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Is Colorado's election system "rigged"? That's what Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has suggested. But there's no better day than today to see democracy in action at the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, where all signatures on petitions for measures aiming for the statewide November ballot are due at 3 p.m.
Some proponents have already turned in their signatures, including those from Raise the Bar, which calls for raising the number of signatures required for petitions that would amend the Colorado Constitution. That proposal would raise the number of signatures required to 2 percent of the registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 State Senate Districts — and then require approval by 55 percent of voters in a statewide election in order to amend the state constitution.
Right now, whether a proposal calls for a statutory or a constitutional amendment, proponents of that change are required to submit signatures equaling only 5 percent of the previous Secretary of State vote total to place the initiative on the ballot; once a measure is on the ballot, a simple majority will pass either a statutory change or a constitutional amendment.
So in order to make this November's ballot, a proposal must have about 98,000 legit signatures. How does the Secretary of State's Office verify them? Which proposals have already made the ballot, and which are still waiting to have signatures verified?
Tune in to our Facebook Live interview with Wayne Williams around 2:30 p.m., when he'll answer questions from Westword staff writer Alan Prendergast as well as queries submitted by readers.
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