Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Ballot Measures

Suburban Voters In Lakewood Reject Multi Unit Housing Expansion Plan
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Suburban Voters In Lakewood Reject Multi Unit Housing Expansion Plan

By Sage Kelley | The Denver Gazette Lakewood voters rebuffed zoning changes approved by the City Council that seek to allow for more housing “density,” according to the initial and unofficial count Tuesday night. It’s the second time in five months that metro Denver voters have rejected efforts to permit multiplexes and similar types of housing in mostly single-family home neighborhoods. Last November, Littleton residents also sided with critics in voting against the city’s “density” campaign. A group of Lakewood residents gathered sufficient signatures to force a public vote on a 400-page zoning code update and four related ordinances approved by the City Council last year. The measures aim to spur multifamily housing development, according to supporters. Critics...
Colorado bills spark concern over parental rights and religious freedom
Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado bills spark concern over parental rights and religious freedom

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado Colorado is becoming much more antagonistic towards families and people of faith. Our leadership appears to place more importance on ideology, secrecy, and crime when introducing and debating bills. The last few weeks have been an example of that mindset. The legislative session crossed the halfway mark in mid-March and is racing towards the finish line of May 13. SB26-018, Legal Protections for the Dignity of Minors, passed out of committee on March 25 and is headed for second and third reading in the State House this week. The most problematic section of the bill was stripped out in the Senate, but the secrecy provision for minors who request a name change for reasons including conforming to their new ...
Colorado Energy Fight Intensifies With New Ballot Measures Targeting Oil And Gas
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Energy Fight Intensifies With New Ballot Measures Targeting Oil And Gas

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A group has introduced four ballot measures it says are meant to counter an initiative that aims to enshrine Colorado businesses and consumers’ right to purchase and sell natural gas in the state’s constitution. Filed with the Secretary of State’s Office today, Conservation Colorado’s measures would do the following: Establishing statutory liability for oil and gas companies operating in Colorado found to have damaged the state’s air, water, land or communities Establishing joint and several liability for current and past oil and gas operators and producers if found responsible for damage to the environment or a community Prohibiting oil and gas distributors from requiring customers to pay for pipeline extensions or decom...
Arizona Activist Group Revives Effort To Block Wildlife Fur Sales In Colorado
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Arizona Activist Group Revives Effort To Block Wildlife Fur Sales In Colorado

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–An out-of-state animal rights group is back for another swing at banning the sale of wildlife fur in Colorado. As with a previous, failed attempt, hunting, fishing and conservation interests are lining up in opposition. As previously reported by Complete Colorado, the Tucson, Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity filed a citizens’ petition for rulemaking in June, 2025 urging the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission to amend agency regulations to “prohibit the commercial sale, barter, or trade of wildlife fur in Colorado.” While that effort never made it past commissioners, the petition has been filed again for another round in 2026 and will be heard by the CPW commission in early March. &nb...
Does anyone care about the wolves? Or just the politics behind them
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Does anyone care about the wolves? Or just the politics behind them

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com If you were a grey wolf, it would be hard to imagine a more hostile environment than this state, into which 25 wolves have been involuntarily and violently extradited from their natural homes. It is reminiscent of illegal immigrants from south of the border being deported to prisons in unfamiliar countries like South Sudan and Uzbekistan. Those people have at least been accused of committing some crime. But what exactly have these wolves done to deserve such a fate? Wolves are among history’s most hated creatures. Writers have taught children for centuries to fear the Big Bad Wolf. Think of the villains in “Little Red Riding Hood” and at least three other Grimm’s fairy tales, or “The Three Little Pigs,” or at least four Ae...
Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Shooting deaths in Minneapolis involving Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s operations have stirred strong opinions about what to do with illegal immigration in our state and across the country. Many Coloradans are against ICE’s operations in Minneapolis and elsewhere, including here in Colorado, under President Donald Trump and find them to be unwarranted and dangerous.  Many other Coloradans are in full support of Trump and ICE, believing it’s more than reasonable for the federal government to apprehend and deport people here illegally. Especially when they have committed crimes over and above entering the country illegally in the first place. In the midst of that heated debate, advocacy...
Colorado Teachers Union Pushes Ballot Measure Targeting TABOR Spending Limits
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Teachers Union Pushes Ballot Measure Targeting TABOR Spending Limits

By: Blair Miller | Denver7 DENVER — The largest union of Colorado educators rallied outside of the Capitol on Thursday, calling on lawmakers to refer a measure to the ballot that they believe is a solution to funding struggles plaguing schools in the state. The measure that the Colorado Education Association (CEA) is spearheading is centered upon the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), which voters approved in 1992. TABOR limits the amount of money the state government can keep and spend, while requiring voter approval to keep excess funds collected. Without that voter approval, extra revenue is refunded to Colorado taxpayers. The CEA would like voters to decide if they would like to raise the TABOR spending cap, which was called "outdated" several t...
Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds

State lawmakers will gavel in the 2026 legislative session Wednesday and the budget will once again dominate debate. By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The general fund is $850 million in the hole and it could get worse as the Trump Administration threatens to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Colorado. Despite the dire fiscal outlook, Democratic leadership made it clear they won't cave to pressure from the federal government. "It is going to be a powerful session. We will be standing up to Washington," said Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie.By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
Douglas County Commissioners Emphasize Local Control Without New Home Rule Election
Uncategorized, Approved, Local, The Denver Gazette

Douglas County Commissioners Emphasize Local Control Without New Home Rule Election

By Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette The future of Douglas County chasing “home rule” status may not be in the hands of commissioners, but rather by residents who are considering placing the issue back on the ballot, according to one commissioner. Last March, Douglas County commissioners proposed to become a home rule county. The three Republican commissioners asserted that home rule status would allow the county to gain “local control” within a Democratic-controlled state. Commissioners said future efforts to gain local control are still a possibility, despite voters overwhelmingly rejecting the proposal in June. Different from municipal home rule charters, home rule counties are rare in Colorado. Out of 64 counties, only four have adopted home rule: Pitkin...
Colorado Lawmakers Warn School Meal Taxes Could Return to Ballot Yet Again
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Warn School Meal Taxes Could Return to Ballot Yet Again

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun The $95 million a year voters approved when they passed Proposition MM in November is expected to generate enough to fund the Health School Meals for All program. But it might still go back to the ballot. Just two months after Colorado voted — for the second and third times — to raise taxes for a school meals program, legislative analysts are warning state lawmakers they might have to go back to the ballot for round four. The news reduced Joint Budget Committee Chair Emily Sirota to a three-letter response during a December meeting: “O … M … G …” This time around, the stakes aren’t quite as high. The $95 million a year voters approved when they passed Proposition MM in November is expected to generate enough to pay f...