Colorado’s 2024 Amendment K: Election Deadlines – Because Apparently, We Need Even More Paperwork

Amendment K—another thrilling installment in the ongoing saga of how to make election management even more complicated. This time, the state wants to move up deadlines for submitting petitions and publishing ballot information. Sounds riveting, right? Let’s dig into what this means and why it’s on your ballot in 2024.

What Is Amendment K, Anyway?

Amendment K proposes changing Colorado’s constitution to push up several election-related deadlines by a week. For citizen-led ballot initiatives and referendums, the deadline to gather and submit signatures would move from three months before Election Day to three months and one week. Judges filing for retention would also need to declare their intent earlier. And because this is Colorado, nonpartisan legislative staff would be required to publish the text and title of ballot measures in newspapers 30 days before the election—doubling the current requirement of 15 days​ (Colorado Public Radio)​ (The Colorado Sun).

Here’s the official language

Shall there be a change to the Colorado constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs?

What’s the Point of This Amendment?

The goal, according to proponents, is to give election officials more time to prepare increasingly complex ballots. County clerks across the state, backed by the Colorado Clerks Association, claim the current timeline is too tight, leaving just a few days to finalize ballots for military and overseas voters. By moving these deadlines, they say they’ll have a more reasonable amount of time to get everything done properly. With the rising number of local and overlapping jurisdictions, they argue that this change is a common-sense update​ (Colorado Public Radio) ​(The Journal).

The Pros

1. More Time for Election Officials: Supporters say this gives county clerks breathing room, especially as ballots become more complex with multiple measures and candidates. They believe this will lead to fewer mistakes and a smoother process overall​ (Colorado Public Radio).
2. Increased Voter Confidence: By allowing extra time to verify and publish ballot information, the amendment aims to ensure everything is accurate well before voters receive their ballots. In theory, this reduces errors and boosts trust in the system ​(The Journal).
3. Legislative Support: The amendment sailed through the state legislature with almost unanimous approval. It’s rare to see both sides agree on something, so they must think it’s a good idea… right?​ (The Colorado Sun).

The Cons

1. Less Time for Petitioners: Critics argue that shifting these deadlines puts more pressure on citizens and advocacy groups trying to get initiatives on the ballot. A week may not seem like much, but it could make a difference in organizing efforts and collecting signatures ​(The Journal).
2. Unnecessary Changes: Some opponents believe that the current system is already sufficient and that pushing deadlines up doesn’t solve any real problems. They argue that it just creates more red tape for the public, making it harder for people to participate in the democratic process​ (Colorado Public Radio).
3. Limited Opposition Representation: Despite some concerns, there hasn’t been much formal opposition beyond one Republican representative in the state legislature. Some see this as a sign that the amendment is either inconsequential or hasn’t been thoroughly challenged ​(The Colorado Sun).

The Bottom Line

Amendment K is a proposal to shift election deadlines, supposedly to make life easier for county clerks and ensure ballots are accurate. If you trust the clerks and believe that moving up a few deadlines will improve efficiency and election integrity, then this one might be for you. But if you’re concerned about cutting down time for citizens to gather signatures or think this is just another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy, then a “no” vote could be your answer.

There. We were objective. Now here’s how we’re voting

We are voting NO. We have all the empathy in the world for the clerks. We think they do a good job. That extra time is okay for the clerks and the Secretary of State, but it comes at the expense of the citizens. Amendment K would reduce the time for citizens to gather and submit petition signatures to get a proposed initiative on the ballot. Who is working for whom?