The signatures gathered for Initiative 22 may not all be legitimate. Friday, the Secretary of State’s office announced that the verification process would now require a line-by-line review.
The group Colorado for Kids turned in 165,706 signatures on August 5, nearly twice the required 86,105 to get the initiative on the ballot this fall. The Secretary of State’s office then began verifying a random sample of the signatures, as required by statute. According to that statute – Section 1-40-116(4), C.R.S. –if between 90 and 110 percent of the signatures in the random sample are verified then the proposal may move forward.
The group Colorado for Kids turned in 165,706 signatures on August 5, nearly twice the required 86,105 to get the initiative on the ballot this fall. The Secretary of State’s office then began verifying a random sample of the signatures, as required by statute. According to that statute – Section 1-40-116(4), C.R.S. –if between 90 and 110 percent of the signatures in the random sample are verified then the proposal may move forward.
From a sample of 8,286, or 5 percent of the total signatures collected, 3,641 were found to be invalid. That’s nearly half the total sample, requiring the line-by-line review. The Secretary of State’s office has until September 4 to complete the review process.
The amount of potentially invalid signatures may possibly due to the questionable tactics used by canvassers paid by an out-of-state firm. As Kelly Maher, Executive Director of Compass Colorado, said in a press statement, “It’s no surprise that an out-of-touch Washington, DC firm – paid over half a million dollars to date – struggled to properly collect signatures to put a billion dollar increase on the ballot in Colorado.” She continued, “When you have East Coast and special interests entering the state to try to impose their will on Colorado’s families, the result will never be a good one.”
Proponents of the tax increase are determined to get Initiative 22 on the ballot, in order to try and finance the $1 billion price tag for SB 213. However, they are clearly not considering the interests of Colorado voters who have repeatedly rejected tax increases over the past 20 years. The lack of valid signatures shows that the campaign for Initiative 22 doesn’t have the support or momentum its proponents claim.
The amount of potentially invalid signatures may possibly due to the questionable tactics used by canvassers paid by an out-of-state firm. As Kelly Maher, Executive Director of Compass Colorado, said in a press statement, “It’s no surprise that an out-of-touch Washington, DC firm – paid over half a million dollars to date – struggled to properly collect signatures to put a billion dollar increase on the ballot in Colorado.” She continued, “When you have East Coast and special interests entering the state to try to impose their will on Colorado’s families, the result will never be a good one.”
Proponents of the tax increase are determined to get Initiative 22 on the ballot, in order to try and finance the $1 billion price tag for SB 213. However, they are clearly not considering the interests of Colorado voters who have repeatedly rejected tax increases over the past 20 years. The lack of valid signatures shows that the campaign for Initiative 22 doesn’t have the support or momentum its proponents claim.
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