This off-year election had a few surprises in store for the Colorado electorate. Overall, it was a good example of the electoral process at the local and state level. Here are some of my reactions to the news that came out of the election last night.
Amendment 66 – Defeated
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This didn’t really surprise me. If there’s anything that the voters of Colorado hate, it’s taxes. Particularly income taxes, as they are something that affects you regardless of whether or not you partake of the service that the tax would pay for. Despite this, Colorado’s funding of public education is woeful at best and is going to need a solution down the road. Whether or not that comes from the voters or the statehouse remains to be seen.
Proposition AA – Approved
This was not surprising. Colorado voted for the legalization of marijuana largely on the promise that it would be regulated in a similar way to tobacco and alcohol. That meant a tax, specifically a state tax and a special sales tax. This of course meant that Coloradans could vote for a tax that did not necessarily affect them.
Question 2A – Passed, but irrelevant
Again, not necessarily a surprise, however it is going to do zero good for the city of Fort Collins. All it takes is one lawsuit from the state government and 2A gets thrown in the trash can because, legally, the state’s authority trumps the city’s authority.
Secession – Split, but irrelevant
This was an interesting vote to watch. I was surprised that a number of the northeastern counties voted against secession, including Weld County where a lot of the support for secession was perceived. However, just like Question 2A, support for secession is symbolic at best. A secession has to be approved by the statehouse (which is held by Democrats) and then by Congress (which is split evenly between the parties). Unless they want to start a civil war, the secession vote is irrelevant.
Editorial Editor Caleb Hendrich is a senior journalism and political science double major, who treats elections like the Super Bowl. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com
