Charles Johnson retains District 11 school board seat after election recount
The order of finish for the last of three open seats on the Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education remained the same after a recount, according to figures released Thursday from the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
An automatic recount was triggered in November after the vote totals for several candidates were within the 0.05% margin.
Charles Johnson was projected to win the third spot, and retained it in the recount. The vote total for Johnson, 25, remained the same at 24,196 (15.49%). He was followed by Michael Carsten with 24,135 votes (15.45%) and Jeremiah Johnson with 24,102 (15.43%). Carsten and Jeremiah Johnson each gained two votes in the recount.
Michelle Ruehl and LeAnn Baca Bartlett took two seats by finishing first and second in the voting, respectively. Ruehl gained one vote in the recount for a total of 27,737 (17.75%) and Bartlett added one vote to end up at 27,242 (17.44%).
The swearing-in ceremony for Johnson and other new board members is scheduled Dec. 10.
Colorado Supreme Court to hear case on ballot measure disclosure requirements
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 20 minutes ago
The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging whether the state can require ballot measure committees to disclose the names of their registered agents in election communications. The case stems from a complaint filed during the 2020...
Democrat Jena Griswold lands EMILYs List endorsement in Colorado attorney general race
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
EMILYs List, a national organization that works to elect pro-choice, Democratic women, this week endorsed Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s bid for attorney general in next year’s election. The 41-year-old Griswold, who is term-limited, was the first Democrat elected...
Colorado secretary of state refuses to hand over election records to DOJ
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 18 hours ago
Colorado will not comply with the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to share certain voter information, Secretary of State Jena Griswold said on Wednesday. Federal authorities have sought voter data from more than two dozen states, framing it as part...
Income tax overhaul in Colorado clears first hurdle, as revised estimate puts tax hike at $4 billion
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
A state panel on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to a ballot measure that seeks to change Colorado’s flat rate of 4.41% to a graduated income tax, beginning in 2027, and raise billions dollars in new revenue. Now the proponents of...
Colorado title board to review graduated income tax proposal for 2026 election
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
The Secretary of State’s title board on Wednesday will review another attempt at a graduated income tax ballot measure for the 2026 general election. In October, the title board had rejected two proposals submitted by the Bell Policy Center because...
Palmer Lake could see three special elections next year
Savannah Eller
savannah-eller@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
Turmoil continues in the town of Palmer Lake, where a Board of Trustees with frequent turnover has been deadlocked on multiple issues for months. The next year could see the town settling its differences in as many as three special...
Colorado Springs D-11 board member running for state House seat
Eric Young
eric.young@gazette.com
Updated 7 days ago
A Colorado Springs District 11 board member has thrown their hat into the ring for a seat in the state House of Representatives. A candidate affidavit and committee registration form for Jill Haffley, vice president of D-11’s Board of Education,...
Campaign finance complaints add up for Bennet campaign
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 6 days ago
Three state campaign finance complaints have been filed against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, tied to his campaign for governor in 2026. A fourth is likely, sources have told Colorado Politics. The first two were filed on Sept. 24 and...
Colorado’s Michael Bennet rode outrage over last government shutdown to presidential bid | TRAIL MIX
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 week ago
Only weeks after the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history ended with congressional Democrats’ demands to restore health care funding previously cut by Republicans left dangling, the high-stakes standoff that dominated political news for 43 days has already receded...
Jason Crow rips Pentagon probe into Mark Kelly over video urging troops to refuse ‘illegal orders’
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 week ago
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow on Monday accused President Donald Trump of trying to incite violence and intimidate critics after the Pentagon announced an investigation into Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly’s participation in a video produced with Crow and other Democratic...
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