List of Colorado ballot measures
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of statewide initiative
s and referenda
modifying state law and proposing state constitutional amendment
s in Colorado
, sorted by election. The Colorado Legislative Council, an organ of the Colorado General Assembly, maintains a comprehensive list at its website.
Measures submitted to popular vote may be classified as follows:
Referenda are amendments to state statutes or the state constitution proposed by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Colorado General Assembly
and must be approved by a simple majority of voters at the next general election. Such referred measures are designated by letter.
Initiatives (also referred to simply as Amendments) are amendments to the state statutes or to the state constitution proposed via petition by citizens, and must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to at least 5% of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of secretary of state at the previous general election. Upon acceptance, the initiative is voted upon during the next statewide general election. Amendments are designated by number. The number assigned to a measure when petitions are circulating is generally different from the number ultimately assigned to an initiative when it is placed upon the ballot.
There is no difference in Colorado, as of July 16, 2008, between the requirements for placing a statutory change, and a state constitutional change on the ballot, or approving such a change. Colorado Referendum O facing voters in November 2008 would change these requirements by requiring more support at the petition stage to amend the state constitution than to amend a state statute.
Colorado voters may also present petitions forcing votes on the repeal of laws enacted by the state legislature without a "safety clause," and may force a public vote on the recall of an elected official. Neither type of ballot issue has been presented to Colorado voters at a statewide level in recent history.
four proposed amendments (53, 55, 56 and 57) were withdrawn by their labor supporters in exchange for agreements from businesses and politicians to actively oppose Amendments 47, 49 and 54.http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_10623567. The withdrawn amendments will appeared on the ballot, but the votes were not counted.
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
s and referenda
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
modifying state law and proposing state constitutional amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
s in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, sorted by election. The Colorado Legislative Council, an organ of the Colorado General Assembly, maintains a comprehensive list at its website.
Measures submitted to popular vote may be classified as follows:
Referenda are amendments to state statutes or the state constitution proposed by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
and must be approved by a simple majority of voters at the next general election. Such referred measures are designated by letter.
Initiatives (also referred to simply as Amendments) are amendments to the state statutes or to the state constitution proposed via petition by citizens, and must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to at least 5% of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of secretary of state at the previous general election. Upon acceptance, the initiative is voted upon during the next statewide general election. Amendments are designated by number. The number assigned to a measure when petitions are circulating is generally different from the number ultimately assigned to an initiative when it is placed upon the ballot.
There is no difference in Colorado, as of July 16, 2008, between the requirements for placing a statutory change, and a state constitutional change on the ballot, or approving such a change. Colorado Referendum O facing voters in November 2008 would change these requirements by requiring more support at the petition stage to amend the state constitution than to amend a state statute.
Colorado voters may also present petitions forcing votes on the repeal of laws enacted by the state legislature without a "safety clause," and may force a public vote on the recall of an elected official. Neither type of ballot issue has been presented to Colorado voters at a statewide level in recent history.
November 2, 2004
- Amendment 34: Failed: Construction Liability
- Amendment 35: Passed: Tobacco Tax Increase For Health - Related Purposes
- Amendment 36: Failed: Selection of Presidential Electors
- Amendment 37: Passed: Renewable Energy Requirement
- Referendum A: Failed: State Personnel System
- Referendum B: Passed: Obsolete Constitutional Provisions
November 1, 2005
- Referendum C: Passed: State Spending
- Referendum D: Failed: State Borrowing
November 7, 2006
- Amendment 38Colorado Amendment 38 (2006)Amendment 38 was a measure on the 2006 ballot in Colorado. If passed, it would have amended the Colorado Constitution. It would have extend the petition process to all levels of state government to expand citizens' ability to propose changes to state laws and local ordinances or...
: Failed: Petitions - Amendment 39: Failed: School District Expenditures for Education
- Amendment 40: Failed: Term Limits on Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Judges
- Amendment 41Colorado Amendment 41 (2006)Amendment 41 is a citizen initiative adopted by Colorado voters in the 2006 general election.Amendment 41 places new restrictions on gifts, broadly defined, given to Colorado public officials, government employees, and their immediate family members. Such persons are prohibited from receiving...
: Passed: Standards of Conduct in Government - Amendment 42Colorado Amendment 42 (2006)Amendment 42 was a ballot initiative, adopted by Colorado voters in November 2006, that amended Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution to impose a minimum wage of $6.85 per hour, to be adjused annually for inflation after 2007. The amendment was approved by 53.3% of voters.The minimum wage in...
: Passed: Colorado Minimum Wage Increase - Amendment 43Colorado Amendment 43 (2006)Amendment 43 proposes adding a new section to Article II of the Colorado Constitution that defines marriage in Colorado as only a union between one man and one woman.Recognized marriages in Colorado would be:# only between a man and a woman...
: Passed: Traditional Marriage - Amendment 44Colorado Amendment 44 (2006)Amendment 44 was a proposed amendment to the state statutes submitted for referendum in the 2006 general elections in the U.S. state of Colorado. The amendment proposed the legalization of the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana for any person twenty-one years of age and over, as long as...
: Failed: Marijuana Possession - Amendment 45: Withdrawn By Proponents On August 22, 2006 after a ballot number was assigned: Domestic Partnerships
- Referendum EColorado Referendum E (2006)Referendum E was a 2006 referendum in Colorado to reduce property taxes for qualified disabled veterans by exempting a portion of the value of their home from property taxation. A qualified disabled veteran would have a service-connected disability with a 100 percent permanent disability...
: Passed: Extension of Property Tax Exemption of Disabled Veterans - Referendum FColorado Referendum F (2006)Colorado Referendum F was a referendum held in Colorado, United States, in 2006, and proposed to change the requirements for recalling elected officials, allowing the state legislature to relax deadlines for protesting recall petitions. The effect of this measure will be to make it more difficult...
: Failed: Removing Recall Timelines from the Constitution - Referendum GColorado Referendum G (2006)Referendum G was a 2006 Colorado ballot measure. It removed provisions, dates, and references to obsolete laws from three sections of the state Constitution...
: Passed: Elimination of Obsolete Constitutional Provisions - Referendum HColorado Referendum H (2006)Referendum H was a 2006 Colorado referendum to bar businesses from claiming a state income tax business deduction for wages paid to workers who were known at the time of hiring to be undocumented immigrants. It effected employees hired on and after Jan. 1, 2008.-Arguments:Arguments for:It targets...
: Passed: Unauthorized Alien Labor Tax Deduction - Referendum IColorado Referendum I (2006)Referendum I was a proposed law which would have established domestic partnerships in the U.S. state of Colorado. The bill was passed by the Colorado General Assembly and was submitted to popular referendum during general elections on November 7, 2006....
: Failed: Domestic Partnerships - Referendum JColorado Referendum J (2006)Current law in Colorado requires school districts to set aside money for specific purposes from within the total budget, such as buildings and insurance, books and other school supplies, and services for "at-risk" students...
: Failed: Public Schools Expenditure Accountability Act - Referendum KColorado Referendum K (2006)Referendum K is a referendum on the 2006 Colorado ballot. It "directs the Colorado attorney general to initiate, or join other states in, a lawsuit against the U.S. attorney general to demand that the federal government enforce existing federal immigration laws".-External links:*...
: Passed: Attorney General Initiate Immigration Lawsuit
November 4, 2008
This list is up-to-date with the list at the Secretary of State's Elections Center as of 2008-10-03, whenfour proposed amendments (53, 55, 56 and 57) were withdrawn by their labor supporters in exchange for agreements from businesses and politicians to actively oppose Amendments 47, 49 and 54.http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_10623567. The withdrawn amendments will appeared on the ballot, but the votes were not counted.
- Amendment 46Colorado Amendment 46 (2008)Amendment 46, also known as the "Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, was a proposed initiative on the Colorado ballot for 2008. If ratified, Article II of the Colorado Constitution would have stated:...
: Failed: Discrimination and Preferential Treatment By Governments - Amendment 47Colorado Amendment 47 (2008)Amendment 47 was a proposed initiative on the Colorado ballot for 2008. It was defeated.The initiative was proposed jointly by Ryan Frazier of Aurora and Julian Jay Cole of Golden...
: Failed: Prohibition on Mandatory Labor Union Membership and Dues - Amendment 48Colorado Amendment 48 (2008)Colorado Amendment 48 is a proposed initiative to amend the definition of a person to "any human being from the moment of fertilization."The initiative was proposed jointly by Kristine Burton and Michael Burton of Colorado for Equal Rights....
: Failed: Definition Of Person - Amendment 49Colorado Amendment 49 (2008)Amendment 49 was a proposed initiative on the Colorado ballot for 2008. It was defeated.-Goals:According to the Blue Book, the state-provided ballot guide, Amendment 49 "proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to: prohibit any public employee paycheck deduction, except for:* deductions required...
: Failed: Allowable Government Paycheck Deductions - Amendment 50Colorado Amendment 50 (2008)Colorado Amendment 50 was a citizen’s initiative that amended the Colorado state constitution to:* allow residents of Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek to vote to extend casino hours, approve additional games, and increase the maximum bet limit;...
: Passed: Limited Gaming in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek - Amendment 51Colorado Amendment 51 (2008)Colorado Amendment 51 was a citizen’s initiative proposed by Wendy B. Rosanova of Centennial, CO, and Marijo Rymer, executive director of the The Arc of Colorado. It was turned down by 62.4% of the voters...
: Failed: State Sales Tax Increase for Services for People with Developmental Disabilities - Amendment 52Colorado Amendment 52 (2008)Amendment 52 was a 2008 initiative in Colorado, United States for around half of severance tax funds to be redirected to highway building and maintenance projects, especially expanding I-70. 64.3% of the voters voted against it.- Results :...
: Failed: Use of Severance Tax Revenue for Highways - Amendment 53: WITHDRAWN: Criminal Accountability of Business Executives - withdrawn by the sponsors
- Amendment 54Colorado Amendment 54 (2008)Amendment 54 was a proposed initiative on the Colorado ballot for 2008. It passed with 51.2% of the vote.-Purpose:According to the Blue Book, the state-provided ballot guide, Amendment 54 "proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to:- Injunction issued :...
: Passed: Campaign Contributions from Certain Government Contractors - Amendment 55: WITHDRAWN: Allowable Reasons for Employee Discharge or Suspension - withdrawn by the sponsors
- Amendment 56: WITHDRAWN: Employer Responsibility for Health Insurance - withdrawn by the sponsors
- Amendment 57: WITHDRAWN: Additional Remedies for Injured Employees - withdrawn by the sponsors
- Amendment 58Colorado Amendment 58 (2008)Amendment 58 was a proposed initiative on the Colorado ballot of 2008 regarding Colorado's severance tax. It was turned down by 57.9% of the voters.-Effect:The initiative stated that Amendment 58 would:...
: Failed: Severance Taxes on the Oil and Natural Gas Industry - Amendment 59Colorado Amendment 59 (2008)From Ballotpedia Initiative 126 or the Savings Account for Education Initiative will appear on the ballot as Amendment 59...
: Failed: Education Funding and TABOR Rebates - Referendum LColorado Referendum L (2008)Referendum L was a referendum in Colorado, USA in 2008, to lower the age requirement to participate in the Colorado State Legislature from 25 to 21. The measure was rejected by voters 53.7% to 46.3% on November 4, 2008.- Results :- External links :*...
: Failed: Qualifications For Serving In State Legislature - Referendum M: Passed: Obsolete Constitutional Provisions Relating To Land Value Increases
- Referendum N: Passed: Obsolete Constitutional Provisions Relating To Alcoholic Beverages
- Referendum O: Failed: Citizen-Initiated State Laws
November 2, 2010
This list is current as of November 3, 2010 Secretary of State Election Center.- Amendment 60: Failed: Reduces property taxes and forces the state to pick up the shortfall.
- Amendment 61: Failed: Limits government borrowing.
- Amendment 62Colorado Amendment 62 (2010)- Colorado Amendment 62 :Colorado Amendment 62 was an initiated constitutional amendment that appeared on the November 2, 2010 ballot defining personhood as “every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.” It sought to ban abortion in the state of Colorado...
: Failed: Definition of Person. - Amendment 63: Failed: Blocks implementation of PPACAPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
in Colorado. - Proposition 101: Failed: Lowers state income tax rates and reduces automobile registration fees.
- Proposition 102: Failed: Amends criteria for setting bail and bond in Colorado.