Taxpayers have put about $454,000 into the at-large Council race. How Denver's Fair Elections Fund works, and how the Council has changed it

Denver's Fair Elections Fund has paid out about $454,000 to five candidates in Tuesday's special election for the open at-large City Council seat, Denverite reported on Friday.

The story looked at how candidates spend that public money. One candidate, Jake Browne, has used much of his on community events, such as catering a gathering at a Colfax bar, restocking little free libraries and buying supplies for neighborhood cleanups, rather than mailers and ads. Denverite reported his campaign raised about $8,000 from donors and received about $37,000 in matching funds. Monica Martinez has received about $228,000 in public money on top of about $112,877 raised, and other candidates have mostly spent public dollars on staff and advertising, according to the report.

Why it matters: the fund is paid for out of the city budget. In the 2023 city election it distributed more than $7.5 million across many more races, Denverite reported, and critics have long argued that much of it goes to campaigns that lose.

How the fund works

According to the Clerk and Recorder's Fair Elections Fund page:

• The match: 9-to-1 on contributions of up to $50 from Denver residents. A $50 contribution can bring in up to $450 in public money.
• To qualify: 100 contributions of at least $5 from Denver residents (250 for mayor).
• Lower limits in exchange: Participating at-large candidates can accept no more than $415 per contributor, half the $835 limit for those who don't participate. Only individuals and registered small-donor committees can give.
• Caps: An at-large candidate can receive up to $298,365 in a general election.
• Funding: an annual appropriation of $3.43 per Denver resident.
• Spending: Fund dollars are audited to confirm they go to election-related expenses, the city says. Participants must also take part in at least one debate organized by the Clerk and Recorder.

What our records add: the Council's changes

Voters created the fund in 2018. The Council has amended the rules twice since the 2023 election, both times without opposition:

• June 24, 2024: 24-0718 amended the city's general campaign finance rules and the Fair Elections Fund Act. It passed 11-0, with Stacie Gilmore and Sarah Parady absent (meeting, roll call).
• Feb. 18, 2025: 24-1676, sponsored by Darrell Watson and Amanda Sawyer, reorganized the campaign finance code and banned anonymous contributions to candidates for city office. It passed 13-0 (meeting, roll call). During debate, Chris Hinds said, "The Fair Elections Fund is working" (transcript). A week earlier, a deputy city clerk told the Council the bill would let the office use money from the fund to arrange candidate debates (transcript).

Robin Kniech, a former at-large Council member who supported creating the fund, told Denverite she believes it levels the playing field but does not stem outside money and independent spending.

We report the program's rules and the Council's votes. We do not endorse any candidate, and the amounts above are as Denverite reported them from city filings.

What's next

• Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m.: Ballots are due. The candidate with the most votes wins; there is no runoff in this special election.
• April 2027: The seat is on the ballot again with the rest of the Council in the regular city election, according to the city's Fair Elections Fund page. Our guide to the race covers this special election. The city's fund page says matching money for that election could begin to be paid out starting in August 2026.
• Candidate filings are posted by the Clerk and Recorder. Our earlier story looks at donors in the race.