DENVER Colorado voters will make their voices heard in the 2026 midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in what's expected to be an important year for state politics with more than a dozen initiatives on the ballot, a few key dist rict races that will decide control of Congress, and a high-stakes gubernatorial race.Registered voters will start receiving their ballots in the mail in less than a week and will have until Oct. 26 to mail them back. After that date, Coloradans will have to place them in a drop box, drop them off at a voter center, or vote in person on Election Day. Polling places will open starting at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.Before we get into what you're voting on this year, let's highlight the key things and upcoming dates to remember: Friday, Oct. 2: First day that mail ballots for the 2026 General Election may be mailed to voters, except for military and overseas voters. Monday, Oct. 12: First day drop boxes will begin to accept mail ballots for the 2026 General Election. Tuesday, Oct. 13: Last day to submit an application to register to vote in the 2026 General Election through a voter registration drive. Monday, Oct. 19: Counting of mail ballots may begin and the first day county drop boxes must be open to accept mail ballots for the 2026 General Election. No results may be disclosed until after 7 p.m. on Election Day. Monday, Oct. 26: Last day for Coloradans to submit an application to register to vote through the mail and still receive a ballot in the mail for the 2026 General Election. Tuesday, Nov. 3 Election Day: Not registered to vote? You can register to vote in person at the closest polling center in your county if you're in line before 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5: Last day for county clerks to send missing signature, signature verification, and missing ID letters and emails. Thursday, Nov. 12: Last day to fix any issue with your ballot before it can be counted (for example, you forgot to sign it or election officials need to confirm your signature), and the last day for ballots cast by military and overseas electors to be received by the county clerk in order to be counted for the 2026 General Election.Have questions about registering to vote? The Colorado Secretary of State's Office's FAQ is there to help.If you fill out your ballot but forget to mail it back, the Colorado Secretary of State's website has a ballot drop-off locator you can access here. Denver voters can find their nearest ballot drop-off location (as well as nearest voting center and mobile vote centers) by clicking here.Now let's look at who's going to be on your ballot this November across the state.Colorado governorThe big ticket race this year is, of course, the Colorado gubernatorial seat.Gov. Jared Polis, who was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, is ineligible to run again as the position is limited to two consecutive four-year terms.Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who outperformed U.S. Senator Michael Bennet during the June primaries, is hoping to continue riding Colorado's gubernatorial blue wave, but Victor Marx, an evangelical ministry leader, is vying to turn the tide toward Republicans come November.Denver7 hosted debates for candidates of both parties earlier this year.Watch the GOP gubernatorial debate here | Watch the Democratic gubernatorial debate hereAmong other Colorado governor contenders are Eric Mulder for the Libertarian Party; Jeff Peckman for the Unity Party; Stephen Hamilton for the American Constitution Party; Erik Underwood for the Approval Voting Party; and Greg Lopez as an unaffiliated gubernatorial candidate.U.S. SenateJohn HickenlooperDemocratic U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper is no stranger to Colorado politics. He's a former Colorado governor, Denver mayor and fixture in the craft beer scene.Mark BaisleyOn the Republican side of the race is State Sen. Mark Baisley, who is running unopposed in his primary.Other candidatesBlake Huber is running for the Libertarian Party; Robert Chew is running for the Colorado Forward Party; and Adam Withrow is running for the Unity Party.Colorado Attorney GeneralWeiser's win over Bennet to become the next Colorado Democratic gubernatorial candidate left a gap that will have to be filled for Colorado's top prosecutor seat.After a crowded race for the AG seat earlier this year, Coloradans chose Secretary of State Jena Griswold to run on the Democratic ticket, while Michael Allen is running for the Republican Party.Colorado Secretary of StateSince Griswold is vying to become the next state attorney general, the Colorado Secretary of State will need a replacement.On the Republican side for that seat is James Wiley, a Colorado Springs native who has worked as a political consultant and served as the director of Project Thaler, director of Save Our Suffrage, and secretary of Wave of Hope, according to Ballotpedia.Amanda Gonzalez beat out Jessie Danielson for the seat on the Democratic Party side following the primaries this summer.The Libertarian Party candidate for the Secretary of State's office is Alex Astley.State TreasurerJeff Bridges will run for the Colorado Democrat seat for Treasurer in November, while Kevin J. Grantham will vie for the GOP seat.State Board of EducationDistrict 1 Lisa Escrcega, Democratic Party Frederick Espinoza, Republican PartyDistrict 3 Barb Clementi, Democratic Party Sherri Wright, Republican PartyDistrict 7 Karla Esser, Democratic Party Steve Barton, Republican PartyUniversity of Colorado Board of RegentsNine people are running for the University of Colorado Board of Regents in Districts 2, 6 and 7.Learn more about the University of Colorado Board of Regents race here.Colorado Congressional District racesDistrict 1Melat Kiros' win this summer over incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, who held the seat for nearly 30 years, could reshape Democratic politics in Colorado, but Kiros isn't running uncontested.The Democratic Socialist will face off against Republican Christy Peterson for the Denver district.Other candidates include Chad Humphrey for the Libertarian Party; Critter Milton for the Unity Party; and Shimon Blau, who will run as an unaffiliated candidate.District 2Rep. Joe Neguse, the incumbent Democrat who has held the seat for District 2 since 2019, is running once again to keep the seat representing the north-central part of the state.He is running against Kelley Dennison for the Republican Party and Gaylon Kent for the Libertarian Party.District 3Incumbent Republican Jeff Hurd is fighting to keep a seat he's held since 2025 after beating Adam Frisch, the Democrat who nearly unseated Rep. Lauren Boebert four years ago for the seat in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District.Hurd is running against Democrat Dwayne Romero; Libertarian Cory Robertson; and unaffiliated candidate Clifton Brown.District 4Rep. Lauren Boebert, the firebrand Republican and backer of President Donald Trump, is the incumbent running for the Republican ticket in Colorado's 4th Congressional District.Hoping to unseat her are Democrat Eileen Laubacher and Libertarian Douglas Mangeris.District 5Jeff Crank, the GOP Rep. who has represented Colorado's 5th Congressional District, has been in office since last year and is hoping to remain there as several others vie for the congressional seat.Among those running against him are Jessica Killin, a Democrat, Libertarian Mark Elworth Jr., and Christopher Mitchell of the American Constitution Party.District 6Rep. Jason Crow, who earlier this year made headlines after it was revealed the Trump administration was investigating him and other Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging members of the military to resist illegal orders from the administration, is running against several contenders for the seat in Aurora and southeast Denver metro.The other candidates vying for the 6th Congressional District are Republican Jason Ray Clark; Patty McMahon for the Libertarian Party; Meredith Ryan of the Unity Party; and unaffiliated candidate Samir Witta.District 7Incumbent Democrat Brittany Pettersen has represented Colorado's 7th Congressional District since 2023, but there are several candidates trying to unseat her during the midterms.Among them Republican Timothy Bennett; Libertarian Dan Sallis; Lawrence Clark of the American Constitution Party; Susan Hall of the Unity Party; and unaffiliated candidate Joe Krzeczkowski.  District 8The race for Colorado's 8th Congressional District will be one the nation will be watching as the district was drawn in 2021 and stretches from Adams County all the way to Weld County.The seat is currently held by Republican Congressman Gabe Evans, who won the race against his then-incumbent Democratic challenger, Yadira Caraveo, in 2024.Evans is the only Republican running in the primary election, with Democratic and Libertarian candidates hoping they will be selected by voters to challenge him on the November General Election ballot.Democratic State Rep. Manny Rutinel is the Democratic challenger. Rutinel, D-District 32, has served in the state legislature since 2023.David Wood is the challenger for the seat for the Libertarian Party.Colorado 2026 ballot initiativesNow let's look at what's going to be on your statewide ballot this November:Amendment 81: Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements to Federal AuthoritiesAmendment 82: Right to Natural GasAmendment 83: Constitutional Right to Hunt and FishAmendment 84: Mail Ballot Voter IdentificationAmendment 85: Plain Language Ballot QuestionsAmendment 86: Congressional RedistrictingAmendment 87: Graduated Income Tax | Watch Denver7's story on that amendment here.Proposition NN: State Public K-12 Education Funding | Watch Denver7's story on this proposition here.Proposition 132: Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes | Watch Denver7's story on this proposition here.Proposition 133: Penalties for Human Trafficking of a MinorProposition 134: Male and Female Participation in School SportsProposition 135: Prohibit Certain Surgeries on Minors | Watch Denver7's story on this proposition here.Proposition 136: Income Tax Rate CapProposition 137: Designate Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation | Watch Denver7's story on this proposition here.Ballot Issue 7A: Front Range Passenger Rail District | Watch Denver7's story on that ballot issue here.Dates you might want to put in the calendarWe mentioned these dates at the top of this guide, but just to reiterate one more time, here they are: Friday, Oct. 2: First day that mail ballots for the 2026 General Election may be mailed to voters, except for military and overseas voters. Monday, Oct. 12: First day drop boxes will begin to accept mail ballots for the 2026 General Election. Tuesday, Oct. 13: Last day to submit an application to register to vote in the 2026 General Election through a voter registration drive. Monday, Oct. 19: Counting of mail ballots may begin and the first day county drop moxes must be open to accept mail ballots for the 2026 General Election. No results may be disclosed until after 7 p.m. on Election Day. Monday, Oct. 26: Last day for Coloradans to submit an application to register to vote through the mail and still receive a ballot in the mail for the 2026 General Election. Tuesday, Nov. 3 Election Day: Not registered to vote? You can register to vote in person at the closest polling center in your county if you're in line before 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5: Last day for county clerks to send missing signature, signature verification, and missing ID letters and emails. Thursday, Nov. 12: Last day to fix any issue with your ballot before it can be counted (for example, you forgot to sign it or election officials need to confirm your signature), and the last day for ballots cast by military and overseas electors to be received by the county clerk in order to be counted for the 2026 General Election.Helpful links you may want to bookmarkHere is the finalized list of ballot initiatives from the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. And here is the finalized Colorado Blue Book for the 2026 General Election. Read more of Denver7's stories on Colorado politics here ...read more read less