Slight differences between election night unofficial results and those shown at 4:34 p.m. on Wednesday for two Estes Park Ballot Questions made no difference in the outcome. But for Larimer County and its childcare proposal, the difference made a huge difference.
Instead of the County initiative narrowly failing by less than 2% on election night, the 4:34 p.m. vote tally on Nov. 5 changed that outcome. Instead of falling short, the initiative to raise sales and use taxes by 0.25% to improve the availability and affordability of childcare and preschool programs in the county passed by nearly the same margin.
The county vote that adds an extra 25 cents to a $100 purchase will not apply to groceries, gas, diapers, or prescription drugs. It is projected to raise $28.7 million annually over the next 20 years until the tax expires.
The Early Childhood Council of Larimer County will receive 80% of the funding to administer the program. Larimer County will receive 20% of the total to build reserves in case of declining revenues and funds to hire a staff member liaison.
While the Wednesday afternoon results for both local citizen initiatives did not alter the outcome, a late voter count showed supporters of Ballot Issue 300 increased affirmative votes to 53.5% of the total with 1,185 votes. On election night, that number was 1,107. Votes against the initiative, which had been counted on election night, totaled 946. By Wednesday, the opposition count had risen to 1,030.
Ballot Question 300 requires written approval for rezoning requests and planned unit developments from two-thirds of the property owners within 500 feet of the site.
A similar initiative two years ago failed when only 842 voters supported the change, which required 60% of the owners within 500 feet of the property lines of the requested area to approve the rezoning.
Additionally, the total number of voters for the initiative increased in this election. In the election one week ago, 25% more people voted on the rezoning issue than two years ago.
In 2023, 842 voters, 48%, chose rezoning restrictions. This year, 53.5% (1,185) said “yes” to the issue. The remainder this year, 46.5% of the total, were in opposition to the proposal. The opposed vote in 2023 accounted for 52% of the ballots cast.
Although 2025 was seen as an off-year election, meaning fewer people were expected to vote, 25% more individuals expressed their opinions on Initiative 300 than in 2023.
Ballots for the 2025 Coordinated Election in Colorado are scheduled to be certified at the county level by Nov. 21, 2025, and at the state level on or after Dec. 2, 2025.