On and Off Colorado Initiatives
On Monday, six additional initiative petitions were submitted to the Colorado Secretary of State for signature validation.
However, four of those petitions are already being withdrawn after Governor John Hickenlooper and US Congressman Jared Polis, supporting of two measures “to restrict oil and gas operations,” reached an agreement with supporters of two industry-backed measures. The agreement means that all four initiatives concerning regulation of the oil and natural gas industries will not go on the ballot.
Colorado has a history of groups filing competing initiatives only to have the proponents then make a deal with opponents to withdraw those initiatives. In 2008, an agreement was reached between union supporters and business opponents to withdraw four initiatives, but the deal wasn’t reached until October, so the measures did appear on the ballot but votes were not counted. Most states do not allow proponents to withdraw a petition once it is submitted.
Two remaining initiatives submitted their signatures for verification, one requiring labeling of genetically modified foods and another requiring certain school board meetings to be open to the public. The minimum number of voter signatures required for a place on the ballot is 86,105. The secretary of state’s office has 30 days to verify the submitted signatures.
Two additional measures have already earned their place on Colorado’s ballot for November’s election. Both are constitutional amendments; one deals with gambling and the other “personhood.”
Read more about the most recent 6 submissions:
http://www.denverpost.com/election2014/ci_26275846/six-petitions-seeking-colorado-ballot-measures-submitted-by
Read about the agreement resulting in the withdrawal of four measures:
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_26272493/hick-tries-to-broker-last-minute-oil-deals
You can read more about the two already on the ballot below:
Personhood Amendment
http://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_Definition_of_%22Personhood%22_Initiative,_Amendment_67_%282014%29
Gaming Proceeds for Schools Amendment
http://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_Horse_Racetrack_Limited_Gaming_Proceeds_for_K-12_Education_Amendment_%282014%29
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