From hunting rights in Colorado to millions in funding for parks, trails, and conservation, voters weighed in on the future of outdoor recreation in the 2026 midterm election. Here’s what passed, what failed, and what remains undecided.
A bull elk stands in an alpine meadow in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Colorado voters rejected Amendment 83, which would have established a constitutional right to hunt and fish and designated those activities as preferred methods of wildlife management. (Photo: Mark de Leeuw/Getty)
Published November 4, 2026 12:32PM
Trail access, hunting rights, and how to spend gear sales taxes are just a handful of the public lands topics Americans voted on during the November 3, 2026, midterm election.
Colorado voters rejected a proposal to protect hunting and fishing in the state constitution, while Massachusetts approved a plan to use existing sporting-goods tax revenue for conservation. Elsewhere, voters weighed in on funding for parks, wildfire prevention, protected open space, and public access to waterways.
Here are seven election developments that could affect how Americans use the outdoors.
A Fight Over Wildlife Management in Colorado
Colorado voters rejected Amendment 83, an effort to establish a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife using “traditional methods.” The amendment did not define what “traditional methods” meant. However, if approved, Amendment 83 would have designated hunting and fishing as the state’s constitutionally preferred methods for managing game species.
Rejecting Amendment 83 preserves the state’s current regulatory system, keeping wildlife policy decisions under the authority of the legislature and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission.
Can Gear Sales in Colorado Pay for Conservation?
As of this publication, Colorado voters are still waiting on final counts for Proposition 137, a measure that would raise an estimated $175 million in annual conservation funding. If approved, the decision would redirect existing sporting-goods sales tax money toward wildfire mitigation, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, state parks, and trail maintenance.
Colorado limits how much tax money the state can keep, and it generally refunds any excess to taxpayers. Proposition 137 would also allow the state to keep sporting-goods tax revenue for conservation, which could mean smaller refunds in some years and less money for other state programs in others.
Official results have not been published yet. Outside will update this article accordingly.
Sales Tax Revenues in Massachusetts to Support Conservation
Massachusetts voters approved creating the Nature for All Fund, which would tap existing sales tax revenues from sporting goods, recreational vehicles, and golf courses.
The fund could receive up to $65 million a year to protect forests, waterways, and wildlife habitat, and to improve parks and trails. Any money left over at the end of the year would stay in the fund rather than return to the state’s general budget, and state lawmakers would still decide how much to spend each year.
Extend Sales Tax to Support Open Space in South Carolina
Charleston County voters in South Carolina backed extending a half-cent sales tax projected to generate up to $4.25 billion over 25 years.
The measure sets aside $690 million to protect open space, split equally between urban and rural areas. The money could help the county buy land for parks, preserve farmland, and create more places for people to access the water, according to the ballot language. The tax will also fund bike paths and pedestrian improvements through its separate transportation budget.
County officials will still need to approve specific land purchases and projects.
Securing Money to Purchase and Manage Public Lands in Florida
In Sarasota County, Florida, voters supported two complementary measures to protect natural areas and public parks. The first extends an existing property tax through 2049, while the second allows the county to borrow up to $250 million to buy and maintain conservation land.
The county will use money from the extended property tax to help pay back the loans. Together, the measures will help protect wetlands, forests, wildlife habitat, and public parks along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Taxes to Support Wildfire Preparedness in California
California voters in Napa County favored a half-cent sales tax that would raise an estimated $23 million annually over 18 years, dividing proceeds between wildfire preparedness programs and the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District.
The funding could help clear brush and other vegetation that fuels wildfires, protect water supplies, and maintain parks and natural areas.
Official results have not been published yet. Outside will update this article accordingly.
Funds to Campgrounds and State Parks in Rhode Island
Rhode Island voters cleared the $55 million Green Economy Bond, which will help pay for improvements to state parks, beaches, campgrounds, and other outdoor spaces.
The funding includes $12 million to improve parks, beaches, and campgrounds, $7 million to restore Narragansett Bay and nearby waterways, and $3 million to protect open space. Additional money will support local recreation areas and boating facilities, while $25 million will help communities prepare for flooding, coastal erosion, and other climate-related damage.
