State Feed: Colorado

Colorado: Petition drive against Old Town Fort Collins house-size limit fails

Neal — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:23:23 -0400

Efforts to overturn new limits on the size of homes in historic neighborhoods near downtown Fort Collins have come up short.

A petition drive calling for the repeal of an ordinance setting tighter standards for the square footage, height and design of houses in the Eastside and Westside neighborhoods wound up 43 signatures short of the minimum needed to force action by the City Council, said organizer Jill Kuch.

Petitioners had until 5 p.m. Thursday to turn in 2,809 signatures of registered voters supporting the repeal. If enough signatures had been collected, the council would have been required to repeal the ordinance or have city voters decide the matter through an election.

Pay Per Signature Limit Falls in Colorado

Neal — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:20:51 -0400

Last week, Federal Judge Philip A. Brimmer overturned Colorado’s law limiting productivity pay – pay based on the number of signatures gathered – to no more than 20 percent of total pay for people circulating initiative and referendum petitions.

Colorado Recalls Follow Gun Legislation

Neal — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:56:46 -0400

In Colorado, a citizen’s defense group, the Basic Freedom Defense Fund (BFDF), is forming a committee to recall State Senator John Morse (Colorado Springs), the Democratic President of the State Senate. Morse had sponsored Senate Bill 13-196, a bill which would impose penalties on owners of so-called “assault weapons”, making them liable for any damage caused by them.

“It really made a lot of people upset, it’s an affront to the Second Amendment, it’s an affront to the Constitution and it’s an affront to the oath that he took,” explained BFDF Spokesperson Anthony Garcia.

State representative Michael McLachlan (D-Durango) may also be under the gun of recall efforts by the BFDF over firearm issues.

Colorado: [State] Senator John Morse facing recall effort over gun laws

Neal — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:13:13 -0400

State Senate Democratic President John Morse, of Colorado Springs, is facing a recall effort for his support of controversial gun control laws.

On Friday the Basic Freedom Defense Fund (BFDF) formed a local committee for recalling Morse, the group claims around sixty-volunteers representing state organizations and local businesses have pledged support for the campaign. The effort was inspired by several laws proposed by democrats that would put tighter restrictions on guns including expanded background checks and limits on ammunition magazines.

Colorado citizens mulling over commission to review state Constitution

Neal — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:08:28 -0500

In Colorado, a group of self-described civic and business “leaders” are launching an effort to create an unelected state commission, which would be armed with the power to review Colorado’s constitution and place sweeping new constitutional amendments on the ballot – including measures that could propose wholesale revisions of the current state constitution.

Colorado: Marijuana Advocates are no Stranger to ‘invalid signatures’ on Petitions

AmandaKathryn — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:45:26 -0500

It’s potentially a big day in the world of marijuana. Proponents of a ballot measure seeking to legalize pot for people 21 and older will turn in another batch of signatures today to make up for what Secretary of State Scott Gessler said was a deficiency of about 2,500.

Originally, the group behind the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act turned in nearly twice as many as the 86,105 signatures needed to take the matter to voters, but was told that more than half were invalid. Proponents were given time to make up the shortfall and, according to Westword, are prepared to turn in nearly five times the amount necessary.

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