November ballot | Rifle Citizen Telegram (Aug. 23, 2023)
Aspen School District Board:
School board races dominate Roaring Fork Valley ballots|Aspen Daily News (Oct. 30, 2023)
Aspen school board candidate receives $1,000 from state educator union’s donor committee | Aspen Times (Oct. 18, 2023)
Aspen school board candidates react to curriculum changes in neighboring districts | Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 17, 2023)
Aspen school board candidate recommends training school staff in gun safety, opponents criticize idea| Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 16, 2023)
Aspen school board candidates talk issues| Aspen Daily News (Oct. 16, 2023)
Aspen school board candidates see room for improvement in district’s teacher housing strategy| Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 15, 2023)
ASD Board of Education Candidate Forum | Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 11, 2023)
ASD school board candidates talk gun safety, curricula | Aspen Daily News (Oct. 11, 2023)
ASD Board of Education candidates tackle staff housing, school safety in candidate forum | Aspen Times (Oct. 11, 2023)
ASD board candidate Sally Goulet sees how her kids shaped her vision of education | Aspen Times (Oct. 4, 2023)
Aspen school board candidate Sarah Daniels has been longtime education volunteer | Aspen Times (Oct. 1, 2023)
Veteran STEM educator Cassie Harrelson runs for Aspen school board | Aspen Times (Sept. 28, 2023)
Incumbent Katy Frisch runs for school board as husband runs for U.S. House seat | Aspen Times (Sept. 27, 2023)
Meet Aspen’s school board candidates | Aspen Daily News (Sept. 11, 2023)
Veteran STEM educator Cassie Harrelson runs for Aspen school board | Aspen Times (Sept. 11, 2023)
Incumbents Frisch, Ramirez file petitions to seek reelection to local school boards | Aspen Daily News (Aug. 31, 2023)
Roaring Fork School District Board:
Roaring Fork School District elections Q&A | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Nov. 6, 2023)
How Roaring Fork school board candidates will try to retain teachers | Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 24, 2023)
Roaring Fork School District board candidates want to prioritize accessibility, support Special Education department| Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 23, 2023)
Roaring Fork School District board candidates talk sustainability| Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 19, 2023)
Roaring Fork School District holds final school board candidate forum| Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Oct. 19, 2023)
Ramirez unopposed in RFSD Election | Aspen Daily News(Oct. 17, 2023)
Differences aplenty between candidates in RFSD contest | Aspen Daily News (Oct. 14, 2023)
Roaring Fork Schools District B candidates address the issues | Aspen Daily News (Oct. 14, 2023)
Jasmin Ramirez, Roaring Fork District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 11, 2023)
Roaring Fork Schools board forum turns into heated discussion over new health curriculum | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Oct. 10, 2023)
2023 Glenwood Springs Fall Issues and Answers Forum | Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 9, 2023)
Alan Kokish, Roaring Fork District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 9, 2023)
Lindsay DeFrates, Roaring Fork District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 6, 2023)
RFSD hosts first school board community forum ahead of Nov. 7 election | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Oct. 6, 2023)
School board candidates, District C: Phillip Bogart | The Sopris Sun (Oct. 4, 2023)
School board candidates, District C: Lindsay DeFrates | The Sopris Sun (Oct. 4, 2023)
Phillip Bogart, Roaring Fork District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 4, 2023)
Betsy After, Roaring Fork District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 2, 2023)
School board candidate interview, District B: Betsy After | The Sopris Sun (Sept. 27, 2023)
School board candidate interview, District B: Alan Kokish | The Sopris Sun (Sept. 27, 2023)
Roaring Fork Schools set to spotlight board of education candidates | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Sept. 26, 2023)
School board candidate interviews: District D | The Sopris Sun (Sept. 20, 2023)
Garfield Re-2 School District Board:
Q&A with Garfield Re-2 candidates | Rifle Citizen Telegram (Nov. 2, 2023)
Chance Jenkins, Garfield Re-2 District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 16, 2023)
Daniel Adams, Garfield Re-2 District School Board Candidate | KDNK (Oct. 13, 2023)
Six candidates announced for Garfield Re-2 school board elections | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Sept. 13, 2023)
Three seats open for Garfield Re-2 School board | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Aug. 9, 2023)
Garfield 16 School District Board:
Garfield 16 School Board election canceled | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Sept. 13, 2023)
Colorado Mountain College Board:
2023 Glenwood Springs Fall Issues and Answers Forum | Aspen Public Radio (Oct. 9, 2023)
CMC District 2 only contested board race | Aspen Daily News (Oct. 7, 2023)
Board of Trustees positions open for candidacy at Colorado Mountain College | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Aug. 1, 2023)
State Ballot Measures:
Breaking down Prop HH for Pitkin County homeowners | The Aspen Times (Nov. 3, 2023)
Proposition II: What to do with excess tax revenue from tobacco and nicotine products? | KGNU (Nov. 2, 2023)
Proposition HH debate | KGNU (Nov. 2, 2023)
Proposition HH a mixed bag for Coloradans|Aspen Daily News(Oct. 29, 2023)
Proposition HH would change how second homeowners are taxed in Colorado | The Aspen Times (Oct. 27, 2023)
HH could prop up education funding | Aspen Daily News (Oct. 19, 2023)
Proposition HH continues to show many layers | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Oct. 11, 2023)
Proposition HH is about way more than just property taxes | Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Oct. 9, 2023)
Voter guide: Prop II asks Colorado voters to spend extra nicotine tax revenue on preschool | Chalkbeat Colorado (Sept. 28, 2023)
Prop HH cleared for ballot after Colorado Supreme Court rejects a challenge | Colorado Public Radio (Aug. 21, 2023)
Coloradans will vote on controversial property tax plan and tobacco tax reforms in November | KUNC (Aug. 10, 2023)
Our Mission
Aspen Public Radio’s mission is to support, nourish, and enrich our community by providing informative, entertaining, and educational radio and digital programming in a reliable and professional manner.
We’re using that mission to guide our election coverage this fall, and in the future, too. We aim to focus on impact and context — showing how candidates and ballot measures will affect our community. And we want to make sure our stories are accessible and engaging, so voters can make informed decisions.
That’s why we created this election guide, with information on how to vote, details on local forums, and links to coverage from multiple sources, including our own stories. We’ve been updating it all season, and translated a version of the guide into Spanish.
As we start thinking about next year’s elections (they’ll be here before we know it!), we want to hear from you. Tell us what questions you have about the election, or send us a story idea any time, at news@aspenpublicradio.org. We’ll consider it, and possibly use it as a basis for further reporting, as we continue to cover the civic process from Aspen to Parachute.
This guide was last updated on Nov. 7, 2023.
