2026 ballot measure forecast

Colorado Amendment 87

Graduated income tax for schools and health

Replaces the flat income tax with graduated rates from 3.7 to 8.4 percent, removing TABOR's single rate rule, funding K-12, health care, child care. The forecast has Yes at 50.0 percent against the 55 percent it needs, a 33% chance to pass.

Leans failCitizen initiated constitutional amendmentIncome taxUpdated October 22, 2026
Chance to pass
33%
2,000 simulations
Forecast Yes
50.0%
80% range 37 to 63
Needs
55%
55 percent of the votes on the question
Polling average
None
No public polls found
Where the Yes vote lands
needs 55
2035506580
History and structure
50.0% Yes
Polls
None
Forecast
50.0% Yes
Yes leans
Democratic
Rule to pass
Colorado constitutional amendments need 55 percent of votes cast on the measure. Combined constitutional and statutory initiative. Conflicts with Prop 136; if both pass, the one with more yes votes prevails.
The campaign

Citizen initiative; Colorado Democratic Party supports; Gov. Polis called it a 2.7 billion tax hike and Denver Gazette editorial board opposes.

Amendment 87 by county

Conejos CountyJackson CountyArchuleta CountyWashington CountyGarfield CountyRio Grande CountyMorgan CountyElbert CountyMontrose CountyOtero CountyTeller CountyPhillips CountyYuma CountyPueblo CountyAlamosa CountyBaca CountyMontezuma CountyArapahoe CountyMineral CountyDolores CountyJefferson CountyDelta CountyGrand CountySaguache CountySummit CountyGunnison CountyCostilla CountyWeld CountyLas Animas CountyRoutt CountyDouglas CountyRio Blanco CountyBroomfield CountyDenver CountyBoulder CountyLarimer CountyCrowley CountyCuster CountyEl Paso CountyGilpin CountyHuerfano CountyOuray CountyCheyenne CountyMoffat CountyPitkin CountyProwers CountySan Juan CountyLa Plata CountyHinsdale CountyKit Carson CountySan Miguel CountyClear Creek CountyKiowa CountyPark CountyLake CountyLincoln CountyAdams CountyEagle CountyLogan CountySedgwick CountyChaffee CountyFremont CountyMesa CountyBent CountyEl PasoDenverJeffersonArapahoeDouglasAdamsLarimerBoulderWeldMesaPuebloBroomfield
No +30Yes +30Click a county to zoom · arrow keys step through counties by size
Where the margin is won
Denver County: Yes +72,977Boulder County: Yes +38,905Jefferson County: Yes +10,051Arapahoe County: Yes +9,964Larimer County: Yes +4,462Broomfield County: Yes +2,985Summit County: Yes +1,838Pitkin County: Yes +1,531Eagle County: Yes +1,343Routt County: Yes +1,013La Plata County: Yes +875San Miguel County: Yes +787Gunnison County: Yes +762Ouray County: Yes +131Clear Creek County: Yes +101Lake County: Yes +63Chaffee County: Yes +57San Juan County: Yes +41Costilla County: Yes +18Gilpin County: Yes +5El Paso County: No +32,744Weld County: No +22,393Douglas County: No +17,197Mesa County: No +13,157Pueblo County: No +5,952Fremont County: No +5,309Elbert County: No +4,764Montrose County: No +4,545Delta County: No +3,706Morgan County: No +3,329Adams County: No +3,124Teller County: No +3,117Logan County: No +3,057Moffat County: No +2,171Montezuma County: No +2,005Yuma County: No +1,602Otero County: No +1,393Prowers County: No +1,380Park County: No +1,370Kit Carson County: No +1,307Garfield County: No +1,253Rio Blanco County: No +1,193Washington County: No +1,136Archuleta County: No +957Lincoln County: No +900Rio Grande County: No +866Las Animas County: No +820Phillips County: No +765Baca County: No +751Custer County: No +730Alamosa County: No +704Grand County: No +513Crowley County: No +494Bent County: No +491Conejos County: No +489Cheyenne County: No +444Dolores County: No +398Sedgwick County: No +390Huerfano County: No +375Kiowa County: No +338Jackson County: No +234Saguache County: No +120Hinsdale County: No +58Mineral County: No +54
Yes +147,909 net votes from 20 countiesStatewide Even, a 186 vote marginNo +148,095 net votes from 44 counties

Projected vote

2,661,964 votes on the question
ChoiceVotesShare
Yes1,330,88950.0%
No1,331,07550.0%
Total2,661,964100%
CountyYesNoTotalYes share
El Paso County141,728174,472316,20044.8%
Denver County192,959119,982312,94161.7%
Jefferson County157,721147,670305,39151.6%
Arapahoe County143,127133,163276,29051.8%
Douglas County86,433103,630190,06345.5%
Adams County92,39495,518187,91249.2%
Larimer County95,10590,643185,74851.2%
Boulder County103,75964,854168,61361.5%
Weld County60,78183,174143,95542.2%
Mesa County31,84945,00676,85541.4%
Pueblo County33,36139,31372,67445.9%
Broomfield County20,75117,76638,51753.9%
La Plata County15,55914,68430,24351.4%
Garfield County12,22013,47325,69347.6%
Eagle County12,49211,14923,64152.8%
Fremont County8,35913,66822,02737.9%
Montrose County8,49313,03821,53139.4%
Delta County6,33410,04016,37438.7%
Elbert County5,32810,09215,42034.6%
Summit County8,4096,57114,98056.1%
Teller County5,3398,45613,79538.7%
Routt County7,4026,38913,79153.7%
Montezuma County5,4447,44912,89342.2%
Chaffee County5,9275,87011,79750.2%
Morgan County3,9667,29511,26135.2%
Park County4,3905,76010,15043.3%
Pitkin County5,5644,0339,59758.0%
Gunnison County5,0414,2799,32054.1%
Logan County2,9516,0088,95932.9%
Grand County3,8744,3878,26146.9%
Archuleta County3,4104,3677,77743.8%
Otero County3,1384,5317,66940.9%
Las Animas County2,9933,8136,80644.0%
Alamosa County2,9003,6046,50444.6%
Moffat County1,7623,9335,69530.9%
Clear Creek County2,6612,5605,22151.0%
Rio Grande County2,1763,0425,21841.7%
Prowers County1,5742,9544,52834.8%
San Miguel County2,4571,6704,12759.5%
Yuma County1,2102,8124,02230.1%
Huerfano County1,7262,1013,82745.1%
Conejos County1,4901,9793,46943.0%
Gilpin County1,6781,6733,35150.1%
Ouray County1,6891,5583,24752.0%
Lake County1,6521,5893,24151.0%
Custer County1,2271,9573,18438.5%
Kit Carson County9142,2213,13529.2%
Rio Blanco County9522,1453,09730.7%
Saguache County1,4091,5292,93848.0%
Washington County6431,7792,42226.5%
Lincoln County7011,6012,30230.5%
Bent County7661,2572,02337.9%
Phillips County6231,3882,01131.0%
Costilla County8748561,73050.5%
Baca County4871,2381,72528.2%
Crowley County6021,0961,69835.5%
Dolores County4308281,25834.2%
Sedgwick County3807701,15033.0%
Cheyenne County22767189825.3%
Kiowa County19353172426.7%
Jackson County23046469433.1%
Hinsdale County22328150444.2%
Mineral County20225645844.1%
San Juan County23018941954.9%

Projected 2026 votes: each county's expected turnout, less the roughly 6 percent of voters who skip a ballot question, times its forecast Yes share. The measure needs 55.0 percent Yes to pass.

Polls of the measure

no polls
PollsterSampleEndedYesNoUndecidedYes, adjusted
No public polls of this measure. The forecast rests on how comparable measures have run and how it reached the ballot.
How this is built
Amendment 87 is forecast as a income tax measure whose Yes vote leans Democratic. Comparable measures from 2018 to 2024 set how far its Yes share moves with Colorado's partisanship and with each county's 2024 presidential vote, and how it reached the ballot moves it further. Polls then pull the forecast toward them by recency and size, after splitting undecided voters two to one for No. Sources: news.ballotpedia.org, koaa.com, coloradodems.org, denvergazette.com. All measures.