Colorado’s citizen initiative system gears up for another monster ballot

Louis Schroeder came to the State Capitol on Friday to attend a review hearing on a ballot initiative he authored that aims to radically reduce Colorado property taxes. Schroeder and four staff members from the government’s Legislative Council and Legal Services offices sat around a long table in a narrow room for more than an hour, considering a 10-page report staffers had prepared on various legal points.

Colorado election snafu roundup: Are we ready for Nov. 4?

It’s not just you. Colorado is looking a bit iffy these days in terms of election preparedness. And with less than three weeks to go until November 4th, things just keep getting stickier. But wading through the constantly breaking election muck can be a less than savory experience. So please, put away your wellies and let the Colorado Independent guide you. Each Friday until Election Day, we’ll publish a roundup of the week’s big news related to election bungles around the state. If you’ve got news or opinions to share, please add them in the comments section below. After all, we’re not as scientific as, say, Colorado’s new electronic voting machines. Read on for the roundup:

Thousands of Colorado applicants rejected from voter rolls

Colorado’s confusing voter registration form has prompted county clerks to reject at least 4,800 new voter applications. And while election officials say there’s still time for the applicants to get onto voter rolls, watchdog groups warn of unintended disenfranchisement.

Is Colorado the next Florida?

First there was Florida. Then there was Ohio. Will Colorado be next?

The state’s got a brand new voter database system, the longest ballot in the nation, and hundreds of thousands of new voter registrations to contend with, all of which raise the specter of chaos at the polls come November. And while elections officials maintain that Colorado can pull off its elections without a hitch, several voter watchdog groups say otherwise.

Conventions highlight gaps in ethics laws

It was one of the chief vows of the Democratic Party as it took control of both congressional chambers in 2007: to sever the cozy relationships between lobbyists and lawmakers brought to light by the Jack Abramoff scandals.

No Word From Ethics Commish – Other Than It Doesn’t Exist

The response to yesterday’s Colorado Supreme Court ruling reinstating a ban on gifts to lawmakers has ranged from disappointment to delight — and confusion of the type that has marked Amendment 41 since its inception. In the afternoon, members…

Supremes Bring Gift Ban Back; Still No Ethics Commission

The Colorado Supreme Court today tossed out the injunction barring Colorado’s ethics in government law — in essence ruling it’s up to the state’s five-member ethics commission to implement and enforce the law. The only problem is, more than a…

Ex-Lawmaker Named To Slowly Forming Ethics Panel

A year after Colorado voters approved Amendment 41 to establish strict mandates on ethics in government, a panel to oversee complaints and potential violations is not yet assembled. But the latest appointment to the panel, a well-known former lawmaker from…

The Denver dailies are filled today with the meltdown over Amendment 41.

Lawsuits.

Reports of Jared Polis going to the capitol, “wigging out” and “threatening” House Minority Leader Mike May – which he describes as…

After #41: Making It “A Little Bit Harder”

Unintended consequences.

Those two words just may grow into a rallying cry to make amending Colorado’s constitution more difficult.

Driving the debate are several recent constitutional amendments that voters have given the big thumbs up to, only…