Citizens in Charge

Colorado state house Republicans and Democrats teamed up with big labor, big business, and other special interests against Colorado citizens to pass SCR-1 by a vote of 55-12 early this morning. The constitutional amendment, if approved by voters, would turn the current deep freeze that has overtaken the state’s petition process into an ice age.

Railroaded through the legislature in a few weeks, SCR-1 would require new amendments to the constitution to receive a 60 percent supermajority at the ballot box to pass. In doing so, the amendment would put the state’s constitution in the hands of any well-funded group that can blast voters with 30-second TV ads aimed at keeping support for a popular measure down to 59.9 percent. SCR-1 also splits petition drives in the state up into seven separate efforts: one in each congressional district.

Many in the state have noted that this bill empowers wealthy groups opposed to citizen initiatives. “SCR-1 is a handout to special interests,” said Citizens in Charge Foundation President Paul Jacob in a news release yesterday, “Special interests may not be able to convince a majority of voters to defeat reforms proposed by citizens, but can use their huge money advantage to hammer such measures down below the new 60 percent requirement.”

Citizens in Charge Foundation yesterday released a new report, “Five Facts about Amending Colorado’s Constitution,” showing that Colorado’s constitution is near the national average in the number of amendments, and that nearly 2/3 of those amendments have been proposed by legislators, not by citizen petition.