Welcome to the Colorado Fiscal Institute’s 2025 voter guide. Our goal is to help you understand key ballot measures and how they affect everyday people in our state. We focus on tax and state budget policies that advance fairness, equity, and stronger communities.

This year, voters will see two statewide measures about how Colorado collects and spends money. Understanding the rules behind these votes is important. One big factor is the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, or TABOR, which gives voters the final say on taxes, state revenue, and debt. TABOR can make it harder for the state to raise money when it’s needed, which can slow funding for schools, hospitals, roads, and other essential services.

Because these measures affect everyone in Colorado, we want to make sure you have the facts and understand why certain policies matter. At CFI, we use an equity-focused lens to guide our recommendations, helping voters see which policies best support kids, families, and communities.

This year, CFI is proud to support both statewide ballot measures — Proposition LL and Proposition MM — two commonsense policies that make Colorado’s tax code work better for kids and communities. Learn more about how these measures fund healthy school meals, strengthen local food systems, and promote tax fairness at YesOnLLandMM.com.

Proposition LL

Proposition LL lets the state keep and spend $12.4 million from a tax that voters already approved in 2022 (Propuesta FF) for the Healthy School Meals for All program. Instead of giving that money back to taxpayers who make more than $300,000 a year, the state can keep it to help fund school meals. Proposition LL does not raise taxes, it just lets the state keep money it already collected.

This measure appears on our ballots this year because of a rule in TABOR. TABOR requires an estimate of how much money any new tax or tax increase will raise in its first year. Anytime the state collects more money than expected, voters have to decide if the state can keep and spend the money above the estimate. 

CFI supports Proposition LL because it doesn’t make sense to send $12 million away from public school students to some of the richest people in Colorado. It also helps fund a program that voters already said yes to. Going back to voters every time there’s extra money from a tax that was already approved is confusing and slows things down. 

Proposition MM

Proposition MM will raise money to fully fund the Healthy School Meals program by limiting how much people who make over $300,000 a year can deduct from their state income taxes. This means high-income earners will pay a little more, and the money will fully pay for healthy, locally-sourced school meals for Colorado students.

The Healthy School Meals For All program shows how a small change in tax policy can make a big difference. Voting yes on Proposition MM will fully fund the program, giving healthy breakfasts and lunches to all Colorado public school students, better pay for school nutrition workers, and money for schools to use fresh, local ingredients from Colorado farmers and ranchers. Any extra money will also support SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, which helps 300,000 Colorado families buy groceries each month.

CFI supports Proposition MM because it makes sense, is fair, and will help our communities stay healthy and strong.