Back to

Referendum O:

Rule Changes for Citizen-Initiated Constitutional and Statutory Measures

Summary

The Colorado General Assembly referred this measure to the people of Colorado. The legislators who support Referendum O want to make it much more difficult and expensive to place constitutional amendments on the ballot for a vote of the people and make it easier to propose statutory initiatives. The constitution may only be changed with voter approval. Statutes may be changed or overturned by legislators (with the governor’s signature on a passed bill) or by the courts. Ultimately, constitutional amendments take precedence over statutes and cannot be changed without future voter approval.

RMFC position:

VOTE XX

Vote NO

RMFC position:

Vote NO

Position:  Vote NO

Blue Book:   Complete text of Referendum O (pdf)

Provided by: Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly

Referendum O proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to:

• decrease the number of signatures required to place a statutory initiative on the ballot, and increase the number of signatures required to place a constitutional initiative on the ballot;
  

• require that eight percent of signatures for constitutional initiatives be gathered from each congressional district;
  

• require that drafts of proposed constitutional initiatives be submitted for review earlier in the year;
  

• extend the time period for collecting signatures for statutory initiatives;
  

• increase the number of votes required for the legislature to change a statutory initiative for five years after the statute takes effect; and
  

• allow the public and state legislators to comment on proposed initiatives at a public meeting.
  

The current ability for “the people” of Colorado to place a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot should not be restricted. The constitutional initiative process needs to remain strong as a buffer against a Legislature and Court system that is increasingly anti-family.

It is already very difficult to pass a constitutional amendment. In the past 50 years, voters have rejected almost two-thirds of all citizen-initiated constitutional amendments.

It is estimated by the Colorado Legislative Council that requiring signatures be collected and verified from each congressional district will increase the cost to Colorado taxpayers by $40,200 in the 2010 elections and by $106,000 in the 2012 elections.