Follow the Money

How does Denver City Council vote on the issues that matter? Track votes, follow the money, and hold power accountable.

Council Scorecard

Key votes tracked against Denver For All's platform. Did your council member stand with residents, or with the status quo?

12-0 AGAINST renewal
May 2025

Flock Surveillance Camera Contract Renewal ($666K, 2 years)

City Council unanimously rejected the Flock ALPR camera contract extension. Every council member voted against renewing the $666,000 contract after community members testified about ICE data sharing and mass vehicle tracking. Mayor Johnston then bypassed the vote by signing a $498,509 contract below the council approval threshold.

Public SafetyDemocracyImmigration
Denver For All position: AGAINST renewalCouncil aligned
VETOED by Mayor (override failed 7-6, needed 9)
Feb 2024

Encampment Sweeps Moratorium During Freezing Temperatures

Council passed a bill to prohibit encampment sweeps when temperatures drop below freezing. Mayor Johnston vetoed it. The override attempt got 7 votes -- a majority of council -- but fell 2 votes short of the 9-of-13 supermajority required by Denver's charter. A standard two-thirds threshold (8 votes) would have overridden the veto.

HousingPublic Safety
Denver For All position: FOR moratoriumCouncil majority aligned, vetoed
PASSED unanimously
Feb 2025

Fair Elections Fund Reforms (CB24-1676)

Council unanimously approved reforms to Denver's Fair Elections Fund: banning anonymous donations, requiring neutral debate participation for recipients, enabling campaign finance investigations, and equalizing contribution limits. Strengthens small-donor democracy.

Democracy
Denver For All position: FOR reformsCouncil aligned
PASSED 10-1
2022

ShotSpotter Acoustic Surveillance Contract Renewal ($4.7M)

Council approved a $4.7 million ShotSpotter contract extension despite testimony from nearly two dozen community members opposing it. Sensors are concentrated in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color -- Montbello, East Colfax, North Park Hill, Five Points, and Lincoln Park. Independent studies have found no consistent evidence that acoustic surveillance reduces gun violence.

Public Safety
Denver For All position: AGAINST renewalCouncil misaligned

This scorecard tracks verified council votes on issues aligned with the Denver For All platform. We add new votes as they happen -- know about one we're missing? Email us or open an issue on GitHub.

The Pattern

When the council votes progressively, the mayor overrides them. When the council votes regressively, the mayor signs.

12-0Council votes against Flock cameras → Mayor bypasses with below-threshold contract
7-6Council majority passes freezing sweeps ban → Mayor vetoes, override threshold too high
10-1Council approves $4.7M ShotSpotter in communities of color → Mayor signs

This is why Denver For All supports charter reform: lowering the veto threshold, requiring council approval for surveillance contracts, and reducing the $500K contract review threshold.

Look Up the Money Yourself

Campaign finance data is public. These official sources let you search contributions to Denver politicians right now.

Why This Matters

Denver is a home-rule city, meaning municipal campaign finance data is managed by the Denver Clerk & Recorder -- not the state TRACER system. SearchLight Denver is the best tool for looking up who funds your council member. TRACER covers state-level races (your state representative, state senator, governor). We're working to aggregate this data into a single searchable tool with donor categorization.