Denver November 2004 Election
Voter registration numbers are in and the November election seems to have gotten the attention of the electorate, according to the Rocky Mountain News [September 22, 2004, "Hot races attract voters to Nov. 2"]. From the article, "About 30,000 Coloradans registered to vote from mid-August to mid-September, the latest wave in a year of unprecedented voter interest in politics. Democrats in that 27-day span registered more voters than Republicans - 17,749 voters to 15,777 voters, according to the latest figures from the secretary of state through Sept. 14. Unaffiliated voters declined by 3,694 during the period, perhaps indicating new allegiances, but in any event putting the net number of new voters at 29,832...The GOP still holds the largest voting block in the state, accounting for 37 percent of the voters. Unaffiliated voters are second, at 32 percent; and Democrats are third, at 31 percent."
According to the Rocky Amendment 36 would win big if the election were held today [September 22, 2004, "Electoral overhaul taking a big lead"]. From the article, "Poll respondents favor it, 47 percent for to 35 percent opposed. Less than half those polled said they'd "definitely" support or oppose the measure - 22 percent for, 21 percent against. A combined 39 percent said they'd "probably" vote for or against it, and 18 percent were undecided. The poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, which interviewed 500 registered voters who said they are likely to vote in November's election. Conducted Sept. 12 and 13, its margin of error is plus or minus 4.33 percentage points." Say it ain't so. 
Here's a background piece about Amendment 36 from the Rocky Mountain News [September 22, 2004, "Amendment puts Colorado in world's eye"]. From the article, "They say the measure would reduce Colorado's national influence. What candidate, they argue, would campaign here for the one or two electoral votes realistically up for grabs - and what president would keep Colorado voters in mind when considering highway funding or military base closures? They question the motives of the measure's primary benefactor, Jorge Klor de Alva, a university president who lives in California and who supporters say simply wants to reform the Electoral College. And opponents say this year, partisans on both sides risk giving away half the prize of the tightly fought presidential race."
The environment is going to be part of the battle between Ken Salazar and Peter Coors in the race for the U.S. Senate, according to the Rocky Mountain News [September 22, 2004, "Environment key in Senate contest"]. From the article, "Salazar's record stems mainly from his handling of environmental cases during his two terms as Colorado's attorney general and from his earlier tenure as head of the state Department of Natural Resources. Coors has spent his entire career working in the family corporation, which runs the world's largest single-site brewery. His job, he says, requires him to be familiar with various state and federal environmental regulations."
Here's a short article about FasTracks from the Rocky Mountain News [September 22, 2004, "Tossing around FasTracks"].
Update: Here's an opinion piece from the Denver Post about Referendum A [September 22, 2004, "Referendum A would alter civil service laws"]. From the article, "Many of the same rules that guided hiring and firing in 1918 remain in place today, despite the efforts of various governors and lawmakers to change the system. Enter Referendum A, the first major reform effort of state civil service laws in a generation, which is on the ballot this fall. If approved by voters, it will make sweeping changes to the state[base ']s hiring practices, giving government more of the flexibility of private industry. It also would bring other realities of the 21st century economy to Colorado government: more contracting with outside workers and outsourcing overseas"
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