



With most votes counted, a proposed amendment that would make it more difficult to amend the Colorado constitution was strongly approved by voters Tuesday night.

Amendment 71, which supporters dubbed “Raise the Bar,” will require more rigorous measures to land a citizen initiative on the ballot and then require more than a simple majority to pass it.

Shortly before 7 a.m., with 85 percent of the projected vote counted, the measure to impose more stringent requirements led with 1,298,199 votes, or 57 percent, to opponents’ 982,364 votes, or 43 percent, prompting opponents to concede defeat.

“The groundswell of support behind Amendment 71 shows that Coloradans are ready to reduce special interest influence and protect our constitution,” said victorious Raise the Bar campaign co-chair Lee White. “We saw support from all parts of Colorado, urban and rural, united with chambers of commerce, small businesses, community groups, hospitals, and the legal bar to distinguish between fundamental constitutional questions and policy-oriented statutory concerns.”

The campaign pushing the amendment amassed a strong lineup of high-profile supporters, including current and former governors, to advance the position that Colorado makes it too easy for citizens to reach the ballot. The result, they contended, could embed conflicting measures in the constitution, while also making the state an attractive “playground” where national groups could float their agendas.

Raise the Bar raised more than five times the campaign cash as its opposition, including millions from energy interests that shifted its already deep resources to Amendment 71 after a fight over anti-fracking initiatives fizzled.

Opponents claimed that the current bar is plenty high — particularly for those who don’t have the financial resources required to meet signature-gathering requirements.

“Sadly, the vote tonight was for a measure that was backed by moneyed interests at the expense of ordinary folks,” said Tim Hoover of the Colorado Fiscal Institute, part of a coalition of opposition voices.

Amendment 71 sets forth rules that stiffens requirements in two main ways.

Currently, Colorado requires signatures totaling 5 percent of the number of people who voted for the secretary of state in the last general election. The new standard demands signatures from 2 percent of registered voters in each of the state’s 35 Senate districts — adding a geographical element to the requirements.

Second, the new measure would require a 55 percent “yes” vote to pass an amendment, rather than the current simple majority.