For Immediate Release

February 5, 2019

DENVER – The Let Denver Vote Initiative got final results from the Denver Elections Division Tuesday, two business days after the campaign turned in an addendum of signatures to augment its initial filing from January 7.  The Denver Elections Division validated 688 additional signatures for the initiative, bringing the total valid signature tally to 5,053.  The initiative needed 4,726 valid signatures to qualify for the next city-wide ballot.  

“This is a tremendous win for the people of Denver, and securing a place on the ballot empowers voters and ensures the well-being of the community,” petition committee spokesperson Christine O’Connor said Tuesday. “We’re thrilled to give Denver voters a voice in determining whether to spend taxpayer money to bid for or host a future Olympics in the Mile High City, and we can’t thank our volunteers enough for their enthusiastic commitment to putting the decision in the hands of Denver voters.”

Election deadlines and the preliminary results released Friday mean the Let Denver Vote Initiative will not be on the May municipal ballot, but having turned in sufficient signatures 120 days in advance of a potential June runoff election means the Let Denver Vote Initiative will be placed on the June 4, 2019 ballot if there is a citywide runoff for Mayor, Clerk and Recorder, or Auditor.  If there is no citywide June runoff, the Let Denver Vote Initiative will appear on the November 5, 2019 ballot.

The Olympics are the ultimate marquee event in competitive winter sports, and along with all the logistical and financial challenges of hosting a 17-day event of this magnitude comes a prolonged period in the global spotlight for the host city, as the world’s eyes turn to the Olympic venues and the unparalleled drama unfolding over the course of the games. The Let Denver Vote Initiative ensures that before the City and County of Denver expends any municipal resources on pursuing a bid to host the Olympics, and before the taxpayers of Denver become liable for cost overruns, the people of Denver must first approve the decision with a vote at the polls.

“Denverites are passionate about sports and culture, and their receptiveness to the Let Denver Vote Initiative shows they are equally passionate about taking responsibility for the weighty decision about whether to invest our resources in hosting the Olympics,” O’Connor said when the campaign turned in their addendum of signatures on Friday. “Our volunteers moved mountains in a short period of time to fill petitions and move this question forward toward the ballot, more than doubling our goal for volunteer signature gathering and collecting nearly four times as many signatures as our paid petitioners.”

The United States Olympic Committee recently picked Salt Lake City over Denver for its choice to bid on the next open Winter Olympics, but the Let Denver Vote Initiative is aimed at empowering Denver voters for any future decisions about bidding for and hosting the Olympics in the years and decades to come.

“Salt Lake proved to be a great host in 2002, and we wish them success in their effort to bring the Olympics back to the Rocky Mountains,” O’Connor said. “The Let Denver Vote Initiative ensures that if Denver ever hosts the Olympics, it will be because the people of Denver enthusiastically choose to do so.”

For more information about the Let Denver Vote Initiative, please visit www.LetDenverVote.org.

Media Contact:  Christine O’Connor, 303 906-6627