Referendum O -- Citizen-Initated State Laws

Currently citizens' initiatives can gain access to the state ballot if a petition is submitted with the number of valid signatures equal to 5% of the last vote total for Secretary of State in the last election. This referendum would differentiate between constitutional changes and statutory changes, making constitutional changes more difficult. The signature requirements would change to 6% (constitutional) and 4% (statutory) of the vote total for Governor in the last eleciton. Eight percent of the required signatures for constitutional amendments would have to come from each congressional district. Each house of the CO general assembly would need a 2/3 vote to amend a voter-approved statutory change within the first five years. The referendum also addresses timelines and allowing comments at a public meeting.

Required CONSTITUTIONAL change -- CHANGES Section 1 of Article V

Recommendation: yes
I disapprove of the number of gratuitous constitutional amendments on the ballot. (See the About Me section of this blog.) I don’t think that this measure would decrease the number of ballot issues, but it might persuade petition organizers to seek statutory changes rather than constitutional changes. We might even see longer ballots because of the loosening of requirements for statutory changes. But who knows? Maybe our neighbors on the Western Slope would be more particular about which petitions they sign and we would end up with fewer statewide ballot measures. Sometimes we do want to change something already in the constitution (witness Amendments 50 and 59), and then we don’t want to have an impossible challenge for the petition organizers. I think this ballot measure strikes a fair balance.


Website for Yes side (Citizens for Constitutional Common Sense)
http://www.oyescolorado.org/

Website for No side
http://www.norefo.com/


Referendum O (Approved ballot title below)

Citizen-Initiated State Laws

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning ballot initiatives, and, in connection therewith, increasing the number of signatures required for a proposed initiative to amend the state constitution; reducing the number of signatures required for a proposed statutory initiative; requiring a minimum number of signatures for a proposed initiative to amend the state constitution to be gathered from residents of each congressional district in the state; increasing the time allowed to gather signatures for a proposed statutory initiative; modifying the review of initiative petitions; establishing a filing deadline for proposed initiatives to amend the state constitution; and requiring a two-thirds vote of all members elected to each house of the general assembly to amend, repeal, or supersede any law enacted by an initiative for a period of five years after the law becomes effective?

Yes ________________ No ________________


To see the full text of the proposed measure, click here, then click on “2008 State Ballot Information Booklet” at the top of the page.