Colorado Ballot Questions: Voters reject oil and gas setbacks
Seeking to establish new setback restrictions between oil and gas operations and homes, Proposition 112 was shot down by Colorado voters on Tuesday as oil and gas facility statewide setbacks will remain 500 feet from residences.
While the proposal received both widespread criticism and support from officials throughout Colorado, just being on the ballot, which required nearly 100,000 signatures from Colorado residents, may open the door for future setback rules discussion in Colorado, supporters said.
The current setback rules, established by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2013, set a 500-foot statewide setback from residences, as well as a 1,000-foot setback from high occupancy buildings such as schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, the measure was failing in the statewide vote with 57 percent opposed.
Prop 112 sought to push that setback to at least 2,500 feet from occupied buildings and other vulnerable areas.
Prop 109 38.7% For, 61.4% Against
Prop 110 40.33% For, 59.67% Against
As of 10 p.m., both propositions 109 and 110, which would both provide funding for transportation initiatives, appeared headed toward failure.
Proposition 109, otherwise known as “Fix Our Damn Roads,” was losing by a margin of over 300,000 votes. Proposition 110, better known as “Let’s Go Colorado,” was losing by more than 340,000 votes.
Proposition 109 would have authorized $3.5 billion in bonds to fund statewide road projects — primarily bridge expansion, construction, maintenance and repairs. Proposition 110 would have raised the state’s sales tax rate by 0.62 percent for 20 years to fund transportation projects.
Amendment Y 71.26% For, 28.74% Against
Amendment Z 70.87% For, 29.13% Against
The proposal to establish a new process for congressional and state legislative redistricting has earned the overwhelming support of Colorado voters.
The amendments were passed by a three-to-one margin with roughly 71 percent of statewide voters casting their ballots in favor of Y and Z, which garnered wide bipartisan support.
Amendments Y and Z will create a commission made up of four Republicans, four Democrats and four unaffiliated members, with half chosen by lottery and half chosen by a panel of retired judges.
Amendment 73 44.29% For, 55.71% Against
For the third time in eight years, Colorado voters turned down additional state funding for education Tuesday as Amendment 73 was defeated.
As of 10 p.m., the amendment held 43.29 percent of votes tallied; the amendment needed a 55 percent super-majority in favor to pass. Amendment 73 would have generated $1.6 billion through an increased tax scale on the state’s flat tax (which is 4.63 percent) for those individuals and companies making between $150,000 and $500,000.
Amendment A 65% For, 35% Against
Slavery is officially prohibited under all circumstances in Colorado after voters approved a ballot measure to remove the exception to allow slavery or indentured servitude in the case of punishment for a crime.
The majority of voters, 65 percent, voted to remove the exemption from the Colorado Constitution.
Supporters said it was important to remove the exception for moral and ethical reasons. Though the measure would not have a direct impact on prison reform, proponents believe the change reflects the state’s values of freedom and equality and the vote is important symbolically.
Amendment V 34.8% For, 65.2% Against
Colorado voters decided not to lower the age limit to serve as a representative or senator from 25 to 21 years old. More than 65 percent of votes were cast against lowering the age requirements for state office, as of 10 p.m.
Amendment W 53.24% For, 46.76% Against
As of press time, it was unclear whether citizens of Colorado will find a different format for judge retention questions in future elections.
Amendment W, a 2018 ballot measure that seeks to change the format of judge retention questions in future elections. As of 10 p.m. with 1.7 million ballots counted, the amendment had about 53 percent of the vote. The amendment needs a 55 percent super-majority to go into effect.
Amendment X 60.71% For, 39.29% Against
More than 60 percent of statewide Colorado voters favored the change of the state’s official definition of industrial hemp, as of 10 p.m. The basis of the ballot measure comes from Colorado’s Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana in the state when the voters approved it in 2012. Amendment 64 created a constitutional definition for “industrial hemp.”
Amendment 74 46.5% For, 53.5% Against
This measure would have allowed property owners to file a takings claim against the government when a government action or regulation reduces their property’s value. It was turned down by voters by a 53.5-percent to 46.5-percent margin with more than 1.7 million votes counted at 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
It needed 55 percent of the vote to pass.
Amendment 75 33.86% For, 66,14% Against
State voters appeared to overwhelmingly reject a constitutional amendment that could help those running against wealthy candidates. In statewide results as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Amendment 75 was being soundly defeated by a 66 percent to 34 percent margin.
The amendment was an attempt to cut the campaign spending advantage held by wealthy candidates.
Prop 111 76.67% For, 23.33% Against
Proposition 111 places interest rate limits on payday loan service, and as of 10 p.m. nearly 77 percent of voters supported the proposition.
The proposition will do away with the current fee structure and instead implement a maximum annual percentage rate of 36 percent on the payday loan industry.
