With less than three weeks to go to Election Day, groups working on some of the 14 statewide ballot measures are getting ready for the final spending push.

And the backer of Colorado’s most advertised ballot measure has been making contributions to other issue committees in the last 48 hours.

Here is the list, in order of largest fundraising to smallest

Proposition 131

Proposition 131, which seeks to put into place open primaries and ranked choice voting, still dominates the fundraising scene.  

Colorado Voters First, the group pushing the proposal, reported raising nearly $1.5 million in the last two weeks, including $498,000 from Voters for the American Center of Washington, D.C. which does not disclose its funders. The group, which filed an issue committee last week in Colorado, is also active in Montana.

Another big contribution of $321,685 came from Jeff Chambers of Menlo Park, California. Chambers runs TA Associates, a private equity firm. Chambers has given more than $1 million to four federal political action committees this year: American Resilience PAC, Conservatives for Utah, Lead to Serve PAC and the Best of America PAC, which backs Doug Burghum, the governor of North Dakota who was briefly believed to be on the short list for vice president for Donald Trump.

Colorado Voters First has now raised more than $10.8 million to back Proposition 131.

Two issue committees oppose Proposition 131: First Choice Counts and Voter Rights. Their fundraising has been minimal. 

First Choice Counts is run by Jason Lupo, who ran in the Republican primary for House District 20, which is based in El Paso County, earlier this year. The committee raised just over $8,000 and less than $400 in the last two weeks. 

Voter Rights, which is backed largely by Democratic-aligned groups, has raised $144,000, including $10,000 this week from the California-based Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and $25,000 last week from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is affiliated with Colorado WINS, the state employee union.

Amendment 79

Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, which put the measure on the ballot, has raised millions, now totaling $8.5 million. This measure seeks to enshrine the right to abortion in the Colorado Constitution and allows for the use of public funds for abortion services, reversing a 1984 initiative known as Amendment 3. 

On Monday, Kent Thiry, who is also the major proponent for Proposition 131, gave the committee $100,000. The group raised another $627,000 in the most recent reporting cycle.

The committee’s biggest contribution in the past two weeks was $500,000 from Abigail Dow of New York, who is affiliated with the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Lynn Schusterman made a $500,000 contribution to the pro-80 campaign late last year.

Three committees are opposed to Amendment 79: Colorado Life Initiative, Pro-Life Colorado Fund and Coloradans for the Protection of Women and Children.

Colorado Life Initiative raised $226 in the most recent reporting period, bringing their total to just over $15,000, all from individual donors.

Coloradans for the Protection of Women and Children took in over $6,000 in the last two weeks, plus $10,000 from Colorado for Life of Colorado Springs. That brings their total to just over $81,000. Its largest donations have come from Andrew Wommack Ministries.

Pro-Life Colorado Fund collected the most of the groups opposed to the ballot measure. The group raised nearly $63,000 in the most recent reporting period, and this week got three individual contributions totaling $22,000. The measure is largely backed by the Archdiocese of Denver.

Proposition 127 

Cats Aren’t Trophies, the group backing Proposition 127, raised hundreds of dollars, bringing its total to nearly $3 million. This measure prohibits the hunting of bobcats, mountain lions, and lynx in Colorado. 

The committee took in $690,000 in the last two weeks, plus a $1,000 direct contribution from Wayne Pacelle, the head of Animal Wellness Action, one of the group’s biggest funder at more than $877,000. Pacelle was formerly CEO of the Humane Society of the United States until he resigned in 2018. The committee’s largest donor is the Wild Animal Sanctuary, at $963,000, most of it since early September.

Colorado’s Wildlife Deserves Better, which opposes Proposition 127, has raised $1.6 million through Oct. 9, but has since received several large contributions, including from outfitters and hunting groups in Wisconsin, Michigan and Idaho. Those latest contributions totaled $16,500. The committee reported more than $191,000 in contributions in the most recent reporting period, including $25,000 from the National Rifle Association.

Proposition 129

All Pets Deserve Vet Care, which backs Proposition 129, has now taken in $1.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions. This measure creates a new mid-level role in the veterinary field called a veterinary professional associate. The position would require a Master’s degree and would be a step above a veterinary technician but below a doctor of veterinary medicine.  

That includes a $2,500 contribution late last week from Gov. Jared Polis and $150,000 from the American Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Oct. 4.

On the opposing side, Keep Our Pets Safe brought in a total of $2.4 million, including $525,000 in the most recent reporting period from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9. The American Veterinary Association gave $520,000 on Oct. 3, bringing its total to $2.3 million.

Proposition 129: A sham proposal or a solution to a Colorado veterinary care crisis? | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Amendment 80 School choice in state constitution

The heat is on for opposition to Amendment 80, which seeks to amend the Colorado Constitution to say all K-12 students have the right to equal opportunity to access a quality education, that parents have the right to direct their children’s education, and that school choice includes neighborhood, charter, private, and home schools, open enrollment options, and any future innovations in education.

The National Education Association made the largest contribution of any organization to any issue committee in the past two weeks, with $3 million to Public Schools Strong, which opposes the ballot measure.

That brings Public Schools Strong up to $3.8 million in contributions.

School Choice for Every Child, which supports Amendment 80, has yet to report a single contribution.

The independent expenditure committee Colorado Dawn also has made at least one expenditure for a mailer supporting Amendment 80. However, the committee has not reported this expenditure. The group is not registered as an issue committee. Any expenditure that is more than $1,000 and is not reported could be in violation of campaign finance law. 

Amendment J

Freedom to Marry Colorado, which backs J, has raised more than $540,000, including $102,470 through Oct. 9. It also got $50,000 on Monday from Kent Thiry.

This measure would overturn Amendment 43, a measure adopted by voters in 2006 that banned same-sex marriage. The decision was rendered moot by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015, but supporters of Amendment J fear the conservative court could try to reverse that 2015 decision. The ballot measure was sent to voters by the General Assembly.

No issue committee has been registered to oppose it.

Proposition JJ 

The Yes on JJ didn’t record any contributions in the most recent reporting cycle.

But on Monday, Thiry showed up on the Yes on JJ reports with a $25,000 contribution.

No issue committee has been registered to oppose the measure, which was sent to the ballot by the General Assembly. The measure would allow the state to retain sports betting revenue that supports state water projects.

Proposition KK

Colorado Supports Crime Victim Services, the pro-KK committee, reported more than $91,000 in contributions through Oct. 9, including its largest to date — $35,000 from Violence Free Colorado. It has now raised a total of more than $167,000.

While an anti-KK issue committee has been filed, Stop Tax Increases has yet to report a single contribution.

The legislative referral measure, which won no Republican votes and garnered some Democratic opposition, imposes an excise tax on firearms and ammunition, effective April 1, 2025. If passed, it’s expected to generate $35 million in 2025-26, with the funds going toward the Colorado Crime Victim Services Fund for behavioral and mental health and for school security. 

Proposition 128 and Proposition 130

The American Civil Liberties Union is the major funder of Coloradans for Smart Justice, which opposes both ballot measures. The committee has taken in $103,000, with $53,202 from the ACLU.

No issue committee is registered to support the two measures.

Proposition 128 requires individuals convicted of certain violent crimes, including murder, sexual assault, and aggravated robbery, to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being eligible for parole. Those convicted of a violent offense three or more times will be required to serve their entire sentence without being eligible for parole or early release. 

Proposition 130 creates a “peace officer training and support fund” within the Department of Public Safety to assist in recruiting, training, and supporting law enforcement officers and their families. 

Editor’s note: the story was corrected to identify the largest contributor to Cat’s Aren’t Trophies, and to report on the contributions to Colorado Wildlife Deserves Better in the most recent reporting period.