Colorado Changes to Initiative Process Measure (2020)
| Colorado Changes to Initiative Process Measure | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Direct democracy measures | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Colorado Changes to Initiative Process Measure (#245, #299) was not on the ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.
The initiative would have made changes to the state's initiative and referendum process.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for version #245 is below:[1]
| “ | Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning petitions, and, in connection therewith, allowing petitioning of all Colorado governments; changing petition requirements and procedures; requiring brief, plain English petition titles; limiting the amount of state legislation that is petition-exempt; allowing laws enacted by petition to be changed only by another petition; exempting petitions from municipal home-rule provisions; and repealing all conflicting laws?[2] | ” |
The ballot title for version #299 is below:[1]
| “ | Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning initiative and referendum petitions, and, in connection therewith, allowing petitioning of all Colorado governments; changing requirements, procedures, and deadlines for: 1) circulating petitions and qualifying petitions for the ballot, including elimination of the requirement that signatures for constitutional amendments be gathered from all parts of the state, 2) protesting petitions, including changing the venue and accelerating the protest process, and 3) informing voters of petition contents, including referring voters to pro and con websites; requiring petition titles of no more than 60 words; limiting the number of bills that the general assembly may exempt from referendum; repealing the requirement that an initiative to add language to the Colorado constitution be approved by 55%, rather than 50%, of the voters; allowing laws enacted by initiative to be changed only by another initiative; exempting petitions from municipal home-rule provisions; and repealing all conflicting laws?[2] | ” |
Full text
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Colorado, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for the office of Colorado secretary of state in the preceding general election. For initiated constitutional amendments, signature gathering must be distributed to include signatures equal to 2 percent of the registered voters who live in each of the state's 35 senate districts.
State law provides that petitioners have six months to collect signatures after the ballot language and title are finalized. State statutes require a completed signature petition to be filed three months and three weeks before the election at which the measure would appear on the ballot. The Constitution, however, states that the petition must be filed three months before the election at which the measure would appear. The secretary of state generally lists a date that is three months before the election as the filing deadline.
Constitutional amendments in Colorado require a 55% supermajority vote to be ratified and added to the state constitution. This requirement was added by Amendment 71 of 2016.
The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 124,632 valid signatures
- Deadline: August 3, 2020[3]
The secretary of state is responsible for signature verification. Verification is conducted through a review of petitions regarding correct form and then a 5 percent random sampling verification. If the sampling projects between 90 percent and 110 percent of required valid signatures, a full check of all signatures is required. If the sampling projects more than 110 percent of the required signatures, the initiative is certified. If less than 90 percent, the initiative fails.
Details about this initiative
- Chip Creager and Natalie Menten filed the initiative on January 31, 2020.[4]
- The title board set a title for the measure on February 19, 2020.[4]
- Petitioners filed a lawsuit with the state supreme court challenging the title board's title. The measure was pending supreme court review as of April 2, 2020.
- Chip Creager and Mike Spalding filed version #299 on March 20, 2020, and a title was issued for it on April 1, 2020.[4]
- Proponents did not submit signatures by the deadline on August 3, 2020.[4]
See also
External links
- Initiative 245 full text
- Colorado Secretary of State: Initiative Filings, Agendas & Results
- Initiatives filed with the Legislative Council Staff
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "Initiative #245 full text," accessed February 20, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ On May 17, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed Executive Order D 2020 065, which temporarily suspended the state law requiring signatures to be submitted six months after ballot language finalization. Under the order, signatures for 2020 Colorado initiatives were due by August 3, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Colorado Secretary of State, "2019-2020 Initiative Filings, Agendas & Results," accessed October 31, 2019
 |
State of Colorado Denver (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
