Colorado § 1-41-102 - State ballot issue elections in odd-numbered years.

§ 1-41-102. State ballot issue elections in odd-numbered years.

(1) At the statewide election to be held on the first Tuesday of November in 1993, and in each odd-numbered year thereafter, the following issues shall appear on the ballot if they concern state matters arising under section 20 of article X of the state constitution and if they are submitted in accordance with applicable law:

(a) Amendments to the state constitution submitted by the general assembly in accordance with article XIX of the state constitution;

(b) State legislation and amendments to the state constitution initiated in accordance with section 1 of article V of the state constitution and article 40 of this title;

(c) Measures referred to the people by the general assembly in accordance with section 1 of article V of the state constitution;

(d) Measures referred to the people pursuant to petitions filed against an act or item, section, or part of an act of the general assembly in accordance with section 1 of article V of the state constitution;

(e) Questions which are referred to the people by the general assembly in accordance with the law prescribing procedures therefor;

(f) Questions which are initiated by the people in accordance with the law prescribing procedures therefor.

(2) If no questions concerning state matters arising under section 20 of article X of the state constitution are referred or initiated as provided in subsection (1) of this section, no statewide election shall be held on the first Tuesday of November in 1993, or on the first Tuesday in November of any subsequent odd-numbered year.

(3) As used in this section, a "question" means a proposition which is in the form of a question meeting the requirements of section 20 (3)(c) of article X of the state constitution and which is submitted in accordance with the law prescribing procedures therefor without reference to specific state legislation or a specific amendment to the state constitution.

(4) As used in this section, "state matters arising under section 20 of article X of the state constitution" includes:

(a) Approval of a new tax, tax rate increase, valuation for assessment ratio increase for a property class, or extension of an expiring tax, or a tax policy change directly causing a net tax revenue gain pursuant to section 20 (4)(a) of article X of the state constitution;

(b) Approval of the creation of any multiple-fiscal year direct or indirect state debt or other financial obligation without adequate present cash reserves pledged irrevocably and held for payments in all future fiscal years pursuant to section 20 (4)(b) of article X of the state constitution;

(c) Approval of emergency taxes pursuant to section 20 (6) of article X of the state constitution;

(d) Approval of revenue changes pursuant to section 20 (7) of article X of the state constitution;

(e) Approval of a delay in voting on ballot issues pursuant to section 20 (3)(a) of article X of the state constitution;

(f) Approval of the weakening of a state limit on revenue, spending, and debt pursuant to section 20 (1) of article X of the state constitution; and

(g) Approval for the state to retain and spend state revenues that otherwise would be refunded for exceeding an estimate included in the ballot information booklet in accordance with section 20 (3)(c) of article X of the state constitution.

Source: L. 93: Entire article added, p. 1994, § 1, effective June 8. L. 2015: (4)(f) amended and (4)(g) added, (HB 15-1367), ch. 271, p. 1073, § 9, effective June 4.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 15-1367, see section 1 of chapter 271, Session Laws of Colorado 2015.

ANNOTATION

Board had the authority to set a title, ballot title and submission clause, and summary for the proposed constitutional amendment at issue, but the question of the board's jurisdiction to set titles for a ballot issue in an odd-numbered year was premature, as the secretary of state, not the board, has the authority to place measures on the ballot. Matter of Election Reform Amendment, 852 P.2d 28 (Colo. 1993).