Vote on the Ballot Issues!

Despite, or perhaps because of, the struggling economy, 9 of the 15 ballot issues this year have tax implications: 4 state ballot issues (R, 60, 61, 101) decrease taxes thereby decreasing state revenue, 4 local ballot issues (1A, 1B, 2A, 3A) increase taxes hitting the pocketbook of those in or visiting Boulder County and 1 ballot issue (2B) converts a fee to a tax.

In 2009 voters approved only 2 of the county ballot issues: 1D (by a dozen votes!) and 1C. Voters in the city of Boulder approved 3 of the 4 ballot issues, rejecting only 2D. It is heartening to see voters considering the issues on their individual merits and not automatically approving or rejecting all the measures.

I hope this blog helps to educate you and generates some conversation about the ballot issues. Warning: The descriptions below are very brief! Each ballot issue has its own blog entry if you would like more information or you would like to make comments about the ballot issue. Please limit comments on this blog entry to general comments about the process or the election.

Please vote the whole ballot. In general, the further down the ballot you go, the more your vote counts! At the bottom of this blog entry are other ballot issue websites as well as links to the county clerk’s website and websites about the judges on the ballot.

COLORADO BALLOT ISSUES

Amendment = Constitutional change
These can only be changed by a voter-approved constitutional amendment.

Proposition = Statutory change
These can be modified by the Colorado general assembly.


Referenda - denoted by letters
The general assembly put these on the ballot with a 2/3 supermajority vote.

Amendment P
Regulation of Games of Chance
Moves the regulation of bingo and raffles from the Dept of State to the Dept of Revenue.
YES

Amendment Q
Temporary Location for the State Seat of Government
Provides for a process to move the seat of government during a disaster emergency.
yes

Amendment R
Exempt Possessory Interests in Real Property
Exempts possessory interests of $6000 or less from owing property taxes.
yes


Initiatives - denoted by numbers
Electors signed petitions to put these on the ballot.

Amendment 60
Property Taxes
Cuts property taxes which fund schools and requires the state to backfill the lost dollars. Repeals any previously approved de-Brucing provisions which apply to property taxes and sets constraints on future voter-approved property tax increases. Requires publicly owned enterprises to pay property taxes.
NO

Amendment 61
State and Local Debt Limitations
Prohibits state borrowing and severely restricts local government borrowing.
NO

Amendment 62
Definition of Person
Confers rights from the beginning of biological development. Effectively bans abortion, stem cell research and some forms of birth control.
NO

Amendment 63
Health Care Choice
Prohibits the state from requiring a person to buy health insurance or from punishing a person who doesn’t buy health insurance.
NO

Proposition 101
Motor Vehicle, Income, and Telecommunications Taxes and Fees
Cuts taxes and fees with most cuts phased in over time but road safety, construction and maintenance feeling an immediate full impact.
NO

Proposition 102
Criteria for Setting Bail and Type of Bond
Requires a secured bond for all defendants released to a pretrial program except for those charged with first-time nonviolent misdemeanors.
NO


BOULDER COUNTY BALLOT ISSUES

1A
Human Services Safety Net Mill Levy Increase
Increases the property tax mill levy by up to 0.9 mill for 5 years to backfill deficiencies in state funding for human services.
yes

1B
Countywide Open Space Sales and Use Tax Increase and Bond Authorization
Increases the sales and use tax by 0.15% for 20 years to buy open space.
lean toward yes


CITY OF BOULDER BALLOT ISSUES

2A
Public Accommodations Tax
Increases the lodging tax from 5.5% to 7.5%. Revenue goes into the general fund with the intent that up to 20% go toward marketing the city.
against

2B
Five Year Utility Occupation Tax to Replace Lost Franchise Fee Revenue
Replaces a fee currently collected by Xcel with an equivalent tax for five years giving the city more time to determine how to manage its energy future.
for

2C
Height Limit
Adds “rooftop renewable energy improvements” to the list of exemptions to Boulder’s 55-foot height limit.
for


BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

3A
Mill Levy Override
Increases the property tax mill levy in 2011 by about 3.5 mill (equivalent to $37 for a $100,000 home). Permits the mill levy to be adjusted annually beyond 2011 to collect 25% of BVSD’s total program funding.
lean toward yes


Get a SAMPLE BALLOT or Check Your Voting Status
http://www.voteboulder.org
Click on Check Your Voter Information and enter the requested data. Your voting status, precinct number, etc will appear. You can click on View Your Sample Ballot to get a practice ballot. Contact the Elections Division at 303 413 7740 if you have questions about voting.

Ballot Issue Conversation on Facebook
http://www.thisismyballot.com
Thanks to New Era Colorado you can show your friends how you are going to vote and see how they are voting with the MyBallot Facebook Application. Click on the "My Ballot ... Show Me Yours" icon to get started.


OTHER BALLOT ISSUE SITES

Government sites

Blue Book online (Colorado Legislative Council)
The real name of the Blue Book is the 2010 State Ballot Information Booklet.
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CGA-LegislativeCouncil/CLC/1200536134742

County of Boulder Election 2010 Ballot Issue webpage
http://www.bouldercounty.org/bocc/Ballot_Issues/index.htm

City of Boulder Election 2010 webpage
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7466&Itemid=3800


Media sites

Boulder Weekly Election 2010 webpage
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-3509-boulder-weeklys-2010-ballot-picks.html

Camera Election Section
http://www.dailycamera.com/election


Non-partisan sites

Ballotpedia
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Colorado_2010_ballot_measures

Bell Policy Center Ballot Guide
http://bellpolicy.org/sites/default/files/2010BellBallotGuide_0.pdf

League of Women Voters of Boulder County
http://lwvbc.org/

League of Women Voters of Colorado (English and Spanish)
http://www.lwvcolorado.org/


Partisan sites

Ben DeGrow’s Guide to the Ballot 2010
http://bendegrow.com/who-writes-this-blog/colorado-ballot-2010/

People’s Press Collective
http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2010/10/ppc-2010-colorado-ballot-initiatives-sample-ballot/#more-46722

Your Colorado Ballot Initiatives Reference (David Thielen)
http://www.coloradoballot.net/


WEBSITES ABOUT JUDGES ON THE BALLOT

Clear the Bench Colorado
http://www.clearthebenchcolorado.org/

Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation
http://www.knowyourjudge.com/
Click on Find Your Judge.