Colorado Amendment 76, Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative (2020)

Colorado Amendment 76
Election date November 3, 2020
Topic Suffrage
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens
List of Colorado measuresColorado Amendment 76Colorado Amendment 77Colorado Amendment BColorado Amendment CColorado Proposition 113Colorado Proposition 114Colorado Proposition 115Colorado Proposition 116Colorado Proposition 117Colorado Proposition 118Colorado Proposition EESubmit

Colorado Amendment 76, the Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative, was on the ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported amending the Colorado Constitution to state that “only a citizen” of the U.S. who is 18 years of age or older can vote in Colorado.

A "no" vote opposed amending the Colorado Constitution, thus keeping the existing language that says “every citizen” of the U.S. who is 18 years of age or older can vote in Colorado.

Supermajority requirement: A 55 percent supermajority vote was required for the approval of Amendment 76.

Election results

Colorado Amendment 76
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,985,239	62.90%
No		1,171,137	37.10%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did Amendment 76 change in the Colorado Constitution?

See also: Full text and ballot language

Going into the election, Colorado law required U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Amendment 76 was designed to amend Section 1 of Article VII of the Colorado Constitution to state that only citizens of the United States who are 18 years old or older can vote in federal, state, and local elections.

• Going into the election, the Colorado Constitution said,"Every citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, has resided in this state for such a time as may be prescribed by law, and has been duly registered as a voter if required by law shall be qualified to vote at all elections."
• Under the ballot measure, the Colorado Constitution was amended to say, "Only a citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, has resided in this state for such a time as may be prescribed by law, and has been duly registered as a voter if required by law shall be qualified to vote at all elections."

Does Amendment 76 prohibit 17-year-olds from voting in primary elections?

Under the Colorado Votes Act (House Bill 19-1278), which went into effect in August 2019, individuals who are 17 years of age at the time of a primary election but who will be 18 years of age at the time of a general election are able to register and vote in the primary election. There are different perspectives on the effect Amendment 76 would have on voting age requirements in Colorado.

The Colorado Legislative Council wrote in the 2020 Blue Book that "under Amendment 76, 17-year-olds who are currently able to vote in primary elections will no longer be eligible to do so."

The No on 76 campaign, also known as Campaign for Real Election Protection, said the amendment would "take away the right for 17-year-olds to vote in primaries."

Former Colorado Secretary of State and attorney for Amendment 76 supporters Scott Gessler (R) said, “The way we view it is (that) [Amendment 76] is enforcing the original intent of the Colorado constitution. We’re just saying that the cut off should be age 18."

Colorado Citizen Voters Committee Agent Joe Stengel told Ballotpedia, "A-76 does not address that subject—hence my statement that this was/is a red herring and diversionary argument meant to mislead the public. The language being amended deals solely with, and unambiguously enshrines that in Colorado an elector must be a U.S. Citizen only. If the 2019 Colorado Voting Rights legislation recently passed by the General Assembly is constitutional, or not, is a subject, and/or a question that is not implicated or determined by Amendment 76."

Who was behind the campaigns surrounding Amendment 76?

See also: Support and Opposition

Colorado Citizen Voters led the campaign in support of the measure. The committee is supported by Citizen Voters, Inc., a Florida-based 501(c)(4) organization founded by John Loudon that has supported similar measures to amend state constitutions nationwide. John Loudon was a Republican member of the Missouri State Legislature from 1995 to 2008 and was an advisor to America First Policies, a group that supports President Donald Trump (R). Citizen Voters had contributed $1.42 million to the committee primarily through in-kind contributions. John Loudon said these amendments are needed across the nation because "surprisingly, the U.S. Constitution and every state constitution, with the exception of Arizona and North Dakota, does not specifically require citizenship to vote. Each of these state constitutions say nearly the same thing: 'Every citizen shall be an elector...' This inclusive language tells us who can vote, but not who can’t vote."

Campaign for Real Election Protection registered to oppose the measure. The committee reported $59,825 in contributions. Donors included the ACLU of Colorado, Project Voyce, Common Cause Colorado, ProgressNow Colorado, the SEIU, and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. Cristian Solano-Córdova, a spokesperson for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said, "To some extent, I think it would be fair for noncitizens to be able to vote in some of those lower-level elections, such as for school board, because they have a vested interest, they pay taxes into the system. But ... I’m not aware of that being something people are actually pushing for here, so it seems like they’re trying to provide a solution to a nonexisting problem."

Were similar measures on the ballot in other states?

See also: Background

The Alabama Amendment 1 (placed on the ballot by the Alabama State Legislature) and Florida Amendment 1 (placed on the ballot through a signature petition drive by Florida Citizen Voters) were on the 2020 ballot in Alabama and Florida. The Alabama measure was approved by a vote of 77% to 23%. The Florida measure was approved by a vote of 79% to 21%. Both measures were supported by Citizen Voters, Inc.

What do other state constitutions say about citizenship and voting?

See also: Background

All state constitutions mention United States citizenship when discussing who can vote in that state's elections. In 48 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship states who can vote (e.g. "every citizen" or "all citizens"), but does not state that non-citizens cannot vote. In Arizona and North Dakota, the states' constitutions provide that citizens, but not non-citizens, have the right to vote. In 1962, Arizona became the first state to pass a constitutional amendment stating that no person can vote unless the person is a U.S. citizen. The next state was North Dakota, which approved a constitutional amendment 56 years later in 2018. The measure amended the North Dakota Constitution to state that "only a citizen" rather than "every citizen" of the U.S. can vote in federal, state, and local elections. Measure 2 was approved by a vote of 66% to 34%.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Amendment 76 is below:

“

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution requiring that to be qualified to vote at any election an individual must be a United States citizen?

”

Summary and analysis

The summary and analysis provided for this measure in the 2020 State Ballot Information Booklet are available on page 18 at this link.

Fiscal impact statement

The fiscal impact statement was as follows:

“

No fiscal impact. Amendment 76 does not change the revenue, spending, or workload of any state agency or local government, and is assessed as having no fiscal impact.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article VII, Colorado Constitution

The measure amended Section 1 of Article VII of the Colorado Constitution. The following underlined text was added and struck-through text was deleted:

Every Only a citizen of the United States who has attained the age of eighteen years, has resided in this state for such a time as may be prescribed by law, and has been duly registered as a voter if required by law shall be qualified to vote at all elections.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2020

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The Colorado Title Board wrote the ballot language for this measure. The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 17, and the FRE is 23. The word count for the ballot title is 27, and the estimated reading time is 7 seconds.

Support

Colorado Citizen Voters led the campaign in support of the initiative.

Supporters

Officials

• Colorado State Representative Patrick Neville (R)

Political Parties

• Republican Party of Colorado

Organizations

• Citizen Voters, Inc.

Arguments

• Colorado Citizen Voters: "Most of our states’ Constitutions don’t prohibit non-citizens from voting. Through what is called the 'non-citizen' loophole, cities across America are passing laws to allow non-citizens to vote in our elections. It’s time to close this loophole and give legal protections to citizen voting."
• Colorado Rep. Patrick Neville (R): "In my mind, this simply clears up some ambiguous language and ensures we take the first steps to ensure we have election integrity in the state of Colorado."
• Former Colorado Rep. Joe Stengel (R): "[I]f you read [the Colorado Constitution], it is not clear. What constitutes a resident under the statue, you will see that is it up to a municipality to determine residency. We are essentially taking out all of the room for error and interpretation."
• Former Colorado Secretary of State and attorney for proponents Scott Gessler (R): “The way we view it is (that) it is enforcing the original intent of the Colorado constitution. We’re just saying that the cut off should be age 18."

Official arguments

• Official Blue Book argument: "Voting is a fundamental right reserved for U.S. citizens. Amendment 76 guarantees that the state will not be able to pursue policies that allow noncitizens to vote. The measure specifies who can vote in Colorado and provides additional constitutional protections for Colorado’s elections."

Opposition

Campaign for Real Election Protection (Vote No on 76) led the campaign in opposition to the measure. Coalition members included the ACLU of Colorado, Colorado Common Cause , Colorado Education Association, and more. The campaign provided a list of endorsements on its website, which is available here.

Opponents

Officials

• Colorado State Senator Stephen Fenberg (D)
• Colorado State Senator Mike Foote (D)
• Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales (D)
• Colorado State Senator Chris Hansen (D)
• Colorado State Senator Dominick Moreno (D)
• Colorado Speaker of the House KC Becker (D)
• Colorado State Representative Adrienne Benavidez (D)
• Colorado State Representative Yadira Caraveo (D)
• Colorado State Representative James Coleman (D)
• Colorado State Representative Monica Duran (D)
• Colorado State Representative Daneya Esgar (D)
• Colorado State Representative Meg Froelich (D)
• Colorado State Representative Alec Garnett (D)
• Colorado State Representative Matt Gray (D)
• Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod (D)
• Colorado State Representative Edie Hooton (D)
• Colorado State Representative Dominique Jackson (D)
• Colorado State Representative Chris Kennedy (D)
• Colorado State Representative Cathy Kipp (D)
• Colorado State Representative Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D)
• Colorado State Representative Susan Lontine (D)
• Colorado State Representative Julie McCluskie (D)
• Colorado State Representative Kyle Mullica (D)
• Colorado State Representative Dylan Roberts (D)
• Colorado State Representative Jonathan Singer (D)
• Colorado State Representative Emily Sirota (D)
• Colorado State Representative Marc Snyder (D)
• Colorado State Representative Kerry Tipper (D)
• Colorado State Representative Brianna Titone (D)
• Colorado State Representative Mike Weissman (D)
• Colorado State Representative Steven Woodrow (D)

Political Parties

• Working Families Party of Colorado

Unions

• Colorado Education Association
• SEIU Local 105

Organizations

• ACLU of Colorado
• America Votes Action Fund
• American Friends Service Committee
• CIRC Action Fund
• COLOR Action Fund
• Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, and Research Organization
• Colorado People's Action
• Common Cause Colorado
• Conservation Colorado
• Democracy for America
• Indivisible Colorado Action Network (ICAN)
• Law Enforcement Action Partnership
• New Era Colorado
• One Colorado
• Progress Now Colorado
• Project VOYCE
• Student Voice Student Vote
• United for a New Economy
• Young Invincibles

Arguments

• Cristian Solano-Córdova, a spokesperson for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition: - "To some extent, I think it would be fair for noncitizens to be able to vote in some of those lower-level elections, such as for school board, because they have a vested interest, they pay taxes into the system. But ... I’m not aware of that being something people are actually pushing for here, so it seems like they’re trying to provide a solution to a nonexisting problem." - "Put bluntly, [the initiave] is a conspiracy-minded propaganda piece meant to energize an anti-immigrant base for the 2020 election."
• Mark Grueskin: Mark Grueskin, a Democratic Colorado attorney, said, "Whatever [the sponsors] intended isn’t what they ended up with," and said that Colorado's home-rule law under Article XX of the state constitution would mean that cities would still have the power to "legislate upon, provide, regulate, conduct and control... all matters pertaining to municipal elections in such city or town."
• Raquel Lane-Arellano, Policy Director for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Action Fund: "Many immigrant voters, who can rightfully participate in our democracy because they have gained their citizenship, could be dissuaded from using their voting rights if Amendment 76 passes. Amendment 76 is a blatant and racist attack against Colorado immigrants with a clear attempt to draw out anti-immigrant voters."
• Campaign for Real Election Protection Campaign Manager Julian Camera: “Voting fraud is so rare that it makes up 0.0024% of nationwide votes, and non-citizens already can't vote. That's how we know that Amendment 76 is about suppressing voter turnout, not stopping fraud."
• ACLU of Colorado: "This amendment is a part of a larger national anti-immigrant movement spreading unfounded and xenophobic narratives that undocumented people are fraudulently voting in elections - a narrative widely perpetuated by the Trump administration."
• Campaign for Real Election Protection (Vote No on 76): "[Amendment 76 will] take away the right for 17 year-old’s to vote in primaries; confuse citizen immigrant voters, resulting in lower voter turnout; turn out anti-immigrant voters; and put a permanent restriction on who can vote in Colorado. ... The main goal of 76 is voter suppression, especially among citizen immigrant and youth voters. Colorado has one of the most secure and accessible election systems in the COUNTRY. 76 would take us backwards."

Official arguments

• Official Blue Book argument: "Amendment 76 makes an unnecessary and potentially divisive change. The state already has a secure election system that ensures only those who meet legal requirements can vote in elections. Ultimately, the measure seeks to solve a problem that does not exist, may result in voter confusion about state and local elections, and could discourage and even disenfranchise voters."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Colorado ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recently scheduled reports processed by Ballotpedia, which covered through November 30, 2020.

Colorado Citizen Voters registered to support Amendment 76. The committee reported $43,629 in cash contributions and $1.45 million in in-kind contributions. Citizen Voters, Inc. contributed 98% of the total contributions to the committee. Citizen Voters, Inc. spent $1,352,352 on signature gathering that was reported as an in-kind contribution to Colorado Citizen Voters, resulting in a cost-per-required-signature of $10.85. The committee reported in $34,285 in cash expenditures.

Campaign for Real Election Protection registered to oppose the measure. The committee reported $59,825 in contributions and $59,700 in expenditures. The largest donor was the ACLU of Colorado, which provided $40,446.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$43,629.28	$1,403,059.81	$1,446,689.09	$34,285.04	$1,437,344.85
Oppose	$31,050.00	$28,775.18	$59,825.18	$30,925.00	$59,700.18

Support

Committees in support of Amendment 76
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Colorado Citizen Voters	$43,629.28	$1,403,059.81	$1,446,689.09	$34,285.04	$1,437,344.85
Total	$43,629.28	$1,403,059.81	$1,446,689.09	$34,285.04	$1,437,344.85

Donors

Citizen Voters, Inc. provided 99% of the contributions to Colorado Citizen Voters. Below are the top five donors to the support committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Citizen Voters, Inc.	$25,350.00	$1,394,979.20	$1,420,329.20
Gerald Hugo	$100.00	$0.00	$100.00
Joe Stengel	$100.00	$0.00	$100.00
Michelle Austin	$100.00	$0.00	$100.00
Susan Luenser	$75.00	$0.00	$75.00

Opposition

Committees in opposition to Amendment 76
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Colorado Citizen Voters	$43,629.28	$1,403,059.81	$1,446,689.09	$34,285.04	$1,437,344.85
Total	$43,629.28	$1,403,059.81	$1,446,689.09	$34,285.04	$1,437,344.85

Donors

Below are the top five donors to the opposition committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
ACLU of Colorado	$31,000.00	$9,445.53	$40,445.53
Project Voyce	$0.00	$1,575.00	$1,575.00
Working Families Organization	$0.00	$1,360.00	$1,360.00
American Friends Service Committee	$0.00	$1,120.00	$1,120.00
Common Cause Colorado	$0.00	$636.00	$636.00

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Media editorials

See also: 2020 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

• Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial Board: "It is amazing this question exists. Voting should be a privilege belonging only to those born to this country or naturalized by proving loyalty to the uniting values and principles that make it a nation. Citizenship is membership. Only members, fully vested in the country and beholden to no others, should vote in elections. Vote 'yes' on Amendment 76."

Opposition

• Journal-Advocate Editorial Board and Fort Morgan Times Editorial Board: "It is our belief that this amendment seeks to correct a problem that does not exist, thereby running the risk of creating a problem where there is none. There is currently no issue with the language in the Constitution, so we see no need to change it."
• Colorado Springs Indy Editorial Board: "This measure seeks to amend the Colorado Constitution to specify that “only a citizen” of the United States rather than “every citizen” of the United States can vote in Colorado elections. While such a change might seem trivial, the unintended consequences of Amendment 76 are not. It dissuades immigrant-turned-naturalized citizens from voting because the amendment’s language is both exclusive and confusing. In addition, this measure would likely overturn a House of Representatives bill enacted last year that allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries as long as they turn 18 before the general election. Vote No on Amendment 76."
• Durango Herald Editorial Board: "Amendment 76 would replace the word 'every' with the word 'only' to describe citizens who can vote. We see no reason to apply this apparent limitation. There has been no abuse of 'every' through the years. Leave the constitution alone. No on Amendment 76."
• Vail Daily Editorial Board: "Amendment 76 was not crafted in Colorado, but by a Florida-based 501(c)(4) organization that has supported similar measures to amend state constitutions nationwide. Do we really want this out-of-state organization meddling in the Colorado Constitution? The current system works just fine. Young Republicans vote in their Republican primary, young Democrats vote in their primary, and young Independents choose which party’s primary they want to join. Wanting more eligible people to be politically involved, no matter their party, should be a bipartisan stance, which is why we are saying vote no on Amendment 76."
• Boulder Weekly Editorial Board: "Data clearly shows that voter fraud is rare in the U.S., and noncitizen voting rarer still. Colorado has one of the most secure and accessible election systems in the country under the current constitutional language and we see no reason to change that. Vote no."

Background

Colorado voting requirements, 2020

As of 2020, neither Colorado nor any of the state's local jurisdictions allowed non-citizens to vote in elections. Under Colorado law, a person must be a U.S. citizen in order to register to vote. Under the Colorado Votes Act (House Bill 19-1278), which went into effect in August 2019, individuals who are 17 years of age at the time of a primary election but who will be 18 years of age at the time of a general election are able to register to vote and vote in the primary election. House Bill 1278 was passed in the Colorado State Senate by a vote of 18-17 with 18 Democratic senators voting in favor and one Democrat and all sixteen Republican senators voting against. The bill was passed in the Colorado House of Representatives by a vote of 38-27 with 38 Democratic representatives voting in favor and three Democratic and all 24 Republican representatives voting against.

Non-citizen voting in the U.S.

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting non-citizens from voting in federal elections, such as U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and presidential elections. Federal law did not address state or local elections.

Examples of localities that allow non-citizen voting

Voters in San Francisco approved a measure, Proposition N, in 2016 which allowed non-citizens to register to vote in school board elections. New York City allowed non-citizens to vote in local school board elections from 1968 to 2003 until the city abolished elected school boards. As of 2019, 11 cities in Maryland, including Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, and Takoma Park allowed non-citizens to vote. Chicago has allowed noncitizens to vote and serve on its school councils since 1989.

Similar measures in other states

See also: Suffrage on the ballot

Amendments to change constitutional language to explicitly require voters to be U.S. citizens were on the 2020 ballot in Alabama, Colorado, and Florida. A similar initiative was proposed in Maine targeting the 2020 ballot, though the effort in Maine was suspended as of October 16, 2019, citing fundraising difficulties.

Voters in North Dakota decided on a similar measure, Measure 2, in 2018. The measure amended the North Dakota Constitution to state that “only a citizen” rather than "every citizen" of the U.S. can vote in federal, state, and local elections. Measure 2 was approved by a vote of 66% to 34%. Gary Emineth, Republican candidate for District 35 of the North Dakota State Senate, sponsored the initiative. Emineth was also the chairman of North Dakotans for Citizen Voting, the group that led the campaign in support of Measure 2. Citizen Voters, Inc. listed North Dakota as one of the group's successes.

Arizona approved an amendment in 1962 that required voters in all elections to be U.S. citizens.

Constitutional language by state: citizenship and suffrage

All state constitutions mention United States citizenship when discussing who can vote in that state's elections. In 48 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship states who can vote (e.g. "every citizen" or "all citizens"), but does not state that non-citizens cannot vote. In Arizona and North Dakota, the states' constitutions provide that citizens, but not non-citizens, have the right to vote.

The following table lists what each state's constitution says regarding citizenship and the right to vote. Click the arrow to browse pages in the chart or search for a state within the chart.

Election policy on the ballot in 2020

In 2020, voters in 14 states voted on 18 ballot measures addressing election-related policies. One of the measures addressed campaign finance, one were related to election dates, five addressed election systems, three addressed redistricting, five addressed suffrage, and three addressed term limits.

Click Show to read details about the election-related measures on statewide ballots in 2020.

Election-related policy ballot measures in 2020

Campaign finance See also: Campaign finance on the ballot a Oregon Measure 107: Measure 107 authorizes the state legislature and local governments to (1) enact laws or ordinances limiting campaign contributions and expenditures; (2) require disclosure of contributions and expenditures; and (3) require that political advertisements identify the people or entities that paid for them. Going into the election, Oregon was one of five states with no limits on campaign contributions. Election dates a New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 2: The amendment allowed the state legislature to pass laws adjusting the election dates of state or county officeholders and adjusting office terms according to those date changes. Under the measure, laws proposing adjustments to election dates of non-statewide officeholders must be supported by a legislative finding that such a change would promote consistency or that it would evenly distribute the number of offices appearing on the ballot. Election systems a Alaska Ballot Measure 2: Ballot Measure 2 replaced the state's partisan primaries with open top-four primaries for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices and established ranked-choice voting for general elections, including the presidential election, in which voters would rank the candidates. Ballot Measure 2 also required persons and entities that contribute more than $2,000 that were themselves derived from donations, contributions, dues, or gifts to disclose the true sources, as defined in the law, of the political contributions. a Colorado Proposition 113: In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature passed a bill to add Colorado to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). NPVIC member states have agreed to give the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, provided the NPVIC goes into effect. The NPVIC was designed to go into effect if states representing at least 270 electoral votes join the NPVIC. The campaign Protect Colorado's Vote filed a veto referendum to overturn the law, which resulted in Proposition 113. On November 3, voters upheld the law and voted in favor of adding Colorado to the NPVIC. d Florida Amendment 3: Amendment 3 would have replaced Florida's closed primaries with top-two open primaries for elected state offices. Under Amendment 3, all candidates would have run in the same primary election. The top-two candidates, regardless of their partisan affiliation, would have moved on to the general election under Amendment 3. d Massachusetts Question 2: Question 2 would have enacted ranked-choice voting (RCV) for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional representatives, and certain county offices. As of 2020, statewide elections in Massachusetts used a plurality voting system. a Mississippi Ballot Measure 2: As of 2020, Mississippi required that a candidate for governor or elected state office receive the most votes in a majority of the state's 122 state House of Representatives districts (known as the electoral vote requirement). Ballot Measure 2 repealed this requirement. Instead, Ballot Measure 2 provided that a candidate for governor or state office must receive a majority vote to win and that a runoff election would be held between the two highest vote-getters in the event that no candidate receives a majority vote. Redistricting See also: Redistricting measures on the ballot a Missouri Amendment 3: In 2018, Missouri voters approved Amendment 1, the Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting Initiative, which created the nonpartisan state demographer responsible for state legislative redistricting. Amendment 3 repealed the nonpartisan state demographer and returned the state to the use of bipartisan redistricting commissions, with changes to the number and selection of commissioners. The 2020 amendment also maintained the criteria of competitiveness and partisan fairness that was enacted in 2018, but it loosened the partisan fairness requirement and required that population, voter rights abridgment, contiguous districts, simple shapes, and the rules for counties be considered with a higher priority. a New Jersey Public Question 3: As of 2020, the New Jersey Constitution required the state legislative redistricting commission to pass a redistricting plan within a month of receiving the official census data. Question 3 postponed state legislative redistricting until after the election on November 2, 2021, should the state receive federal census data after February 15, 2021. The U.S. Census Bureau asked Congress to extend the deadline to deliver census data from April 1, 2021, to July 31, 2021, due to delays related to the coronavirus pandemic. a Virginia Question 1: Question 1 transferred the power to draw the state's congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a redistricting commission composed of state legislators and citizens. Going into 2020, the Virginia General Assembly was responsible for drawing the state's congressional and state legislative district boundaries. The redistricting plans were passed as legislation and subject to the governor's veto power. Suffrage See also: Suffrage on the ballot a Alabama Amendment 1: Amendment 1 amended the Alabama Constitution to state that "only a citizen of the United States," rather than "every citizen of the United States," who is 18 years old or older has the right to vote in Alabama. a California Proposition 17: Proposition 17 amended the state constitution to allow people with felonies who are on parole to vote; therefore, the ballot measure kept imprisonment as a disqualification for voting but removed parole status. Going into 2020, the California Constitution disqualified people with felonies from voting until the completion of their imprisonment and parole. d California Proposition 18: Proposition 18 would have allowed 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primary elections and special elections. a Colorado Amendment 76: Amendment 76 amended the Colorado Constitution to state that “only a citizen”, instead of "every citizen", of the U.S. who is 18 years of age or older can vote in Colorado. Under the Colorado Votes Act, which went into effect in August 2019, individuals who are 17 years of age at the time of a primary election but who will be 18 years of age at the time of a general election were allowed to register to vote and vote in the primary election. According to the Colorado Blue Book, prevents 17-year-olds from voting. a Florida Amendment 1: Amendment 1 amended the Florida Constitution to state that “only a citizen” of the U.S. who is 18 years old or older can vote in Florida instead of saying that "every citizen" of the U.S. who is 18 years old or older can vote in Florida. Term limits and term lengths See also: Term limits on the ballot a Arkansas Issue 2: Issue 2 changed term limits of state legislators to twelve consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a four-year break. The 12-year limit applied to anyone elected in 2021 or after. Going into 2020, Arkansas legislators could serve up to 16 years throughout their lifetimes in the House or Senate. d Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2: The amendment would have increased the office terms of commonwealth's attorneys from six years to eight years starting in 2030; increased the office terms of district judges from four years to eight years starting in 2022; and changed attorney licensing requirements for district judges from two years to eight years beginning in 2022. d Missouri Amendment 1: Amendment 1 would have limited the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, and attorney general to two terms of office in a lifetime. Going into 2020, the state constitution limited the governor and state treasurer to two terms of office in a lifetime but not the other executive offices.

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Colorado and Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado

The state process

In Colorado, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for the office of Colorado secretary of state in the preceding general election. For initiated constitutional amendments, signature gathering must be distributed to include signatures equal to 2 percent of the registered voters who live in each of the state's 35 senate districts.

State law provides that petitioners have six months to collect signatures after the ballot language and title are finalized. State statutes require a completed signature petition to be filed three months and three weeks before the election at which the measure would appear on the ballot. The Constitution, however, states that the petition must be filed three months before the election at which the measure would appear. The secretary of state generally lists a date that is three months before the election as the filing deadline.

Constitutional amendments in Colorado require a 55% supermajority vote to be ratified and added to the state constitution. This requirement was added by Amendment 71 of 2016.

The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2020 ballot:

• Signatures: 124,632 valid signatures
• Deadline: August 3, 2020

The secretary of state is responsible for signature verification. Verification is conducted through a review of petitions regarding correct form and then a 5 percent random sampling verification. If the sampling projects between 90 percent and 110 percent of required valid signatures, a full check of all signatures is required. If the sampling projects more than 110 percent of the required signatures, the initiative is certified. If less than 90 percent, the initiative fails.

Details about this initiative

• George Athanasopoulos (R) and Arvin Michel filed this initiative on April 18, 2019.
• The initiative was approved for signature gathering on July 22, 2019. Signatures for the initiative were due on November 12, 2019.
• Colorado Citizen Voters announced submitting around 200,000 signatures on November 12, 2019.
• On December 12, 2019, the Colorado Secretary of State's office announced that 137,362 of the submitted signatures were valid, certifying the measure for the ballot.

Cost of signature collection:
Sponsors of the measure hired an unknown petition gathering company to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $1,352,352.05 was spent to collect the 124,632 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $10.85.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Colorado

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Colorado.

How to cast a vote in Colorado

The information below covers regular voting policies in the state. Information may have not applied to the election on November 3, 2020, because of temporary changes in response to coronavirus. Click here to read about changes made for the 2020 elections. Poll times In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time for those who choose to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Registration requirements Check your voter registration status here. In Colorado, an individual can register to vote if he or she is at least 16 years old and will be 18 by Election Day. A voter must be a citizen of the United States who has lived in Colorado at least 22 days prior to Election Day. Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a mail-in ballot, a voter must register at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail. Automatic registration Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Online registration See also: Online voter registration Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. Same-day registration Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person. Residency requirements Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote. Verification of citizenship See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. Verifying your registration The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online. Voter ID requirements Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification when voting in person. If voting by mail for the first, a voter may also need to return a photocopy of his or her identification with his or her mail-in ballot. Click here for more information. The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of April 2023. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State. “ The following documents are acceptable forms of identification: A valid Colorado driver’s license or valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue. (Note: documents issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. are not acceptable forms of identification.) A valid U.S. passport. A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado. A valid pilot’s license issued by the federal aviation administration or other authorized agency of the U.S. A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector. A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector. A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood. A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate for the elector. Certified documentation of naturalization. A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in *Colorado, as defined in section 23-3.1-102(5), C.R.S.. A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. department of veterans affairs veterans health administration with a photograph of the eligible elector. A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership. Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. The following documents are also considered acceptable forms of identification for voting: Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility, as defined in section 1-1-104(18.5), C.R.S. Verification that a voter is a person committed to the department of human services and confined and eligible to register and vote shall be considered sufficient identification of such person for the purposes of section 1-2-210.5, C.R.S. Written correspondence from the county sheriff or his or her designee to the county clerk indicating that a voter is confined in a county jail or detention facility. ” }}

See also

2020 measures

• 2020 ballot measures
• Suffrage on the ballot
• 2020 petition deadlines

Colorado

• Colorado ballot measures
• Colorado initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Initiative 76 full text
• Colorado Ballot Information Booklet (Blue Book)
• Colorado Secretary of State: Initiative Filings, Agendas & Results
• Initiatives filed with the Legislative Council Staff

Support

• Colorado Citizen Voters campaign website
• Colorado Citizen Voters Facebook page
• Colorado Citizen Voters Twitter page

Opposition

• Vote No on 76 campaign website
• Vote No on 76 Facebook page
• Vote No on 76 Twitter page