Votes on amendments and initiatives are the ones most likely to personally affect you. Know what you're voting on, and what the pros and cons to each issue are:
Amendment 60 - Property Taxes
What it means: This amendment will reduce property taxes and requires continuous votes to enact property taxes.
Supporters say: This measure will reduce government and reduce property taxes now and will require more effort to enact property taxes in the future.
Opponents say: This measure will reverse taxes which voters have already approved, and will reduce the state budget by about $1.5 billion a year (at a time when the state government is already facing deficits). School districts especially will suffer if this amendment is passed.
Amendment 61 - Limit Government Borrowing
What it means: This measure will bar the government from incurring debt or borrowing for anything.
Supporters say: Senate candidate Tom Tancredo is one of the few politicians to express support for this amendment, saying "The people of Colorado are not under-taxed; we are over-governed.”
Opponents say: Almost all media outlets oppose this measure. The Denver Post says the amendment could "cripple" Colorado, noting: "Think in terms of your own finances. Could you afford to buy your house with cash — without financing? Imagine the prohibitively high monthly payments if you had to buy the house with a 10-year mortgage instead of the traditional 30-year."
Amendment 62 - Personhood Amendment
What it means: This initiative seeks to define the term "person" as everyone from "the beginning of the biological development of that human being."
Supporters say: According to Personhood Colorado, the aim of this amendment is to ban abortion by redefining the term "person."
Opponents say: This amendment is a rehashed version of Amendment 48, which was roundly defeated in 2008. In addition to banning abortion in all cases (including incest and rape), this amendment could have far-reaching consequences which would affect even birth control measures.
Amendment 63 - Health care choice
What it means: An effort to enable Colorado residents to "opt out" of the recently-enacted health care legislation.
Supporters say: Coloradoans have a right to decide, without federal intervention, about their own health care.
Opponents say: As a constitutional amendment, this measure sets the state up for lawsuits for years to come as state law knowingly conflicts with federally-enacted legislation. As the Durango Herald notes: "Amendment 63 is a spiteful attempt to rebuke President Obama by denying Colorado health-care reform. A bad idea that, were it worthwhile, would still not belong in the Constitution."
Amendment P: - Bingo regulation
What it means: This shifts the regulation of bingos and raffles from the Secretary of State to the Department of Revenue.
Supporters say: This makes Colorado government more efficient since the Department of Revenue already regulates similar items. This amendment has bipartisan support and is seen as a "cleanup" measure.
Opponents say: There is no need for this, so the startup costs ($116,000) are unnecessary spending.
Amendment Q: - Temporary relocation of government
What it means: This amendment provides authority for the temporary movement of the state government seat in the event of a disaster.
Supporters say: This bipartisan-supported amendment establishes the process for moving the seat of government in an emergency. The Denver Post says: "This measure would set up an orderly process for what is admittedly an unlikely event. We think voters should approve it."
Opponents say: This measure may be unnecessary since the individual branches of government already have these powers.
Amendment R: - Property taxes for those who use government-owned property
What it means: This is a "cleanup" amendment meant to simplify the current tax code.
Supporters say: This makes Colorado government more efficient since the effort and cost of collecting these taxes often far surpasses the actual tax itself.
Opponents say: Those who use government-owned land will be getting an unfair tax break instead of charging taxes uniformly.
Proposition 101 - Vehicle fees and income tax reductions
What it means: Reduce vehicle fees to a flat $10 and reduce the state income tax rate by 22%.
Supporters say: Colorado has enough money already so we should reduce taxes and the state can reduce spending if needed.
Opponents say: This would drastically reduce the state's income and budget, which would affect every area of state spending. As the Greeley Tribune states: "We understand voters' frustration with government spending...Voters need to understand these three measures could simply change our state, forever...Colorado has enough financial challenges to face without tying our hands any further and mucking up our state constitution worse than it already is."
Proposition 102 - Setting bail and type of bond
What it means: Anyone arrested will be required to post bond unless it's a first-offense, nonviolent misdemeanor.
Supporters say: This prevents dangerous criminals from being released from jail without posting bond.
Opponents say: This measure, which many see as benefiting only bail bondsmen, may be unnecessary and also will unduly burden the poor.
If you haven't mailed in your mail-in ballot, you must now take it directly to the county clerk's office. To vote in person tomorrow, go to JustVoteColorado.org to find out when and where to vote in your county.
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