Municipal elections have an immediate impact on communities, one that can be felt almost instantly. By contrast though, they often have the least turn out from voters, especially youth.

Tuesday Nov. 4, 2025 is the municipal election date in Pueblo County. Decisions made by voters will determine the fate of the mayoral position, city council members, leadership in Pueblo school districts and more. 

“It’s not like the presidential election. Your vote really does matter, and every single vote really does count. This is where you can probably make the biggest impact with your vote,” Sydney Haney said.

Hayney is a community social justice advocate and the first vice chair of Pueblo Young Democrats. She is passionate about engaging and educating young people on their power to vote.

“Right now, our voting block and Pueblo is very small within youth voters. Our voices aren’t being represented and they’re not being heard,” Hayney explained.

Every four years the general election takes the country by storm, suddenly igniting conversation and considerations that lay dormant for the three years in between. That excitement often proves to be exhausting for most Americans. It’s been reported as extremely overwhelming for those coming of age to participate in voting for the first time.

Key Issues, Put Simply

Some key issues voters will be deciding on in this election include:

• Two city council members at large.
• District 1 (northern region) city council member.
• District 3 (western region) city council member.

Members of City Council determine how city tax dollars are used, to include funding of non-profit organizations, economic developments, and city beautification. District seats represent the region they are assigned to. At large, members speak for the entirety of the city.

• Two District 60 school board seats.

Board members of school districts have deciding power in budgets, educational policy, and represent the public they serve in larger community forums where other impactful choices are made.

• Changing form of government to council-manager, from council-mayor.
• Proposed sales tax increase of 1%.
• Proposed extension of half-cent sales tax for economic development.

Other municipal measures involve immediate salary increase for municipal officers, efforts to make it easier for city employees to run for public office, and the decision to potentially employ binding arbitration for concerns of union employees, rather than a vote by elected city officials.

State-wide measures will be decided, affecting the following:

• Continuance of Healthy School Meals for All program.
• Tax increase to individuals with incomes over $300,000 to fund Healthy School Meals for All and support nutritional decisions for school aged kids.

Mayor Heather Graham hosted a town hall Tuesday Oct. 7, 2025 at CSU Pueblo for an open discussion with the community where she detailed upcoming election measures and answered questions from students and other citizens. 

Topics included detailing the functionality of municipal government regarding city council and the mayoral seat compared with a city manager’s role, cost-benefit analysis of those two forms of government, audience concerns about the increasing presence of ICE in Hispanic communities, non-profit budgeting, and some inquiry regarding water resources for residents outside of city limits.

“A yes vote changes the protocol government back to the city manager, it happens immediately, the policy that was submitted by city council to the voter literally says immediately in the language. There’s no transition period,” Graham said. “If 2C does pass, I would be out of office the very next day.”

Campus Access to Voting Resources

CSU Pueblo will be hosting a number of events as election day approaches to provide students the opportunity to become a registered voter. 

There is an election drop box located in the round-about located in front of the administration building on campus, and the university will be a opening a polling station Monday, Nov. 3 from  8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 4 (Election Day) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Students have two more opportunities to register to vote on campus. New Era Colorado will be visiting Friday Oct. 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to assist with last minute registration needs. 

Elections at all levels of government are an opportunity for citizens to utilize their entitled rights within democracy.

“These things affect every single person who lives in this town whether you vote or not,” Hayney said.

Voter registration status can be checked at any time at govotecolorado.gov, and additional polling and drop-box locations can be found here, and additional information on specific ballot measures can be found on the City of Pueblo website.