🏛️ KNOW YOUR GOVERNMENT
How the machine runs, who holds the seats, and how your vote works in Colorado — plain words, facts only.
⚙️ How the Machine Runs
The federal government has three branches, each with its own job:
- Congress writes the laws and holds the money. Two chambers: the Senate (100 members, two per state, six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 members, split among the states by population, two-year terms). Only Congress can pass a tax, declare war, or fund the government.
- The President runs it day to day — commands the military, signs or vetoes bills, and appoints judges and agency heads (most need the Senate's OK). Four-year terms, two at most.
- The Courts decide what the laws mean — headed by the Supreme Court, nine justices appointed for life. A court can strike down a law that conflicts with the Constitution.
How a bill becomes a law: a member of Congress introduces it → committees study and amend it → both chambers must pass the same text → the President signs it (law) or vetoes it → Congress can override a veto with two-thirds of both chambers. A president can also act alone through executive orders, but those bind only the executive branch and can be reversed by the next president.
Federal, state, city — who runs what: the federal government runs defense, immigration, currency, and federal taxes. States run elections, driver's licenses, most policing, schools, and professional licenses. Cities run streets, local police, zoning, and local taxes. Denver is unusual — it is a combined city and county. When state and federal law conflict, federal law wins on paper; cannabis is the standing example — legal and regulated under Colorado law, still a controlled substance under federal law.
Elections: in a primary, each party's voters pick that party's nominees. Midterm elections — every two years, between presidential elections — put all 435 House seats, about a third of the Senate, and most governors' offices on the ballot. Presidents are chosen through the Electoral College: 538 electors, 270 to win, and Colorado holds 10 — the statewide winner takes all 10. One Colorado rule like no other: TABOR, in the state constitution since 1992, caps state revenue growth and requires most new taxes or tax-rate increases to be approved by a vote of the people.
🪑 Who Holds the Seats
The offices that touch this house and its hometown — as of October 2026.
| Office | Who | The plain facts |
|---|---|---|
| President of the United States | Donald J. Trump | Second term; took office January 20, 2025. |
| Vice President | JD Vance | |
| Governor of Colorado | Jared Polis | Second term. Term-limited — he is not on the 2026 ballot; Colorado chooses a new governor on November 3, 2026. |
| U.S. Senator, Colorado | Michael Bennet | In office since 2009. |
| U.S. Senator, Colorado | John Hickenlooper | In office since 2021. Up for re-election November 3, 2026. |
| U.S. Representative, Denver (CO-01) | Diana DeGette | In office since 1997. She lost the June 2026 primary, so she holds the seat until the new Congress is seated in January 2027 — Denver voters choose the successor on November 3, 2026. |
| Mayor of Denver | Mike Johnston | The 46th Mayor of the City and County of Denver, in office since July 2023. |
Also on Colorado's November 3, 2026 ballot: an open race for Governor, an open race for Secretary of State, and all eight of Colorado's U.S. House seats.
📅 Dates That Matter
🗳️ How Voting Works in Colorado
- Register with the Colorado Secretary of State — the official door is GoVoteColorado.gov. You can register in person at a voting center right up to and on Election Day.
- Your ballot comes to you: Colorado mails a ballot to every active registered voter, weeks before the election.
- Return it three ways: by mail, at an official drop box, or in person at a voting center.
- The 7 PM rule: a mail ballot must be received by 7:00 PM on Election Day — a postmark is not enough. Close to the day, drop it off instead of mailing it.
Source: Colorado Secretary of State — Elections.
🤝 About This Page
Facts only. This house doesn't wear a team: our job is to tell you straight what each side says, show you what's actually proven, and leave the choosing to you. Everybody's welcome here. If a line on this page ever fails that test, it gets fixed in the open.