Amendment 46 — Rescinds Affirmative Action
NO: Arvada Press, Aspen Times, Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Golden Transcript, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Wheat Ridge Transcript,Yellow Scene

YES: Grand Junction Sentinel, Rocky Mountain News

———–

Amendment 47 — “Right to Work”
NO: Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Grand Junction Sentinel, Greeley Tribune, Steamboat Pilot & Today, Yellow Scene

YES: Arvada Press, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Daily Camera, Golden Transcript, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Salida Mountain Mail, Wheat Ridge Transcript

————

Amendment 48 — Personhood for fertilized eggs
NO: Arvada Press, Apsen Times, Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Golden Transcript, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lafayette News, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Steamboat Pilot, Superior Observer, Wheat Ridge Transcript, Yellow Scene

YES: Colorado Springs Gazette

———–

Amendment 49 — Political donations by union members
NO: Aspen Times, Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Cortez Journal, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Durango Herald, Steamboat Pilot & Today, Yellow Scene

YES: Arvada Press, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs Gazette, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Golden Transcript, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Salida Mountain Mail, Superior Observer, Wheat Ridge Transcript

————

Amendment 50 — Increases gambling wagers
NO: Cortez Journal, Denver Post, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Steamboat Pilot

YES: Arvada Press, Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Centennial Citizen, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Daily Camera, Durango Herald, Golden Transcript, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Tri-Lakes Tribune, Wheat Ridge Transcript, Yellow Scene

————

Amendment 51 — Funds services for the developmentally disabled
NO: Arvada Press, Cortez Journal, Denver Post, Golden Transcript, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Wheat Ridge Transcript

YES: Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs Independent, Daily Camera, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Rocky Mountain News, Yellow Scene

————-

Amendment 52 — Diverts severance taxes to transportation projects
NO: Arvada Press, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Golden Transcript, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Steamboat Pilot, Wheat Ridge Transcript, Yellow Scene

YES: Colorado Springs Business Journal, Grand Junction Sentinel

————

Amendment 53 — withdrawn by sponsors

————

Amendment 54 — Prevents campaign contributions from government vendors
NO: Arvada Press, Aurora Sentinel, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Golden Transcript, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Pueblo Chieftain, Rocky Mountain News, Salida Mountain Mail, Steamboat Pilot & Today, Wheat Ridge Transcript, Yellow Scene

YES: No endorsements to date.

————

Amendment 55 — withdrawn by sponsors

————

Amendment 56 — withdrawn by sponsors

————

Amendment 57 — withdrawn by sponsors

————

Amendment 58 — Repeals property tax credit for oil and gas sector
NO: Arvada Press, Denver Post, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Golden Transcript, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lakewood Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Steamboat Pilot, Wheat Ridge Transcript

YES: Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Durango Herald, Yellow Scene

————-

Amendment 59 — Creates rainy day fund for education
NO: Arvada Press, Golden Transcript, Lakewood Sentinel

YES: Aspen Times, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs Independent, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Grand Junction Sentinel, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Steamboat Pilot, Wheat Ridge Transcript, Yellow Scene

————

Referendum L — Lowers age limit for state legislators
NO: Daily Camera

YES: Aspen Times, Cortez Journal, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lafayette News, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Superior Observer, Yellow Scene

————

Referendum M — Removes obsolete constitutional language on taxation
NO: No endorsement to date.

YES: Aspen Times, Boulder Weekly, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Lafayette News, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Superior Observer, Yellow Scene

————

Referendum N — Removes obsolete constitutional language on liquor imports
NO: No endorsement to date.

YES: Aspen Times, Boulder Weekly, Cortez Journal, Daily Camera, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Lafayette News, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Superior Observer, Yellow Scene

————

Referendum O — Changes the petition signature limits for constitutional and statutory ballot measures
NO: Daily Camera

YES: Aspen Times, Boulder Weekly, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Cortez Journal, Denver Post, Durango Herald, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Grand Junction Sentinel, Lafayette News, Longmont Times Call, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain News, Superior Observer, Yellow Scene

————

School districts
Denver Public Schools
No endorsement to date

Aurora Public Schools 3A and 3B
YES: Aurora Sentinel

Cherry Creek Schools 3A and 3B
YES: Aurora Sentinel

Jefferson County Schools 3A and 3B
YES: Wheat Ridge Transcript

Mesa Public Schools 3A and 3B
YES: Grand Junction Sentinel

St. Vrain Valley Schools 3A and 3B
YES: Daily Camera, Longmont Times Call

CU Regent candidate, Joe Neguse, supports a ballot initiative that would lower the age requirement for statehouse candidates. (Photo/Joe for CU.com)

Supporters of one of this fall’s ballot questions, Referendum L, say its approval by voters would allow and encourage one of the more overlooked group of voters, young Coloradans, to become more involved in the political process.

Referendum L, which was placed on the ballot by the state Legislature earlier this year, asks voters to lower the age required to serve in the Colorado statehouse from 25 to 21.

“Hopefully, if it passes, it will give a plethora of young people across the state a chance to get more involved,” said Joe Neguse, 24, who is running for a seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents.

Neguse said his youthful looks are apparent, but they haven’t been a disadvantage on the campaign trail.

“I think people are appreciative of it, because they like the notion of bringing some energy and some youth to the Board of Regents in this case,” said Neguse, a third-year law student at CU, who supports Referendum L.

Most states require residents to be 18 or 21 to serve in the legislature, but Colorado, Utah and Arizona set the bar at 25, according to the Council of State Governments‘ Book of the States 2008.

“Young people are often left out of the political process … and that’s what this referendum aims to do: allow younger people to be engaged earlier,” said Ryan Bielhle, one of three co-presidents of the University of Colorado student body.

Younger residents would bring a unique view point and more recent educational experiences to the statehouse, said Bielhle, 21, who helped lobby to get Referendum L through the 2008 Legislature and onto this year’s ballot.

“Those who are 21, 22, 23 are definitely going to be more connected to higher education,” said Bielhle. Those young 20-somethings also have “different perspectives on health care or on transportation services,” he added. “Our needs as youth are different than those who are 50 or 60.”

But even if voters approve Referendum L, which would take effect next year, they won’t have a chance to weigh in on whether they think candidates younger than 25 are ready for the statehouse until 2010, the next time state representatives’ seats will be up for grabs.

“We deserve a space at the table with the older generation,” Bielhle said.

Or at least, according to Bielhle and other Referendum L supporters, on the ballot.

(Photo/aperryz302, Flickr)

With the longest ballot in the country this year, Colorado voters will face a dizzying list of 18 questions come November. But impassioned, signature-gathering citizens aren’t the only ones to blame for packing the mondo ballot. Four of the questions were placed on the ballot by the state legislature. Called referenda, this year’s items deal with state government rules and procedures. And, in a grand twist, one of them makes it harder for citizens to amend the state’s constitution via the initiative process.

Here is the deal with the four referenda (in order of appearance on the ballot):

For more information on the 2008 Colorado ballot, read Colorado’s monster ballot longest in the nation.

For the entire list of measures with links to the Colorado Legislative Council’s “Blue Book” analysis, see: Colorado voters face longest ballot in 96 years.

It’s also the longest ballot in the country, according to a tally by the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures. Perennial leaders California and Oregon take second place this year with 12 ballot questions each.

Colorado voters considered a record 32 questions in 1912, but are unlikely to reach that number as it’s become more difficult to get measures on the ballot over the years. Referendum O, referred by the legislature this year, would add further requirements for constitutional amendments and ease access for statutory initiatives. All 14 of the initiated measures this year are constitutional amendments, which cannot be altered by the legislature once enacted.

Many of the Colorado questions this year concern labor, workplace and corporate issues, with business and labor interests offering dueling amendments.

Here’s a list of the questions qualified for the state ballot, with links to the most recent draft [PDF] of the Legislative Council’s “Blue Book” analysis on each:

Amendment 46 — Discrimination and Preferential Treatment by Governments

Amendment 47 — Prohibition on Mandatory Labor Union Membership and Dues

Amendment 48 — Definition of Person

Amendment 49 — Allowable Government Paycheck Deductions

Amendment 50 — Limited Gaming in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek

Amendment 51 — State Sales Tax Increase for Services for People with Developmental Disabilities

Amendment 52 — Use of Severance Tax Revenue for Highways

Amendment 53 — Criminal Accountability of Business Executives — WITHDRAWN BY PROPONENTS

Amendment 54 — Campaign Contributions from Certain Government Contractors

Amendment 55 — Allowable Reasons for Employee Discharge or Suspension — WITHDRAWN BY PROPONENTS

Amendment 56 — Employer Responsibility for Health Insurance — WITHDRAWN BY PROPONENTS

Amendment 57 — Additional Remedies for Injured Employees — WITHDRAWN BY PROPONENTS

Amendment 58 — Severance Taxes on the Oil and Natural Gas Industry

Amendment 59 — Education Funding and TABOR Rebates

Referendum L — Qualifications for Serving in the State Legislature

Referendum M — Obsolete Constitutional Provision Relating to Land Value Increases

Referendum N — Obsolete Constitutional Provisions Relating to Alcohol Beverages

Referendum O — Citizen-Initiated State Laws