Written by Ethan Greenberg
Election Day is quickly approaching and the Colorado ballot includes more than the presidential race. Voters will be asked to weigh in on proposed amendments to the Colorado Constitution. The closest voting center for Colorado College students is the El Paso County Clerk’s Office located at 200 S Cascade Ave. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturdays, it is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To vote in person, a valid form of ID is required. Valid forms of ID include a Gold Card, Colorado Driver’s License or ID, a utility bill with the current address, or military ID.
Amendment T: Involuntary Servitude
Currently, the Colorado Constitution allows slavery and involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime. Amendment T would strike that language. It does not intend to withdraw work opportunities from convicted persons (such as the 1,800 current Colorado inmates that work while incarcerated), but only to prevent compulsory labor.
Amendment U: Exempt Certain Possessory Interests from Property Tax
Beginning in 2018, Amendment U would eliminate property taxes for individuals or businesses that use government-owned land for a private benefit of $6,000 or less. The exemptions created by Amendment U would amount to approximately $125,000. For context, the 2015 Colorado state budget was $33 billion. Proponents argue that it would reduce the administrative burden of collecting a miniscule tax, while opponents argue that it is an unfair tax break and shifts the burden to other taxpayers.
Amendment 69: State Healthcare System, aka ColoradoCare
Amendment 69 would lead to the largest changes of any measure on the 2016 ballot, should it pass. It would create a taxpayer-funded universal health care plan for Colorado residents. Residents can continue with their current private healthcare if they choose, but they must pay the new taxes. Under ColoradoCare’s ideal plan, current state and federal funding of healthcare programs like Medicaid would be directed into ColoradoCare. This would require federal approval and action by the state legislature.
New taxes would be necessary in order to implement the plan. Initial taxes are expected to generate around $2 billion in new revenue and the full taxes are projected to generate more than $25 billion each year. In addition to the new state taxes, Amendment 69 would count on $11.2 billion transferred from state and federal funds because of the services that Amendment 69 would provide. This means that Amendment 69 would almost nearly double the current state budget.
If Amendment 69 passes, a board of trustees will be established to govern ColoradoCare. Initially, the board will have 15 members appointed by state legislative leadership and the Governor. This appointed board will determine procedures for an election to elect a 21-member board and thereafter the board would be elected by the people.
Proponents point to the fact that ColoradoCare prohibits deductibles, which would lower the financial barriers to healthcare, and would control the cost of healthcare. Opponents argue that it would raise taxes to the point where Colorado would have the highest income tax of any state, and that the board of trustees is an unaccountable entity in charge of a system the size of the current state budget.
Amendment 70: State Minimum Wage Increase
Amendment 70 would increase the state minimum wage from $8.31 to $9.30 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2017. It would then increase the minimum wage by 90 cents annually until it reaches $12.00 per hour in January 2020. Post-2020, the minimum wage would be increased based on cost-of-living standards. Colorado law does not allow individual cities to set their own minimum wage. Proponents cite the fact that full-time workers making the minimum wage in Colorado earn approximately $17,285 annually. Opponents look to the possible economic costs on business that could result in layoffs, fewer hours, and the like.
Amendment 71: Requirements for Initiated Constitutional Amendments
In Colorado, any change to the state constitution must be approved by voters. An amendment can get on the ballot in two ways. First, the citizens must collect a sufficient number of signatures. Second, two-thirds of both houses of the legislature must vote to refer an amendment to the voters. Amendment 71 focuses on the first way: citizen signatures. Currently, signatures can be gathered from any registered Colorado voter. If passed, Amendment 71 would require that signatures be collected from all parts of the state. Specifically, it would require that signatures include at least 2 percent of the voters in each of the state’s 35 senate districts. The other aspect of Amendment 71 would require that changes to the state constitution receive 55 percent of the vote, an increase from the current simple majority.
One of the goals of Amendment 71 is to encourage more statutory changes instead of constitutional changes. Proponents argue that statutory changes are better because they allow for the legislature to clarify or modify the changes to react to changing times.
Amendment 72: Cigarette and Tobacco Tax
Amendment 72 would increase the state tax on a pack of cigarettes from $0.84 to $2.59 and increase the state tax on other tobacco products (pipes, cigars, chewing, etc.) from 40 percent to 62 percent of the price. Neither existing taxes nor Amendment 72 would tax e-cigarettes. The state taxes are in addition to a federal tax of $1.01 on a pack of 20 cigarettes.
The net impact to state revenue under Amendment 72 is expected to be $299 million in state 7 budget year 2017-18. Listed from highest percentage of funds to lowest, this new money will be dispersed to: research grants to study tobacco-related health issues; health programs such as Medicaid, children’s healthcare, and disease prevention and treatment; education about tobacco; grants to improve health and employment for military veterans; grants for child mental health and substance abuse treatment; construction/improvements to community health centers that serve low-income patients; and student loan repayment and training for health care professionals working in rural or underserved regions.
Opponents to Amendment 72 cite the fact that the tax targets low-income people. Low-income people are more likely to use cigarettes and therefore the tax is regressive. Proponents argue that the new money for treatment and education offsets the disproportionate effect on low-income people.
Proposition 106: Medical Aid in Dying
Prop. 106 allows a terminally ill person with a prognosis of six months or less to live to request and self-administer medical aid-in-dying medication in order to voluntarily end their life. In order to make the decision, the patient must have mental capability to make an informed decision. Prop. 106 would also allow for a physician to prescribe aid-in-dying medication to a terminally ill individual under certain conditions. Finally, Prop. 106 would create criminal penalties for coercing someone into requesting end-of-life medication.
Proposition 107: Presidential Primary Election
Prop. 107 would change Colorado from a presidential caucus system to a presidential primary system. Additionally, Prop. 107 would allow participation by unaffiliated voters. Currently, a voter must be registered with a party to participate in a caucus/primary. Those who prefer a primary over a caucus point to the fact that a caucus requires attendance at a specific time, which can hinder participation from people who may have to work or care for children during the set time. Proponents argue that moving away from the caucus system would create more moderate policy agendas because the most likely people to vote under a party-only rule are the more extreme perspectives.
Proposition 108: Primary Elections
Prop. 108 is very similar to Prop. 107 in that it would allow unaffiliated voters to cast ballots in primaries without registering with a party. In contrast to Prop. 107, which changes the rules for presidential elections, Prop. 108 changes the rules for non-presidential elections.
Colorado Judicial Retentions
The Colorado Office on Judicial Performance recommended retention for Justice William Hood of the Colorado Supreme Court as well as all the judges of the Colorado Court of Appeals. Supreme Court justices serve for 10 years and appeals court judges for eight years before they come up for another vote for retention.
For more information on ballot measures, the non-partisan Blue Book is available online through the Colorado Secretary of State’s website. The Secretary of State’s website also features the complete text of each measure. In addition, the Denver Post, Colorado Public Radio, and many others news organizations have released summaries as well as opinions on ballot measures.