Editor's note: Inside the Ballot Box replaces Marcia Martin’s column Capitol Letters in the runup to the 2020 General Election. Each week through Oct. 31, Inside the Ballot Box will examine a Colorado state, county, or local ballot measure, analyzing its impact on Longmont particularly. Capitol Letters will resume when the General Assembly does, in January.
There are less than 100 days until the 2020 General Election. With the Colorado primaries over and the national Democratic and Republican conventions set to fizzle like a wet firecracker, there’s not much left to get excited about before the Nov. 3 General Election.
Except there are the ballot measures. This year has some real doozies. Social distancing has made it difficult to collect signatures. Gov. Jared Polis had issued an executive order to allow signature gathering via email and post. But on July 1, the Colorado Supreme Court declared the order unconstitutional, because “Article V, section 1(6) of the Colorado Constitution requires that ballot initiative petitions be signed in the presence of the petition circulator.”
Polis’ extension of the last date to turn in signatures did hold up, however. That’s Aug. 3: less than a week away. Some petitioning committees have already given up on collecting enough signatures. But here is a list of initiatives that are being run down to the wire, to the best of our knowledge, courtesy of ballotpedia.org.
How to find a petition to sign
A few of these initiatives have active websites that give detailed instructions regarding where to find a petition circulator or how to arrange for a circulator to come to you. In those cases links to the website are provided. In the cases where no website could be found, the names and phone numbers of the designated representatives for those initiatives are provided. These are as listed on the Secretary of State’s website, 2019-2020 Initiative Filings, Agendas & Results
Anyone wishing to sign should call a circulator or designated representative before showing up at someone’s house, especially if it is a long drive. Some issue committees may have given up on petitioning but not yet made a public announcement.
Circulators’ contact information or location may be listed on each issue committee’s website. Otherwise calling the designated representative is the confirmed advice of the Elections Division of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Contact information for representatives has not been provided in every case.
|
Type |
No. |
Title |
How to Sign |
Description |
|
#83 |
Nathan Clay Mark A Tejeda Issue committee: |
Establishes a refundable $40 tax credit for those who vote in primary and/or general elections |
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|
#104 |
Nathan Clay Mark A Tejeda |
Establishes an approval voting system for state and local elections in Colorado |
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|
#105 |
Nathan Clay Mark A Tejeda |
Establishes the day of a general election (the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even years) as a state holiday in Colorado |
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|
#106 |
Nathan Clay Mark A Tejeda |
Provides for "nontransferable personalized monetary vouchers" to be used for making contributions to candidates for office in Colorado |
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|
#200 |
Changes to Fees and Processes for Expungement of Criminal Records Initiative |
Stephen or Paul Ball 2901 Walnut St Denver, CO 80205 303-505-0444 |
Concerns eligibility criteria for expunging criminal records and associated fees |
|
|
#283 |
Coloradofamiliesfirst.org |
Establishes a program for paid medical and family leave |
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|
#257 |
Bruce Brown Bill Cadman |
Allows voters in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek to vote to expand allowed gaming types and bet limits |
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#271 |
Great Education Colorado |
Repeals the flat tax and creates a graduated income tax rate |
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|
#292 |
Katherine Stigberg Chelsea Stahlings |
Increases taxes on tobacco; creates a new tax on nicotine products such as vapes/e-cigarettes |
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|
#295 |
Require Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises Exempt from TABOR Initiative |
Lindsey Singer Michael Fields |
Requires voter approval of new enterprises that are exempt from TABOR if their revenue is greater than $50 million within its first five years |
|
|
#306 |
Jon Caldara Jerry Sonnenberg |
Decreases the state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.55% |
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|
#293, 315 |
Jon Caldara Monica Vondruska |
Creates a new preschool program using existing tobacco tax revenues |
Prognosis
It may be several weeks before the fate of these initiatives is known. In the meantime, eight statewide measures have already qualified for the ballot, and Longmont has referred one charter amendment to the local ballot. Next week we’ll start looking at those measures you’re sure to see on your November ballot, and in mid-to-late August we should know which, if any, of the above initiatives made the ballot. Stay tuned.
