DENVER — In light of reports that Ballot Issue 7A has appeared on the ballots of voters who live outside the designated boundaries of the Front Range Passenger Rail District, Jon Caldara, head of the Affordable Colorado Issue Committee and President of the Independence Institute, is calling on the District’s Board of Directors and the Colorado Secretary of State to deem the ballot initiative invalid.

Ballot Issue 7A asks voters within the Front Range Passenger Rail District to approve a new sales tax to fund passenger rail service along the Front Range. Reports that voters outside the District’s boundaries have received ballots containing the measure raise questions about which voters are participating in the election and whether the results can be considered valid.

“This is gross incompetence brought to the voters by the same interests who mismanaged every rail tax since the 1970s,” Caldara said. “If they can’t get the district boundaries right for their inaugural election, how can they get trains to run on time? Are they going to tax more voters by accident, too?”

The issue comes months after lawmakers changed the District’s boundaries during the 2026 legislative session, removing portions of Weld and Douglas counties from the District.

“The District waged an effort during the 2026 legislative session to strategically redraw its boundaries, carving portions of Weld and Douglas counties out of the voting lines,” Caldara said. “It seems that gimmick has come back to bite CoCo in the caboose.”

Caldara called on the Front Range Passenger Rail District and Secretary of State’s Office to immediately determine the scope of the ballot issue, including how many voters outside the District received ballots containing Issue 7A and whether any affected ballots have already been returned.

“If voters who are not legally part of this district are being asked to decide whether the district can impose a tax, Coloradans deserve to know how this happened, how widespread it is and what it means for this election,” Caldara said. “The District and Secretary of State need to provide answers immediately.”