Peter Blake has some background on fall ballot issues in his column in today's Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Seven initiatives and referendums have already qualified for the November ballot. Another eight are well on their way. If they all make it, Coloradans will face the longest ballot in almost 100 years.
"First to qualify, months ago, was Amendment 38, which would extend and make numerous changes to the petition process. But it's likely to get lost in the money and publicity surrounding the marriage amendment, domestic partner benefits, prohibition on state services to illegal immigrants and the Referendum C rollback. Of the seven issues on the ballot, five are referendums. The legislature has asked the people to approve domestic partner benefits, modify recall election laws, extend the senior homestead tax exemption to disabled veterans and, a hardy perennial, repeal obsolete statutes and constitutional provisions. The fifth referendum seems designed to confuse voters contemplating the other initiative already on the ballot. Both require school districts to spend 65 percent of their operating budget on classroom instruction, but Amendment 39 seems more serious than Referendum G...
"Virtually certain to make the ballot soon, according to Reiter, is the marriage amendment ('a union between a man and a woman') and the prohibition on providing state services to illegals (even though the sponsors admit it's more symbolic than real). Also rolling along are proposals to increase the state minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.85; limit growth in metro counties and to mandate more 'affordable' housing; Jon Caldara's attempt to provide refunds to taxpayers by limiting Referendum C revenues; and former Senate President John Andrews' attempt to require more frequent public review of appellate judges and to term-limit them to 12 years. Colorado Springs conservative Will Perkins' attempt to prohibit state and local governments from providing same-sex couples with the same benefits married couples get is farther back. But if his makes the ballot, he'll be matched by gay activist Tim Gill's counterproposal. An initiative to legalize marijuana is rumored to be running out of the money needed to pay circulators. It might need an influx of cash to make the ballot."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:08:49 AM 
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