DENVER – In what might be one of the biggest Colorado grassroots movements in recent memory, a Colorado Springs-based organization has successfully petitioned three separate initiatives onto the 2026 statewide ballot in November. Along the way they may well also give Republicans a much-needed voter turnout boost.
Initiative 108 “Protecting Children from Sex Trafficking,” Initiative 109 “Protect Women and Girls Sports Act,” and Initiative 110 “Protecting Children from Irreversible Sex Change Procedures,” were all recently certified by the secretary of state’s office, after a mostly volunteer effort from Protect Kids Colorado successfully gathered more than 170,000 signatures per-initiative to take the three measures to voters.
Each initiative needed roughly 126,000 valid signatures to make it onto the ballot.
Driving turnout
Former Colorado GOP Chairman and political analyst Dick Wadhams said the effort is particularly impressive, as most citizen-initiated measures enlist the help of paid circulators at the cost of tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for the majority of their signatures.
According to the Protect Kids Colorado website, more than 3,300 volunteers circulated petitions.
Wadhams also said there is good reason to believe the effort will drive conservative voters to the ballot box during the midterms this fall. Republicans are generally complacent in non-presidential years. However, having issues on the ballot that appeal to those who helped propel President Donald Trump to victory in 2024 could make a real difference when it comes to stopping majority Democrats from winning a legislative super-majority, and even gaining GOP seats in very close districts. It also could make the statewide races much closer than originally thought.
“Given what we saw two years ago in the presidential race across the country, the transgender issue was a big thing,” Wadhams said. “It was a big part of why Trump won.”
The ballot measures
Among other things, Initiative 108 changes the classification of human trafficking of a minor for “sexual servitude” from a Class 2 felony to a Class 1 felony. It mandates the minimum sentencing from eight years to life without parole.
Initiative 109 mandates Colorado school sports teams, beginning in elementary school, be classified based on biological sex. The main components of the initiative mandates that all interscholastic, including high school and college, as well as intramural sports must be in one of three categories: Men, women or co-ed and that males cannot participate on teams designated for females.
Girls can participate in boys’ sports only if a similar team is not offered for girls. The initiative defines males and females based on their biological reproductive system. It also sets procedures and penalties for organizations that intentionally violate the law and protects those that follow the law from legal ramifications.
Finally, Initiative 110 says that “Children lack the maturity to make permanent, life-altering medical decisions” and that “medical treatments or interventions that attempt to surgically alter a minor child’s biological sex often result in serious, irreversible consequences, including sterility,” and therefore enacts a “prohibition on surgery for minors and prohibition on state funding” for such surgery.”
Gone too far
“I think Democrats have misjudged the power of that issue,” Wadhams said. “In fact, there are many prominent Democrats now that regret the party going so far down the line on this issue. I think, clearly, this will have an impact in terms of turnout.”
Wadhams said the momentum of the group who put these on the ballots and their supporters will fire up Republicans and unaffiliated conservatives across the state and make a difference in candidate races.
“I think it will also make a difference in the statewide races,” Wadhams said. “It’s still a really steep hill to win a statewide race in Colorado, but I think in a lot of these legislative races, in both chambers they are going to be very narrow. That extra bit of turnout can turn the tide.”
Wadhams said he has never understood how Democrats bought into the idea that boys should compete in girls’ sports in the first place, adding if he were consulting on a campaign, he would make sure his candidate embraced endorsing all three initiatives.
“I wouldn’t make it the basis of their campaign, but I do think that without hesitation, I would endorse them,” Wadhams said. “I would not flinch at all these and make it clear that you support them.”
More information on all three initiatives is available at www.protectkidscolorado.org
