One section of the ballot will keep this from being a rather mundane, even boring year in Colorado politics. In many respects, this is something of an off year around here. Neither U.S. senate seat is up for election and ditto for all of the statewide executive offices. Our role as a swing state in presidential politics is well in the past.

Beyond a slew of legislative contests and local races, the headline affair is the Congressional District 8 battle between Democratic incumbent Yadira Caraveo and Republican Gabe Evans.

But fear not, political junkies and engaged voters. The real action this year centers on the statewide ballot issues. Of which there is no shortage.

Without further ado, here is my rundown of those measures, at least the ones with any degree of bite or controversy. The Blue Book will arrive soon enough with detailed analysis. This, instead, is a shorthand take.

Amendment 79 Here is a hot-button issue right off the top. It would enshrine in the state constitution the right to abortion really without limits. Further, it would repeal a decades-old provision banning the use of public funds for abortion.

The placement of this on the ballot by citizen initiative has nearly as much to do with driving Democratic turnout as with abortion rights. The measure is almost certain to pass given Colorado’s liberal track record at the forefront of abortion fights and given the success of similar proposals even in more conservative states following the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

Though it is worth noting that such rights in Colorado are hardly at risk with or without this amendment in light of existing law and the state’s political make-up.

Amendment 80 The purpose of this amendment is to place a right to school choice in the Colorado constitution.

You will find few more ardent supporters of school choice, in all its forms, than yours truly. More than any other issue, it is what prompted my departure from the Democratic Party ranks the better part of three decades back.

Nonetheless, I worry that this might be a case of good intentions without a lot of detail. As a matter of political strategy, the risk and reward seem out of whack. If the measure goes down to defeat, entrenched interests of the education establishment will use it as one more rationale for crippling charter schools, harassing home school families and all the rest.

Amendment I This proposal, referred to voters by the Legislature, essentially revokes the right to bail for those charged with first-degree murder.

A constitutional amendment, Amendment I is an outgrowth of a State Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that a capital offense was no longer grounds for the denial of bail since the state had eliminated the death penalty.

Of course, there is a balance between a defendant’s presumption of innocence and the public’s right to safety from violent criminals. The amendment is the legislature’s attempt, solid to my thinking, to rebalance those interests.

Proposition 127 Here we have another animal-rights proposal, the likes of which have been making regular appearances on Colorado ballots. This citizens-initiated proposition would ban the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx.

I, for one, have a hard time fathoming the hunting of such animals. Still, we see how well, or not, a similar effort to mandate the reintroduction of wolves has worked out. Perhaps the ballot box is not the ideal venue for settling such questions of biology.

Propositions 128 and 130 Both of these tough-on-crime measures come from the conservative advocacy organization, Advance Colorado. Proposition 128 would require those convicted of certain violent crimes to serve 85% of their sentence without earned credits for good behavior before becoming eligible for parole, replacing the current standard of 75 percent.

The companion Proposition 130 would require the legislature to appropriate $350 million to a new fund to enhance the hiring, retention and training of law enforcement officers and to provide a death benefit for spouses and children of first responders killed in the line of duty.

Opposition to both measures seems so far limited and led by the Colorado ACLU. Both could fly largely under the political radar.

Proposition 131 By the time October rolls around and ballots arrive, this overhaul of Colorado’s election process will be the highlight issue. Mark my words.

The initiated proposal is an extension of political reform efforts over recent years that succeeded in opening primary elections to unaffiliated voters and in changing the redistricting process. Though the ambition and scope of this measure is grander than any of those.

In simple form, Proposition 131 would establish a single primary election for all comers with the top four finishers, regardless of party affiliation, advancing to the general election to be conducted by ranked-choice voting.

Both party power structures with a deep investment in the status quo are united and rather apoplectic in their opposition. They regard it as a threat to their franchise and the usual way of doing business.

But for a considerable mass of voters less enamored with the current rut, this could be an attractive approach to take a bit of the poison out of our politics, push back on the more polarized powers on both extremes, penalize the worst kinds of negative campaigning and drive even slightly in the direction of consensus.

Get ready for the airwaves and social media pages to be fill of plenty of arguments both for and against.

That is the thumbnail outline of the bigger issues. There are others as well, even if of lower stakes and profile. Those further topics range from “deBrucing” taxes on sports betting that fund state water projects to judicial discipline to property tax exemptions for veterans with disabilities to a new tax on the manufacture and sales of firearms to the creation of a new category of professional associate in the field of veterinary medicine.

The recent special legislative session took care of two ballot questions related to property tax relief which otherwise would have occupied positions at center stage this fall.

For those readers wanting to dive into a political year with rather slim pickings when it comes to high office, have at the nuances and complexities of these ballot issues, far beyond what my the word count of a single column would accommodate.

Eric Sondermann is a Colorado-based independent political commentator. He writes regularly for ColoradoPolitics and the Gazette newspapers. Reach him at EWS@EricSondermann.com; follow him at @EricSondermann