Colorado Referendum I, Establishment of Domestic Partnership Status Measure (2006)

Colorado Referendum I
Election date November 7, 2006
Topic Family-related policy and LGBTQ issues
Status Defeated
Type Legislatively referred state statute	Origin State legislature

Colorado Referendum I was on the ballot as a legislatively referred state statute in Colorado on November 7, 2006. It was defeated.

A “yes” vote supported establishing the legal status of domestic partnership for same-sex couples that provides the same legal protections and responsibilities as marriage.

A “no” vote opposed establishing the legal status of domestic partnership for same-sex couples that provides the same legal protections and responsibilities as marriage.

Election results

Colorado Referendum I
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		734,385	47.65%
No		806,717	52.35%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What was this measure designed to do?

This measure was designed to authorize domestic partnerships to extend to same-sex couples the benefits, protections, and responsibilities granted by Colorado law to spouses. The measure also provided that domestic partnerships are not marriage, and that marriage consists of a union between one man and one woman.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Referendum I was as follows:

“

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Revised Statutes to authorize domestic partnerships, and, in connection therewith, enacting the "Colorado Domestic Partnership Benefits And Responsibilities Act" to extend to same-sex couples in a domestic partnership the benefits, protections, and responsibilities that are granted by Colorado law to spouses, providing the conditions under which a license for a domestic partnership may be issued and the criteria under which a domestic partnership may be dissolved, making provisions for implementation of the act, and providing that a domestic partnership is not a marriage, which consists of the union of one man and one woman?

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Coloradans for Fairness was leading the campaign in support of the amendment.

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• Colorado Family Action
• Focus on the Family

Path to the ballot

A simple majority vote was needed in each chamber of the Colorado State Legislature to refer the measure to the ballot for voter consideration.

In 2006, the Colorado state legislature voted to place the measure on the ballot.

See also

2006 Measures

• 2006 Measures
• LGBTQ issues on the ballot
• Family-related policy on the ballot
• 2006 legislative sessions

Colorado

• Colorado ballot measures
• Colorado ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Colorado Blue Book (2006)