Not that Coloradans will have a shortage of choices to make when they either literally or figuratively step into the voting booth a few short weeks from now.
Nine propositions or amendments have been approved. Seven of them made the cut by attracting enough valid signatures; they include separate hot-button proposals for a single-payer health care system and end-of-life options, two items associated with ditching caucuses in favor of a return to primaries, calls to boost the minimum wage and tobacco taxes, and (irony alert) an item intended to make it more difficult to amend Colorado's constitution. Also up for vote are two measures referred by Colorado's General Assembly — one about a property-tax exemption, the other focusing on the removal of constitutional language referring to slavery.
Below, get the basics about all nine matters, featuring photos, videos, overviews provided by the campaigns backing them or the Secretary of State's Office, ballot language and the proposals themselves, shared in their entirety.
Amendment 69: ColoradoCare (Initiative 20: Single-payer health care measure)
In 2015, volunteers all over the state of Colorado collected more than 150,000 signatures for a universal health care system, ColoradoCare, which made ballot this November as Amendment 69. This resident-owned, non-governmental health-care financing system will be like Medicare for all Coloradans in ensuring quality comprehensive health care for everyone without deductibles for less than we pay now. Amendment 69 will ensure quality, accessible, lifetime health care for every Colorado resident.
Premiums will be collected based on income, securing health care regardless of financial circumstance. This efficient, universal system would operate in the interests of Coloradans. By eliminating layers of bureaucracy and reducing administrative and other non-medical costs, ColoradoCare would cover all residents, cost less than the current system, and eliminate deductibles and co-pays for primary and preventative care.
Amendment 69, State health care system*: 158,831 signatures, 110.80%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
STATE TAXES SHALL BE INCREASED $25 BILLION ANNUALLY IN THE FIRST FULL FISCAL YEAR, AND BY SUCH AMOUNTS THAT ARE RAISED THEREAFTER, BY AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION ESTABLISHING A HEALTH CARE PAYMENT SYSTEM TO FUND HEALTH CARE FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS WHOSE PRIMARY RESIDENCE IS IN COLORADO, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, CREATING A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY CALLED COLORADOCARE TO ADMINISTER THE HEALTH CARE PAYMENT SYSTEM; PROVIDING FOR THE GOVERNANCE OF COLORADOCARE BY AN INTERIM APPOINTED BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNTIL AN ELECTED BOARD OF TRUSTEES TAKES RESPONSIBILITY; EXEMPTING COLORADOCARE FROM THE TAXPAYER’S BILL OF RIGHTS; ASSESSING AN INITIAL TAX ON THE TOTAL PAYROLL FROM EMPLOYERS, PAYROLL INCOME FROM EMPLOYEES, AND NONPAYROLL INCOME AT VARYING RATES; INCREASING THESE TAX RATES WHEN COLORADOCARE BEGINS MAKING HEALTH CARE PAYMENTS FOR BENEFICIARIES; CAPPING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF INCOME SUBJECT TO TAXATION; AUTHORIZING THE BOARD TO INCREASE THE TAXES IN SPECIFIED CIRCUMSTANCES UPON APPROVAL OF THE MEMBERS OF COLORADOCARE; REQUIRING COLORADOCARE TO CONTRACT WITH HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO PAY FOR SPECIFIC HEALTH CARE BENEFITS; TRANSFERRING ADMINISTRATION OF THE MEDICAID AND CHILDREN’S BASIC HEALTH PROGRAMS AND ALL OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL HEALTH CARE FUNDS FOR COLORADO TO COLORADOCARE; TRANSFERRING RESPONSIBILITY TO COLORADOCARE FOR MEDICAL CARE THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE PAID FOR BY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE; REQUIRING COLORADOCARE TO APPLY FOR A WAIVER FROM THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT TO ESTABLISH A COLORADO HEALTH CARE PAYMENT SYSTEM; AND SUSPENDING THE OPERATIONS OF THE COLORADO HEALTH BENEFIT EXCHANGE AND TRANSFERRING ITS RESOURCES TO COLORADOCARE.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
SHALL STATE TAXES BE INCREASED $25 BILLION ANNUALLY IN THE FIRST FULL FISCAL YEAR, AND BY SUCH AMOUNTS THAT ARE RAISED THEREAFTER, BY AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION ESTABLISHING A HEALTH CARE PAYMENT SYSTEM TO FUND HEALTH CARE FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS WHOSE PRIMARY RESIDENCE IS IN COLORADO, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, CREATING A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY CALLED COLORADOCARE TO ADMINISTER THE HEALTH CARE PAYMENT SYSTEM; PROVIDING FOR THE GOVERNANCE OF COLORADOCARE BY AN INTERIM APPOINTED BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNTIL AN ELECTED BOARD OF TRUSTEES TAKES RESPONSIBILITY; EXEMPTING COLORADOCARE FROM THE TAXPAYER’S BILL OF RIGHTS; ASSESSING AN INITIAL TAX ON THE TOTAL PAYROLL FROM EMPLOYERS, PAYROLL INCOME FROM EMPLOYEES, AND NONPAYROLL INCOME AT VARYING RATES; INCREASING THESE TAX RATES WHEN COLORADOCARE BEGINS MAKING HEALTH CARE PAYMENTS FOR BENEFICIARIES; CAPPING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF INCOME SUBJECT TO TAXATION; AUTHORIZING THE BOARD TO INCREASE THE TAXES IN SPECIFIED CIRCUMSTANCES UPON APPROVAL OF THE MEMBERS OF COLORADOCARE; REQUIRING COLORADOCARE TO CONTRACT WITH HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO PAY FOR SPECIFIC HEALTH CARE BENEFITS; TRANSFERRING ADMINISTRATION OF THE MEDICAID AND CHILDREN’S BASIC HEALTH PROGRAMS AND ALL OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL HEALTH CARE FUNDS FOR COLORADO TO COLORADOCARE; TRANSFERRING RESPONSIBILITY TO COLORADOCARE FOR MEDICAL CARE THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE PAID FOR BY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE; REQUIRING COLORADOCARE TO APPLY FOR A WAIVER FROM THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT TO ESTABLISH A COLORADO HEALTH CARE PAYMENT SYSTEM; AND SUSPENDING THE OPERATIONS OF THE COLORADO HEALTH BENEFIT EXCHANGE AND TRANSFERRING ITS RESOURCES TO COLORADOCARE?
*Unofficially captioned “State Health Care System” by legislative staff for tracking purposes. This caption is not part of the titles set by the Board.
Amendment 71: Raise the Bar (Restrictions on the amendment process)
Formerly Initiative 96
What does this initiative do?
Our state constitution should serve as our foundation, similar to the U.S. Constitution. Yet our state requires the same initiative process to amend our Constitution as our state laws. This framework has made Colorado’s ballot and Constitution among the most easily changed in the country.
The result has led to an obscene number of amendments that, at times, conflict with one another.
• The Colorado Constitution has over 150 amendments; in comparison, the United States Constitution has only 27 amendments.
• Out of all 50 states, only California and Oregon have seen more proposed citizen initiatives than Colorado.
• Since 2005 Colorado voters have been presented with over two dozen constitutional amendments, and just two initiated statutes.
Additionally, the current framework has made the Colorado Constitution a special interest playground of sorts; a direct result of the low bar to amending the Constitution.
No. 96, Requirements for constitutional amendments: 183,691 signatures, 129%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
An amendment to the Colorado constitution making it more difficult to amend the Colorado constitution by requiring that any petition for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment be signed by at least two percent of the registered electors who reside in each state senate district for the amendment to be placed on the ballot and increasing the percentage of votes needed to pass any proposed constitutional amendment from a majority to at least fifty-five percent of the votes cast, unless the proposed constitutional amendment only repeals, in whole or in part, any provision of the constitution.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution making it more difficult to amend the Colorado constitution by requiring that any petition for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment be signed by at least two percent of the registered electors who reside in each state senate district for the amendment to be placed on the ballot and increasing the percentage of votes needed to pass any proposed constitutional amendment from a majority to at least fifty-five percent of the votes cast, unless the proposed constitutional amendment only repeals, in whole or in part, any provision of the constitution?
Proposition 108: Allowing unaffiliated voters to take part in primary elections
Formerly Initiative 98
From the Colorado Secretary of State's office:
Initiative No. 98 allows unaffiliated voters to participate in primary elections without having to declare being a member of a certain party, as is the current law. However, Republicans and Democrats could decide to forgo having a primary election and instead choose their general-election nominees at the assembly or convention, providing that 75 percent of the party’s state central committee agrees.
No. 108, Primary elections: 147,707 signatures, 110.15%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
A change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the process of selecting candidates representing political parties on a general election ballot, and, in connection therewith, allowing an unaffiliated elector to vote in the primary election of a political party without declaring an affiliation with that party and permitting a political party in specific circumstances to select all of its candidates by assembly or convention instead of by primary election.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the process of selecting candidates representing political parties on a general election ballot, and, in connection therewith, allowing an unaffiliated elector to vote in the primary election of a political party without declaring an affiliation with that party and permitting a political party in specific circumstances to select all of its candidates by assembly or convention instead of by primary election?
Amendment 70: Colorado Families for a Fair Wage (Minimum-wage increase)
Formerly Initiative 101
Colorado Families for a Fair Wage is a coalition of small business owners, community partners, working families, and faith organizations working together to help build a fair economy for all Coloradans. The coalition is working to increase the minimum wage to $12 by the year 2020.
WHAT A RAISE MEANS FOR COLORADANS
Currently, the minimum wage in Colorado is $8.31. That comes out to about $300 per week and just over $17,000 per year. A raise in the minimum wage will affect nearly half a million workers in Colorado. Of those workers who would benefit, 86% are over the age of 20.
Our coalition is made up of organizations who have officially endorsed the Colorado Families for a Fair Wage campaign and are committed to the long-term movement to support economic justice in Colorado.
Amendment 70, State minimum wage: 189,419 signatures, 116.70%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
An amendment to the Colorado constitution increasing the minimum wage to $9.30 per hour with annual increases of $0.90 each January 1 until it reaches $12 per hour effective January 2020, and annually adjusting it thereafter for cost-of-living increases.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution increasing the minimum wage to $9.30 per hour with annual increases of $0.90 each January 1 until it reaches $12 per hour effective January 2020, and annually adjusting it thereafter for cost-of-living increases?
Continue for more about five additional initiatives or amendments that have been approved for the Colorado ballot.
Proposition 107: Primary elections
Formerly Proposition 140
From the Colorado Secretary of State's Office:
Initiative No. 140 restores a presidential primary to be held before the end of March in presidential election years, and allows unaffiliated voters to participate without declaring to be a member of a political party.
No. 107, Presidential primary election: 152,213 signatures, 111.39%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
A change to the Colorado Revised Statutes recreating a presidential primary election to be held before the end of March in each presidential election year in which unaffiliated electors may vote without declaring an affiliation with a political party.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes recreating a presidential primary election to be held before the end of March in each presidential election year in which unaffiliated electors may vote without declaring an affiliation with a political party?
Amendment 72: The Campaign for a Healthy Colorado (Tobacco tax increase)
Formerly Initiative 143
Why increase the tobacco tax?
The increase will raise money for critical unmet health needs for all Coloradans, especially for those most impacted by tobacco use.
This will help prevent kids from starting to smoke and smokers to quit. It will dramatically increase funding for children’s and veteran’s mental-health programs, particularly for veterans struggling with PTSD.
And it will make the largest investment in Colorado history into the research and treatment of cancer, heart disease and lung disease while requiring the money only to be spent at in-state facilities.
Amendment 72, New cigarette and tobacco taxes: 161,412 signatures, 118.74%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
STATE TAXES SHALL BE INCREASED $315.7 MILLION ANNUALLY BY AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION INCREASING TOBACCO TAXES, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2017, INCREASING TAXES ON CIGARETTES BY 8.75 CENTS PER CIGARETTE ($1.75 PER PACK OF 20 CIGARETTES) AND ON OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS BY 22 PERCENT OF THE MANUFACTURER'S LIST PRICE; AND ALLOCATING SPECIFIED PERCENTAGES OF THE NEW TOBACCO TAX REVENUE TO HEALTH-RELATED PROGRAMS AND TOBACCO EDUCATION, PREVENTION, AND CESSATION PROGRAMS CURRENTLY FUNDED BY EXISTING CONSTITUTIONAL TOBACCO TAXES; AND ALSO ALLOCATING NEW REVENUE FOR TOBACCO-RELATED HEALTH RESEARCH, VETERANS' PROGRAMS, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS FOR QUALIFIED HEALTH PROVIDERS, EDUCATIONAL LOAN REPAYMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN RURAL AND UNDERSERVED AREAS, AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL TRAINING TRACKS.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
SHALL STATE TAXES BE INCREASED $315.7 MILLION ANNUALLY BY AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION INCREASING TOBACCO TAXES, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2017, INCREASING TAXES ON CIGARETTES BY 8.75 CENTS PER CIGARETTE ($1.75 PER PACK OF 20 CIGARETTES) AND ON OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS BY 22 PERCENT OF THE MANUFACTURER'S LIST PRICE; AND ALLOCATING SPECIFIED PERCENTAGES OF THE NEW TOBACCO TAX REVENUE TO HEALTH-RELATED PROGRAMS AND TOBACCO EDUCATION, PREVENTION, AND CESSATION PROGRAMS CURRENTLY FUNDED BY EXISTING CONSTITUTIONAL TOBACCO TAXES; AND ALSO ALLOCATING NEW REVENUE FOR TOBACCO-RELATED HEALTH RESEARCH, VETERANS' PROGRAMS, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS FOR QUALIFIED HEALTH PROVIDERS, EDUCATIONAL LOAN REPAYMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN RURAL AND UNDERSERVED AREAS, AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL TRAINING TRACKS?
Proposition 106: The Colorado End of Life Options Act
Formerly Initiative 145
Coloradans overwhelmingly support the right to medical aid in dying. In a 2015 independent poll of likely voters, 68% said they supported similar legislation. Most people support aid in dying without knowing whether they would want to use the option because they don’t think it is right to deny the choice to others.
The strict criteria for eligibility under the Colorado End-of-Life Options Act include these key requirements:
Must be 18 years or older
Must be in the final stages of a diagnosed terminal illness, as confirmed by a second opinion
Must be medically determined to be mentally capable
Must self-administer the medication
Five states representing 16% of the U.S. population currently authorize medical aid in dying: California, Montana, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Oregon was the first to authorize in 1997, and in 19 years the law has proven effective as a compassionate end-of-life option for terminally ill adults. The Colorado End-of-Life Options Act is modeled after Oregon’s medical aid in dying law.
Proposition 106, Medical aid in dying: 155,676 signatures, 110.44%
The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
A change to the Colorado revised statutes to permit any mentally capable adult Colorado resident who has a medical prognosis of death by terminal illness within six months to receive a prescription from a willing licensed physician for medication that can be self-administered to bring about death; and in connection therewith, requiring two licensed physicians to confirm the medical prognosis, that the terminally-ill patient has received information about other care and treatment options, and that the patient is making a voluntary and informed decision in requesting the medication; requiring evaluation by a licensed mental health professional if either physician believes the patient may not be mentally capable; granting immunity from civil and criminal liability and professional discipline to any person who in good faith assists in providing access to or is present when a patient self-administers the medication; and establishing criminal penalties for persons who knowingly violate statutes relating to the request for the medication.
The ballot title and submission clause as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:
Shall there be a change to the Colorado revised statutes to permit any mentally capable adult Colorado resident who has a medical prognosis of death by terminal illness within six months to receive a prescription from a willing licensed physician for medication that can be self-administered to bring about death; and in connection therewith, requiring two licensed physicians to confirm the medical prognosis, that the terminally-ill patient has received information about other care and treatment options, and that the patient is making a voluntary and informed decision in requesting the medication; requiring evaluation by a licensed mental health professional if either physician believes the patient may not be mentally capable; granting immunity from civil and criminal liability and professional discipline to any person who in good faith assists in providing access to or is present when a patient self-administers the medication; and establishing criminal penalties for persons who knowingly violate statutes relating to the request for the medication?
Colorado End of Life Options Act.pdf
Amendment T: Remove slavery language from Colorado Constitution
From the Colorado Secretary of State's Office:
Amendment T proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to: remove language that currently allows slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for the conviction of a crime.
Ballot text:
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the removal of the exception to the prohibition of slavery and involuntary servitude when used as punishment for persons duly convicted of a crime?
Amendment U: Property-tax exemption
From the Colorado Secretary of State's Office:
Amendment U proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to: beginning with tax year 2018, eliminate property taxes for individuals or businesses that use government-owned property for a private benefit worth $6,000 or less in market value; and beginning with tax year 2019, and every two years thereafter, adjust the $6,000 exemption threshold to account for inflation.
Ballot text:
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning an exemption from property taxation for a possessory interest in real property if the actual value of the interest is less than or equal to six thousand dollars or such amount adjusted for inflation?
