State Feed: Colorado

Colorado: Aurora Official Wants Voters to Allow Incentives for NASCAR Track

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:01:47 -0500

A city councilman wants to make it easier for a NASCAR racetrack to be built in Aurora once the economy turns around.

Councilman Bob FitzGerald wants voters to repeal a 1999 ballot initiative that stops the city from offering incentives to racetrack developers.

He had planned to introduce the measure at a City Council committee this week for discussion, but the proposal was kicked back to the Aurora Economic Development Council for review.

Ballotpedia's Final Analysis on 2011 Statewide Ballot Measures Released

AmandaKathryn — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:36:18 -0500

Ballotpedia’s final analysis on donations to all 2011 statewide ballot measure campaigns has been released; the donations add up $85 million.

The report reveals some interesting information like the fact that the state with the highest contributions from all campaign sides from all ballot measures was in Ohio. The least amount of contributions was in Arkansas.

You can also find an overview of the contributions from supporters & opponents, a ranking of ballot measures from the most to the least contributions, and the ranking of political topic contributions where “labor” shows the most donations in Ohio on Issue 2.

Check out Ballotpedia’s analysis here.

Colorado: Proponents Submit 159,000 Signatures to Put Marijuana Legalization on November Ballot

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:14:12 -0500

Denver-based activists submitted over 159,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office yesterday, well over the 86,500 required to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s Presidential ballot in November. The initiative is being spearheaded by Brian Vicente and Mason Tvert of Sensible CO and SAFER CO respectively.

“This is a job well done and a crucial first step to ensure Coloradans have a chance to make history,” said Art Way, Colorado Manager of the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports the measure. “There’s simply no denying the intense groundswell for change.”

Colorado: Effort underway to get sales tax measure on ballot

Trevor Ford — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:07:56 -0500

The effort to get a sales tax initiative on the ballot for April to fund a proposed community recreation center is under way. During a special board meeting Thursday, the Montrose Recreation District board of directors gave its blessing to a citizen task force that hopes to collect enough voter signatures to get the sales tax initiative on the ballot.

Read the story from the Montrose Daily Press

Colorado: Personhood measure could end up on state ballot

Trevor Ford — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:45:34 -0500

Fresh off a thumping at the polls in Mississippi, supporters of a constitutional amendment that would legally define a fertilized egg as a person are back for a third try with Colorado voters. On Monday, Arvada-based Personhood USA unveiled a measure that’s been substantially rewritten from ballot initiatives Colorado voters shot down by wide margins in the last two general elections.

Read the story from The Colorado Statesman

Voters in Colorado Reject Tax Increases

Trevor Ford — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:24:39 -0400

Colorado citizens hit the polls yesterday to decide whether or not to raise taxes:

Colorado: Citizens vote down tax increases

Trevor Ford — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:21:52 -0400

In what could be a harbinger of the 2012 election, Colorado voters Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a measure that would have raised nearly $3 billion for education by temporarily increasing state income, sales and use taxes. With 59% of the projected vote counted, Proposition 103 was trailing 65% to 35%, the Associated Press reported. The debate over the measure closely mirrored recent rancor in Washington over the question of whether more spending will revive a moribund economy or slow down a nascent recovery.

Read the story from the Los Angeles Times

Colorado: Tax increases for public education on Nov. 1 ballot

Trevor Ford — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:25:04 -0400

When Colorado voters go to the polls November 1, the only statewide issue on the ballot will be Proposition 103, a measure that would increase sales and income taxes to provide money for public education. The controversial measure, which would generate $2.9 billion over the five years the tax increase would be in effect, is lauded by supporters as “standing up for better schools” and vilified by opponents as a “job killer.”

Read the story from Governing.com

What Does "Representative Government" Mean?

Paul — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:34:08 -0400

George Will’s recent column, “A republic, guaranteed,” generally scoffs at a lawsuit filed in federal court in Colorado attempting to overturn the state’s voter-initiated Taxpayer Bill of Rights amendment, which caps state spending. But while disagreeing with the goal of the lawsuit, Mr. Will seems to in part agree with those who filed it. At least when they argue in their legal brief that there is a “contest between direct democracy and representative democracy.”

COLORADO: Marijuana legalization measure survives legal challenges

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:44:25 -0400

A proposed ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Colorado has survived two legal challenges.

The Colorado Supreme Court this week rejected two challenges to the measure that would ask voters whether marijuana in small amounts should be legal for people over 21. Sponsors of the marijuana measure are gathering signatures to place the question on 2012 ballots.

Foes of Colorado education-tax initiative file complaint over petition worker's tactics

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:27:12 -0400

Opponents of a ballot measure to hike taxes for education funding allege in a complaint filed with the secretary of state’s office that a person gathering signatures for the initiative broke the law with “false and misleading statements” about the measure.

Colorado: Signature drive falls short for term limits campaign

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:25:03 -0400

A Breckenridge citizen group working to get a term-limit elimination question on the ballot in November was unable to collect the needed 411 signatures in time for the June 23 deadline. The ballot question, a topic of some debate in Breckenridge, would have asked voters to remove the state-imposed two-term limit on town council members and the mayor. Two sitting council members, Eric Mamula and Jeffrey Bergeron, are term limited in the spring and will not be able to run again unless the council elects to put the question on the ballot, which it has previously declined to do.

Read the story from Summit Daily News

Video: Constitutional Law Scholar Rob Natelson Discusses Colorado TABOR Lawsuit

Staff — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:21:31 -0400

Though Colorado’s famous Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, was approved by voters in 1992, a group made up of career politicians has recently filed a lawsuit claiming that the measure violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of a “republican form of government” in every state.

Colorado: Power to the people, say the people

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:42:08 -0400

Despite the Legislature’s failure to pass a bill this year to increase the percentage of votes needed to pass a voter initiated constitutional amendment, grassroots advocates recently voiced their opposition to the move they see as part of a trend by legislators to limit the power of the people.

Read the story from The Colorado Independent

Colorado Statesman: Initiative Process Under Siege in Colorado

Staff — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:35:56 -0400

In last week’s edition of The Colorado Statesman, and article from Ernest Luning talks about our transpartisan panel event last month in Denver:

Initiative Process Comes Under Siege in Colorado

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:33:07 -0400

An unlikely alliance of some of the state’s leading liberal and conservative voices are sounding the alarm that Colorado’s ballot initiative process is facing an unprecedented assault from established interests and lawmakers.

Read the story from The Colorado Statesman

Colorado: Term limits vote may get do-over

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:46:24 -0400

In a show of early fireworks, a parade of people on Tuesday called for El Paso County commissioners to place two issues on the November ballot. Commissioners made no decision on either request presented during the meeting’s public-comment period: to reword a measure to extend term limits for some elected officials, and to increase sales tax by 0.15 of a cent to pay for park maintenance countywide.

Read the story from The Gazette

VIDEO: Thad Tecza Receives the May 2011 Lilburne Award

Staff — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:25:39 -0400

Our May 2011 Lilburne Award winner Thad Tecza just so happened to be one of the panelists at our event in Denver, CO last month. Citizens in Charge Foundation president Paul Jacob presented him with the award at the end of the event.

VIDEO: Transpartisan Panel Discusses Attacks on Colorado's Initiative Process

Staff — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:50:52 -0400

If you weren’t able to make it to Denver for our big event a couple weeks ago make sure you check out videos of the event on our YouTube channel. The keynote speakers and panelists were great. We just posted the full version of our panel discussion. Where else can you see John Fund and Joe Trippi at the same event…agreeing on something? Check it out.

VIDEO: Democratic Consultant Joe Trippi on I&R Rights

Staff — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:15:48 -0400

Last week, Citizens in Charge Foundation co-hosted a transpartisan panel in Denver, CO to discuss the various attacks on Colorado’s initiative process.

After the panel was done we chatted briefly with Mr. Trippi on why he thought initiative & referendum rights are so important for citizens in holding their government accountable.