6 SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Measure for Measure II COLORADO VOTERS WILL DECIDE FOURTEEN STATEWIDE MEASURES ON NOVEMBER 5. BY HANNAH METZGER The fi nal tally is in. Colorado voters will fi nd fourteen state- wide measures on the November 5 ballot. The lineup includes seven initiatives that citizens petitioned onto the ballot and seven referred by state lawmakers. These mea- sures are on top of local initiatives already approved for municipal ballots, including a dozen Denver measures and a proposal to deBruce the Regional Transportation Dis- trict (read about those in last week’s edition, or on westword.com). Two additional initiatives had success- fully petitioned their way onto the ballot, but both were withdrawn on Wednesday, September 4, in a compromise deal. Initia- tive 50 sought to cap property tax revenue increases at 4 percent each year, and Ini- tiative 108 pushed to decrease the state property tax assessment rate to 5.7 percent for residential property and 24 percent for commercial property. Organizers pulled the measures as part of an agreement with Governor Jared Polis, who’d called a special legislative session dedicated to passing property tax relief. On the same day the initiatives were withdrawn, Polis signed into law House Bill 24B-1001, designed to cut commercial and residential rates by roughly $254 million — compared to the $2.4 billion in tax cuts that would have come from Initiatives 50 and 108. “This wasn’t easy,” Polis said during the bill signing. “I think the legislature acted responsibly in this case to provide property tax relief to heed the call that hundreds of thousands of people made and to avoid risky [ballot] measures.” The last day to withdraw qualifi ed mea- sures from the ballot was Friday, September 6. In total, 207 statewide proposals were rejected, withdrawn or expired this election season, according to the Colorado Secretary of State website. With the ballot now set, here are the four- teen statewide initiatives that Coloradans will vote on this November: CITIZEN-INITIATED BALLOT MEASURES The state title board approved dozens of ballot measures, but only a handful collected the required signatures. Proponents needed 124,238 signatures from registered voters to get each initiative onto the ballot, and they only had six months after the bill title was set to collect them. The ultimate deadline was August 5, and nine made the cut — including the two withdrawn by organizers. The seven citizen-initiated proposals that will be on the ballot: Constitutional Right to Abortion Amendment 79 would en- shrine the right to abortion in the Colorado Constitution and allow state funds, including Medicaid and state employee health insurance, to be used to pay for abortions; that’s cur- rently prohibited under a consti- tutional measure passed in 1984. Colorado has one of the most permissive abortion laws in the country, with state legislators taking many steps to protect abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned fed- eral abortion rights and made reproductive freedoms a state issue in 2022. The Colorado Legislature has passed bills to establish abortion as a fundamental right, shield pa- tients from out-of-state penalties and expand health insurance coverage for the procedure. This ballot measure would solidify abor- tion access in Colorado even further, ensur- ing that future legislators could not revoke access to abortion without approval from voters. “Coloradans deserve the freedom to make personal, private health-care deci- sions, and that right shouldn’t depend on the source of their health insurance or who is in offi ce,” said Karen Middleton, co-chair of Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, during a press conference. “A right without access is a right in name only.” An opposing measure that sought to ban abortion in Colorado failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Prohibit Bobcat, Lynx and Mountain Lion Hunting Proposition 127 would ban the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx, making it a Class 1 misdemeanor. The animals could only be killed if they threaten human life, livestock or property. The Cats Aren’t Trophies campaign calls the hunting of big cats “cruel” and “inhu- mane.” “This is commercial killing, with lion-hunting guides charging an $8,000 fee to guarantee a ‘trophy’ and trappers selling bobcat pelts to China,” says Samantha Miller, Cats Aren’t Trophies campaign manager. The initiative proponents boast support from 82 animal welfare and wildlife conserva- tion organizations. But the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project opposes the measure, arguing that it could disrupt wildlife manage- ment practices that rely on limited hunter harvest. “The underpinnings of science-based wildlife management administered by wild- life professionals may be on the ballot this November, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” says Gaspar Perricone, chair of the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project. Proponents point to California as an exam- ple of maintaining a stable population without hunting; the state permanently banned the trophy hunting of mountain lions in 1990. Establishing All-Candidate Primary and Ranked Choice Voting General Elections Proposition 131 would overhaul Colorado’s election system by eliminating party primary elections and replacing them with open pri- maries in which candidates of all political par- ties participate and the top four vote-getters move on to the general election. It would also implement ranked choice voting in general elections, in which voters rank candidates by preference instead of choosing just one. Supporters say the measure would weaken the power of political parties, resulting in more moderate candidates who appeal to the general public rather than their base while also making third-party candidates a more viable option for voters. “Twenty twenty-four is proving to be the year that Americans real- ized primaries are the problem,” says Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, a group backing the effort. Opponents say the measure would in- crease the role of money in politics, making it harder for non-wealthy candidates to succeed and discouraging voter turnout by making the system more confusing. They point out that the effort is being led by Kent Thiry, a multi-millionaire who previously explored running for governor of Colorado. Funding for Law Enforcement Proposition 130 would create a $350 mil- lion fund for law enforcement pay, recruit- ment and training, as well as $1 million in death benefi ts to the family of any offi cer killed in the line of duty. This effort comes as law enforcement recruitment has dipped in Colorado and nationwide. “One of the best tools to fi ght crime is to ensure Colorado has a corps of highly trained, equipped and well-com- pensated men and women on the thin blue line, protecting communities and families,” says Michael Fields, president of Advance Colorado, which also pushed 50 and 108. The measure mandates that the state could not raise taxes to pay for the new fund- ing. Therefore, the $350 million would come from the state’s general budget, potentially cutting into funding for other departments and services. Establishing Veterinary Professional Associates Proposition 129 would establish a new Veterinary Professional Associate position, allowing people with a master’s degree in veterinary care to carry out certain routine procedures. Proponents say the new position would address dire shortages in the veterinary industry. “Serious issues for the veterinary profession are resulting as veterinarians are unable to meet the increased demand for ser- vices,” the All Pets Deserve Vet Care coalition says on its website. “Veterinary businesses in Colorado cannot NEWS KEEP UP ON DENVER NEWS AT WESTWORD.COM/NEWS Governor Jared Polis during the property tax relief signing ceremony on September 4. HANNAH METZGER continued on page 9
