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Colorado's election results
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In the three marquee races, things went generally as expected. Colorado voted for Barack Obama at a rate slightly higher than the national average (54.1% to 53.2%), Mark Udall won by about ten points, as did Betsy Markey.
Amendment-wise, there were no big surprises, but Colorado voters did prove to have a few tricks up their sleeves. To wit:
Amendment 46: It was very close, and the ballot screw-up in Boulder could still swing this thing, but it looks like 46 is headed for defeat. The wording on it was misleading, as was the title, "Civil Rights Initiative." Did liberals mistakenly vote for it? Did conservatives accidentally vote against it? We'll never know... or care.
Amendments 47, 49 and 54: The unions predictably defeated 47 and 49 handily, but what happened on 54? If you look at the vote totals, you'll see that less people voted on 54 than the other amendments, almost certainly because it was sandwiched between three amendments that had been taken off the ballot. Whatever... an indecent amount of tax dollars will now be spent in the courts fighting over the free speech implications of 54's passing.
Amendment 50: You know what I never thought of? Sports betting. I know it's not on the immediate agenda, but the floodgates have opened. If I eventually get to drive up to the mountains a few Sundays a year and donate some money to Colorado's community colleges while betting on NFL games and getting served drinks by scantily-clad cocktail waitresses, then I hereby retract all opposition to Amendment 50. Community colleges are important, after all.
Amendment 51: Now this one was depressing. It was a .2% increase on the sales tax, for crying out loud. The developmentally-disabled can't organize for their rights, they can't lobby and bribe politicians, they just needed our help. Instead, our state overwhelmingly told them to stick it, while also voting down Amendment 58 in favor of continuing tax breaks for big oil and gas companies. Ladies and gentleman, your 2008 Colorado voter!
In the state legislature, Colorado Republicans did have at least one reason to hold their heads high, as Laura Bradford defeated Rep. Bernie Buescher in Grand Junction, who was likely to become the next speaker of the Colorado House. Instead, Terrence Carroll has been elected speaker. Sounds good to me.
