News Release

Proposed Initiative #85 Qualifies for General Election Ballot

Denver, December 15, 2025 - The Elections Division of the Colorado Secretary of State's Office announced today that proponents of Proposed Initiative #85, "Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes," have submitted the required number of signatures to appear on the November 3, 2026 General Election Ballot.

Proposed Initiative #85 submitted 187,699 petition signatures. After reviewing a five-percent random sample of the submitted signatures, the Elections Division projected the number of valid signatures to be greater than 110 percent of the total number of signatures required for placement on the ballot.

Text of proposed initiative #85 (PDF)

Signature requirement for statewide initiative petitions. Signature requirements are outlined by Article V, Section 1 (3) of the Colorado Constitution and 1-40-116 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.

A copy of the petition is on file with the Secretary of State's office.