Voters to decide on elections, citizen-driven issues

With two propositions that would change the primaries and one addressing citizen-?driven constitutional amendments, the decision on the ballot is about the ballot.

Amendment 71 – Requirements
for Constitutional Amendments

If passed, Amendment 71 would make it harder to get constitutional amendments on future ballots. It would not, however, change the process for getting propositions (*which do not affect the State Constitution) on future ballots.
Currently, it’s possible for Coloradans to get something on the ballot through the citizen-initiative process. Proponents must collect signatures from at least 5 percent of the votes cast in the most recent election, and they have six months to get this done.

Amendment 71 would keep that requirement in place, adding another for constitutional amendments only to collect at least 2 percent of the signatures from registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 senate districts.
On one side, it’s believed it is currently too easy to change the State Constitution. And, once changed, it can’t be unchanged without another amendment. With propositions, on the other hand, state lawmakers can make adjustments.

By requiring signatures from all parts of the state, the argument is that everyone matters. Proponents gathering signatures can’t just stick to highly populated urban areas to get the amount they need.
On the other side, those against this amendment believe making it too difficult essentially takes it out of the hands of average citizens.

Because propositions can be amended or even repealed by state lawmakers, Coloradans would lose their ability to make any concrete changes. Making constitutional ones would be something only the wealthy or campaigns with deep pockets could achieve.

Proposition 107 – Presidential
Primary Elections

Colorado is a caucus state. Voters with each political party get together, hash out who they’ll support at their party’s national convention and vote amongst themselves. The process was tackled this past March by the Telegraph in “A political party,” by Missy Votel (March 3).
Proposition 107 would change Colorado to a primary election state, making it a mail-in ballot election. It would also allow unaffiliated voters, or ones who haven’t registered with either party, to vote in the primary.

Basically, voters who registered with a party would get a ballot listing only the candidates in that party. Unaffiliated voters would get a different ballot with all the candidates for each party – the rub is that they can only vote for one candidate.

For example, if an unaffiliated voter chose a candidate in the Democratic primary and the Republican primary, their ballot would be tossed.

Supporters argue the primary process should be open to all registered voters. Those in opposition say this will shift the cost of primaries from the parties, who currently pay for the caucus process, to the taxpayers, since the local Clerk and Recorder’s office would administer the mail-in ballots.

Proposition 108 – Unaffiliated Voter
Participation in Primary Elections

The big difference between the two primary election propositions – Prop 107 is for presidential elections and Prop 108 is for everything else.

Also, under Prop 108, major political parties could opt out of the mail-in ballots and instead nominate candidates by assembly or convention.

One point of contention is the ability for counties to send either a combined ballot to unaffiliated voters or separate ballots. Either way, voters can only vote for one candidate. If an unaffiliated voter chose a candidate in a Democratic primary and a Republican primary, like Prop 107, their ballot would be tossed.

What you’ll see on the ballot:
- Amendment 71: Requirements for Constitutional Amendments
- Proposition 107: Presidential Primary Elections
-Proposition 108: Unaffiliated Voter Participation in Primary Elections