Denver Mayor Accused Of Raiding Election Funds To Fill Budget Gap

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette

Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López earlier asked the “Vibrant Denver Bond” committee for $43 million for new storage space to secure the city’s election equipment and historical documents, some dating as far back as the 1800s.

What he got from Mayor Mike Johnston was an order to slash $4 million from the department’s budget.

During a July 28 Denver City Council meeting, District 7 Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez had sought an amendment to include the elections facility proposal in the $950 million bond package, which will go to voters this November.

The amendment failed.

Lòpez told The Denver Gazette that, in his 18-year career as a Denver elected official, “this is the first time, and the only time, the mayor has actually tried to raid independent agencies’ budget.”

The Johnston administration has been scrambling to solve the city’s looming $250 million budget shortfall, which many anticipate to lead to cuts to operational budgets and layoffs. 

Budgets for other independent agencies, such as the city auditor, are also on the chopping block.

The Denver Gazette reached out to the Office of the City Auditor for comment; the office did not immediately reply to the query.

The 2025 budget for the Office of the Clerk and Recorder is $14.8 million, which covers the cost of staff, operations and the upcoming coordinated election on Nov. 4.

López said his office understands the need to address the budget deficit and has already “given back” more than $900,000 in savings this year alone through furloughs, not filling vacant positions, and other cost-cutting measures, such as limiting travel and discretionary spending.

During a recent conversation with the mayor, López said Johnston criticized him, saying the Clerk and Recorder’s Office had “the highest increase in budget in any department of the city right now, and when I’m asking people to cut, you’re growing.”

“Each agency has a role to play in addressing the budget gap. No agency is exempt from the difficult choices we must make to put the city on a stronger financial footing,” said Johnston spokesperson Jordan Fuja, who added that the city is still working through budgets for every agency and numbers are not yet final.

Election budgets ebb and flow with the type and number of elections in a particular year, with some years requiring more funding than others.

In 2026, Denver will have both a primary and a midterm election — significant elections with implications for various levels of government.

“Our required budget to run these elections next year is $18.7 million,” López spokesperson Mikayla Ortega said.

Under Johnston’s cuts, Ortega said the Clerk and Recorder’s Office would only see $14.1 million to conduct the two “high-turnout” elections — an amount that is $700,000 less than the 2025 budget.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE