Two of the campaigns to expand the sale and delivery of alcohol appeared to be flailing, early and unofficial results on Election Day showed, while a third was proving a tight election.

Propositions 126, 125 and 124 aimed to, respectively, allow third-party companies to deliver alcohol from restaurants, bars and liquor stores; permit grocery and convenience stores that sell beer to also sell wine; and, gradually eliminate the limit on liquor stores operated by one person or business.

Propositions 124 and 126 were behind, while Proposition 125 was virtually tied with opponents holding a slight lead.

Here was the vote breakdown as of Wednesday morning: 

Prop 124: 37.58% for to 62.42% against of 1,823,362 votes counted.  

Prop 125: 49.83% for to 50.17% against of 1,842,090 votes counted.

Prop 126: 47.32% for to 52.68% against of 1,836,801 votes counted.

The committees behind the three alcohol-related ballot measures have collectively raised nearly $28 million.

Proposition 124

The first of three alcohol-related ballot measures, Prop 124 would have changed the number of licenses a liquor store owner could hold. Currently, the limit stands at three. Under Prop 124, it would have increased to eight licenses by Dec. 31, 2026, up to 13 licenses by Dec. 31, 2031, and then to 20 licenses by Dec. 31, 2036. It would have allowed for an unlimited number of licenses on or after Jan. 1, 2037.

Backing the measure was Coloradans for Consumer Choice and Retail Fairness, which is funded by Colorado Fine Wine & Spirits, LLC, a Maryland-based company owned by U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-MD) and his brother, Robert. 

Keeping Colorado Local, funded by the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association and local liquor retailers, opposed it. 

Proposition 125

Known as “wine in grocery stores,” Prop 125 would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine. Wine in Grocery Stores, which was funded by DoorDash, 7-22, Albertsons/Safeway, Instacart and Target, among others, is behind the measure. 

Keeping Colorado Local also opposes it. 

Proposition 126

Prop 126 would have allowed for third-party delivery of alcohol. Current law allows liquor stores to make those deliveries; this would have allowed any retailer that sells alcohol, such as grocery and convenience stores, to use third-party services to deliver alcohol to customers.

Wine in Grocery Stores and the Fair Delivery for Small Business, which is funded by the Colorado Retail Council, back the measure. 

Keeping Colorado Local opposes it.

Business owners, lawmakers and activists recently clashed at a town hall that delved into the three ballot measures.

The Colorado Licensed Beverage Association and Denver’s Joy Wine & Spirits, which oppose all three measures, said they would run small liquor stores out of business by, among other things, increasing competition – a claim proponents said is simply not true.

“It really is about convenience at what cost,” Chris Fine, executive director of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association, said at a town hall hosted by Colorado Politics, The Denver Gazette and the Colorado Springs Gazette. “The underlying theme is that all three of these measures have outside, billion-dollar companies coming in to destroy the small mom-and-pops.” 

“This is really a sob story by liquor stores,” responded Michelle Lyng with the Wine in Grocery Stores campaign, which backs Props 126 and 125. “(They said) if full-strength beers went into grocery stores, 700 liquor stores would close. Colorado’s records show there are actually 10 more liquor stores today than there were then. … They’re making up numbers out of thin air to scare legislators, to scare voters into maintaining their monopoly.”

At various points, the opposition campaign argued that putting beers in grocery stores only didn’t close liquor stores because the COVID-19 pandemic boosted alcohol sales.