Isabella Carter
Colorado's Amendment 71, also known as Raise the Bar, is a ballot initiative that aims to make it more difficult to amend the state's constitution. It was passed by voters in 2016 and requires a broader level of support from across the state for any proposed constitutional changes. Specifically, it mandates that signatures must be collected from at least 2% of registered voters in each of the state's 35 senate districts, and that any proposed amendment must be approved by 55% of voters. This amendment has sparked debates about the appropriate level of difficulty for amending a state's constitution and the potential impact on grassroots organizers and voters.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Amendment 71, "Raise the Bar" |
| Purpose | To make it more difficult to change the state constitution |
| Requirements | Signatures from at least 2% of registered electors in each of the state's 35 senate districts; 55% supermajority vote for approval of any proposed amendment |
| Support | Colorado governors, industry groups, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers |
| Opposition | Grassroots organizers, libertarian think tanks, progressive good-government watchdogs, environmental groups |
| Ballot status | Passed in 2016, temporarily blocked in 2018, but reinstated by a federal appeals court |
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What You'll Learn
- The amendment requires signatures from 2% of registered voters in each of Colorado's 35 state senate districts
- It also requires a 55% supermajority vote to approve any proposed amendment
- The amendment was passed by voters in 2016
- It was temporarily blocked by a judge in 2018, who said it violated the principle of one person, one vote
- The amendment has fervent support and opposition
The amendment requires signatures from 2% of registered voters in each of Colorado's 35 state senate districts
Colorado's Amendment 71, also known as "Raise the Bar", is a ballot initiative about ballot initiatives. The amendment requires signatures from 2% of registered voters in each of Colorado's 35 state senate districts. This means that signatures must be collected from a geographically diverse range of voters across the state, rather than just from the more heavily populated areas. The amendment also requires a 55% supermajority vote for any proposed amendment to be approved, except for those designed to repeal language from the constitution, which only requires a simple majority.
The amendment was passed by voters in 2016 and has been described as a way to protect the state's constitution from being too easily amended. Supporters of the amendment argue that it will make it harder to change the state's constitution, which is long and complex, and that it will give rural areas a greater voice in the ballot initiative process. They also argue that it will guard against out-of-state special interests hijacking the state constitution.
However, the amendment has also faced opposition, with some arguing that it will make it more difficult for citizens to have their voices heard and that it will block all but the wealthiest causes from the ballot. There have been legal challenges to the amendment, with a federal judge blocking parts of it in 2018 on the grounds that it violated the principle of "one person, one vote". The lawsuit challenging the amendment's constitutionality was still pending before the appeals court at the time.
The specific requirements of Amendment 71 include the following:
- Any petition for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment must be signed by at least 2% of registered voters in each of the state's 35 senate districts.
- A random sample of signatures is checked, and if the number of valid signatures is more than 90% of the total number required, the secretary of state must order the examination of each signature.
- If the secretary of state declares that the petition does not have a sufficient number of valid signatures from each state senate district and/or a sufficient total number of valid signatures, they must specify the number of sufficient and insufficient signatures from each district.
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It also requires a 55% supermajority vote to approve any proposed amendment
Colorado Amendment 71, also known as "Raise the Bar", is a ballot initiative about ballot initiatives. The amendment was passed by voters in 2016 and requires a 55% supermajority vote to approve any proposed amendment to the state's constitution. This is a significant change from the previous requirement of a simple majority.
The amendment seeks to address the concern that it is too easy for citizens to amend the state constitution. It aims to make the process of amending the constitution more difficult and requires a broader level of support from across the state, not just heavily populated areas. Specifically, signatures must be collected from each of the state's 35 senate districts, with at least 2% of registered voters in each district supporting the proposed amendment.
The amendment has both fervent supporters and opponents. Proponents of the measure argue that it is necessary to protect the state's constitution from being easily amended and that it gives more citizens a say in how the state is governed, especially those in rural and less-populated areas. They believe that changing the state constitution should be more difficult than introducing statutory changes through the initiative process.
On the other hand, critics argue that the amendment strips voters of their power and that it will make it harder to address existing problems with the state constitution. There have been legal challenges to the amendment, with opponents claiming that it violates the "one person, one vote" principle due to the varying numbers of registered voters in different Senate districts.
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The amendment was passed by voters in 2016
Colorado's Amendment 71, also known as "Raise the Bar", was passed by voters in 2016. The amendment was designed to make it more difficult to change the state constitution. It sought to address the concern that it was too easy for citizens to amend the constitution, which had led to a “jumbled mess” of a governing document.
The amendment introduced a number of changes to the process of amending the state constitution. Firstly, it required a broader level of support from across the state, not just heavily populated areas. Specifically, petitions for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment had to be signed by at least 2% of registered electors in each of the state's 35 senate districts for a proposed amendment to be placed on the ballot. This was known as a distribution requirement.
Secondly, Amendment 71 required a supermajority of 55% of voters to approve any proposed amendment, except for those designed to repeal language from the constitution, which only required a simple majority.
The amendment was supported by a wide range of groups, including every living Colorado governor, both Democrat and Republican. They argued that the state constitution should be protected from being easily amended and that it should serve as the "playbook to governing". They also believed that the amendment would give more Coloradans, especially those in rural and less-populated areas, a say in how the state is governed.
However, the amendment also faced opposition from grassroots organizers, libertarian think tanks, and progressive good-government watchdogs, who argued that it would strip voters of their power. Environmental groups also opposed it, and there was financial support against the amendment from the oil and gas industry.
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It was temporarily blocked by a judge in 2018, who said it violated the principle of one person, one vote
Colorado's Amendment 71, also known as "Raise the Bar", was introduced to make it more difficult to change the state constitution. It was passed by voters in 2016.
The amendment requires that any petition for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment be signed by at least 2% of the registered electors in each of the state's 35 senate districts. This is known as a distribution requirement. It also requires a 55% supermajority vote for approval of any proposed amendment, except for those designed to repeal language from the constitution, which require a simple majority.
In March 2018, a federal district court judge, William J. Martinez, blocked key portions of Amendment 71, ruling that its new signature requirements violated the principle of "one person, one vote". Judge Martinez wrote that the signature requirements represented a "classic vote-dilution problem" because Colorado's registered voter populations vary widely from one Senate district to another.
The decision left the campaigns of several proposed constitutional amendments in limbo, including those on redistricting reform and taxes. The deadline to finish gathering signatures for the November ballot was August.
The amendment's supporters argue that the higher signature threshold is necessary to ensure that it is harder to change the state's constitution, which is among the longest and most convoluted in the country. They also argue that rural areas should have more of a voice in ballot access.
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The amendment has fervent support and opposition
Colorado Amendment 71, also known as "Raise the Bar", is a ballot initiative about ballot initiatives. The measure seeks to make it harder to change Colorado's Constitution. It requires a more expansive geographic distribution of those signing petitions to put a measure on the ballot. Specifically, signatures must be collected from each of the state's 35 senate districts in numbers equal to at least 2% of the registered voters in each district. It also requires 55% of voters to approve any proposed amendment, instead of a simple majority.
Opponents of the amendment include grassroots organizers, libertarian think tanks, progressive good-government watchdogs, and environmental groups. They argue that the amendment would strip voters of their power and make it harder to fix existing problems with the state constitution. They also argue that the signature requirements violate the principle of "one person, one vote".
A federal appeals court reinstated Colorado's Amendment 71 in 2018, weeks after a judge's order blocked parts of it from being enforced. The lawsuit challenging the amendment's constitutionality was still pending before the appeals court at the time.
A survey conducted by Magellan Strategies in 2016 found that 51% of respondents supported Amendment 71.
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Frequently asked questions
Colorado Amendment 71, also known as "Raise the Bar", is a ballot initiative about ballot initiatives. It makes it harder to change the state constitution by requiring a broader level of support from across the state.
Amendment 71 requires signatures to be collected from each of the state's 35 senate districts, with numbers equivalent to at least 2% of the registered voters in each district. It also requires 55% of voters to approve any proposed amendment, instead of a simple majority.
Amendment 71 has received mixed reactions, with fervent support and opposition. Supporters argue that it protects the state's constitution from being easily amended and ensures that rural and less-populated areas have a say in the ballot initiative process. On the other hand, opponents claim that it will make it harder to fix existing problems with the state constitution and will favour wealthy causes.
