Politics
Denver social marijuana use ordinance appears headed for victory with new voter result numbers
DENVER – The group backing Denver’s public-use marijuana initiative declared victory Monday night, and Tuesday’s updated voting returns in the city show votes in favor of the measure appear to have won.
Though votes will not be confirmed and finalized until Nov. 22, updated numbers from Tuesday morning show an extra 10,000 votes in favor of Initiated Ordinance 300 were counted overnight, compared to another 7,500 against the measure.
As of Monday night, proponents of 300 held a 53 percent to 47 percent lead. But by Tuesday morning, that lead had grown to 53.3 percent in favor and 46.7 against.
If approved by voters, the ordinance would allow regular businesses to seek approval by a neighborhood or business association to create marijuana “consumption areas” both inside and outside.
Any indoor consumption area would allow only “vaping” or edible consumption of pot. People would be able to smoke leaf marijuana outside at certain approved businesses as long as those outdoor consumption areas are out of public view.
Read: Full text of Initiated Ordinance 300
Another stipulation of the ordinance is people would have to bring their own supply; businesses would not be able to provide the marijuana unless they are already permitted to do so.
The approval of the measure would be another victory for groups that have argued that though marijuana is legal, the law makes it difficult for many people to use said marijuana legally.
Though some cities in Colorado have designated private clubs where people can use marijuana either at locations or on tour busses, Denver’s ordinance would be the first to set up non-private consumption areas.
Any business wishing to establish a consumption area would have to get approval from a registered neighborhood organization, business improvement district or recognized neighborhood organization as well as a letter of community support or non-opposition to the proposed permit.
There are a slew of rules the business would then have to comply with, including submitted detailed plans for the consumption are or areas, clear signage, an agreement with taxis or ride-sharing services to get people home, training for employees, and strict ventilation and odor control rules, among others.
Public opponents of the ordinance had argued that it could lead to more instances of people driving under the influence or open children up to exposure to marijuana, though proponents of the measure argue all of those concerns are addressed in the ordinance’s language.
“We are truly grateful to the people of Denver for approving this sensible measure to allow social cannabis use in the city. This is a victory for cannabis consumers who, like alcohol consumers, simply want the option to enjoy cannabis in social settings,” said Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari, the lead proponent of I-300, in a statement Monday. “It is also a victory for the city of Denver, its diverse neighborhoods and those who don’t consume cannabis, as it will reduce the likelihood that adults will resort to consuming in public.”
More than 15,000 ballots are left to be counted in Denver, though it would take a seemingly-impossible run by “no” votes at this point for I-300 to fail.
Should it pass, the Denver City Council will have to create a task force that will study the impact of the new permits, which would report back to the council in two years.
The ordinance will remain on the books until Dec. 31, 2020, or earlier should the city pass “comprehensive regulations” that “further the intent” of the ordinance, according to its language.
The opposition group conceded it had lost Tuesday, though elections officials said the vote was not finalized.
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Colorado man deported back to U.S. after caught sneaking into Russia illegally
DENVER – Russia deported a Colorado man in recent days who was accused of illegally entering the country through its southern border while looking for a “better life,” according to reports.
The Washington Post was the first American news outlet to report on the arrest and deportation of Julio Prieto, whom The Post says is an insurance salesman, though Denver7 has not been able to verify he is registered as an insurance agent in Colorado.
Court records show his two most-recent addresses were in Englewood and in Monte Vista, located in Rio Grande County in southern Colorado.
The Post’s report was based off reports from Russian media, including the English-language Siberian Times.
According to reports, Prieto tried to enter Russia legally from Kazakhstan but was denied entry to the country because he didn’t have a visa. But he tried to sneak over the border on Sept. 14 and was caught by border agents near Karasuk.
Russian media reports Prieto told prosecutors he was “looking for a better life” and was seeking work in Siberia.
Court records show Prieto pleaded guilty to a 2010 federal charge of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, to wit, in Las Cruces, New Mexico and was sentenced to three years of supervised probation beginning in January 2011. He and another man were bringing marijuana back from Mexico – Prieto’s birthplace – to Colorado.
He was required to complete a six-month home-monitoring program and was affixed with an ankle monitor to monitor his curfew. The judge also required him to complete a substance abuse treatment program and DWI school, and was barred from using alcohol or other substances.
But he was arrested for DUI in Arapahoe County in January 2012, after which his probation was transferred to Colorado while his DUI case was pending.
But Prieto’s trouble didn’t end there. He was arrested for a series of traffic infractions in Jefferson County in January 2013, then arrested in May 2013 on theft charges and traffic infractions in Aurora.
His probation officer had to contact him and ask about the new charges, and though he was required to report to the probation office the next day, he never showed up.
After not showing up to the office for another scheduled meeting, Prieto eventually showed, but admitted to using marijuana – another violation of his probation.
After that meeting, a judge decided that Prieto needed “more guidance, structure and a consequence for his actions,” and his supervised probation was modified to send him to a Denver residential re-entry program for six months.
It was extended at the end of 2013 pending the outcome of his new cases in Colorado.
It’s unclear exactly what transpired with Prieto in the several years afterward, but he ended up in the Urals in September.
The Siberian Times says Prieto was jailed for six weeks as he awaited a court hearing. He pleaded guilty to illegally entering Russia and could have faced up to two years in prison.
But he was fined the Russian equivalent of $105 instead, which was later reduced to a 2,000-ruble fine (approximately $30).
The Post reports Prieto was deported Monday and flown back to New York on the Russian government’s dime.
The Post reports the Tass news agency says Prieto is disappointed at his experience.
“He had been hoping for Russian hospitality, but he failed to get it and was deeply disappointed,” an official is quoted as saying.
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FBI: Hate crimes against Muslims up by 67 percent in 2015
DENVER – The number of hate crimes reported to police increased by 6.7 percent in 2015 and included a large spike in crimes against Muslims.
Nearly 15,000 law enforcement agencies across the county report hate crime statistics each year. Of those involved in the program, 1,742 reported 5,850 separate hate crime incidents last year. Continue reading
Ballots still being counted in Colorado; Denver’s Initiated Ordinance 300 still too close to call
DENVER – The city ballot measure that will decide if Denver businesses will be able to designate certain places for people to smoke marijuana in public is perhaps Colorado’s biggest measure that still remains undecided days after the General Election.
As of Thursday night, Initiated Ordinance 300 had 121,193 “yes” votes, compared to 113,579 “no” votes. The city says it still has 90,000 ballots to count, which could still swing the vote in favor of those against the proposed ordinance.
Though ballot counting had been delayed in Pueblo County, voters rejected Question 200, which would have shut down the county’s existing pot businesses.
The statewide Amendment T ballot measure also remains too close to call, as the “yes” and “no” votes are currently separated by about 1 percent of the total vote.
As of Thursday morning, 2.85 million ballots had been counted in Colorado, though several counties are still counting, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
When compared to the 3.84 million active and inactive registered voters in Colorado, tentative voter turnout at the moment sits at 74.3 percent, though those numbers will change.
The election and final numbers will not be certified for at least another week; Nov. 22 is the final day for verification of provisional ballots and the day Denver will have certified results.
The Secretary of State will have until Dec. 8 to compile total returns from the various counties in Colorado.
The Elections Division of the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office says city results will be updated again Saturday evening. Most state offices were closed Friday to commemorate Veterans Day.
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Colorado Democrats and Republicans pick new leadership in House, Senate
DENVER – Though neither the Colorado House or Senate changed hands in Tuesday’s General Election, both have new leadership with budget experience after elections Thursday morning.
Republicans continue to have a majority in the state Senate, while Democrats control the House.
Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City, will serve as the new Senate president, and Democrats picked Rep. Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, to serve as House Speaker Thursday morning.
Both have served on the Joint Budget Committee and bring experience in handling state spending to their respective chambers.
Duran has served as the House Majority Leader since January 2015. The Speaker seat opened up after Dickey Lee Hullinghorst was forced to retire due to term limit rules. She will be the first Latina speaker in state history.
“Regardless of whether you have an R or a D next to your name, we will work to rise above partisan politics,” Duran said in a news release from the Democratic caucus. “Now that the election is done, it is time to govern together.”
Bill Cadman, a Republican from the Colorado Springs area, was the previous Senate president, but was also forced to retire because of term limit rules.
Jerry Sonenberg will serve as Senate President Pro Tem, and Chris Holbert will be Senate Majority Leader.
Republicans picked conservative Castle Rock Rep. Patrick Neville to serve as House Minority Leader.
KC Becker, a Democrat from Denver, will serve as House Majority Leader. Lucia Guzman, who had previously been the President Pro Tem of the Senate, was elected Senate Minority Leader.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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What does the future hold for Coloradans after Tuesday’s General Election?
DENVER – Tuesday’s General Election marked a monumental shift in American politics, as voters elected a new president, shifted the makeup of Congress and approved several measures in Colorado that will have long-lasting effects in state politics.
Voters elected Republican Donald Trump to the presidency via the Electoral College and also confirmed that both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate will remain in control of the GOP, which means Republicans now should have a better chance of passing laws than had been the case in most of the past years, when the presidency and the two chambers of Congress were held by different parties. Continue reading
Initial ballot return numbers show strong effect on Colorado outcome made by unaffiliated voters
DENVER – Though ballots are still being counted in Colorado and final tallies won’t be known for several weeks, data released Wednesday by the Secretary of State’s Office give some insight into how powerful the unaffiliated vote was in the state’s presidential election.
Colorado went to Hillary Clinton – the current tally shows her receiving 47 percent of the vote compared to 44.8 percent for Donald Trump, who won the presidency in the election. Continue reading
Colorado voters reject increased cigarette, tobacco taxes in Amendment 72
DENVER – Colorado voters on Tuesday rejected a proposed amendment that would have increased the state’s cigarette and tobacco taxes.
As of 12:26 a.m., 54 percent of voters rejected Amendment 72, with 75 percent of votes reported.
The amendment would have increased the taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco and distributed the new tax money to various health-related programs.
Every pack of cigarettes in a pack of 20 is currently taxed at $1.01 by the federal government, and an additional $0.84 by Colorado.
Non-cigarette tobacco (excluding e-cigarettes) is also taxed. The federal government taxes those products, which include cigars, pipe tobacco, dip, snuff and chewing tobacco, based off the product’s weight or price, and Colorado taxes them at 40 percent of the manufacturer’s price.
If approved, Amendment 72 would have increased the state cigarette tax from $0.84 per pack to $2.59 per pack, which means cigarette smokers would have been forced to pay an extra $1.75 per pack.
The non-cigarette tobacco tax would have increased from 40 percent to 62 percent.
Current tax rates will now stay the same on both cigarettes and tobacco products.
“We are pleased that voters examined this deeply-flawed constitutional amendment and decided that it should be defeated,” Michelle Lyng, a spokesperson for the No on 72 campaign, said in a Wednesday news release.
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Colorado re-elects all 7 of its Congressional Representatives
DENVER — Coloradans made no changes to the people serving our state in the House of Representatives.
Coloradans voted to re-elect all seven Congressional representatives this year — Diana DeGette (D), Jared Polis (D), Scott Tipton (R), Ken Buck (R), Doug Lamborn (R), Mike Coffman (R) and Ed Perlmutter (D).
Here is a look at the results as of early Wednesday morning:
U.S. House District 1 Denver (61 percent reporting)
- x-Diana DeGette, Dem (i) 172,623 – 68 percent
- Charles Stockham, GOP 71,594 – 28 percent
- Darrell Dinges, Lib 8,985 – 4 percent
U.S. House District 2 (89 percent reporting)
- x-Jared Polis, Dem (i) 233,300 – 57 percent
- Nicholas Morse, GOP 152,724 – 37 percent
- Richard Longstreth, Lib 22,444 – 5 percent
U.S. House District 3 (81 percent reporting)
- x-Scott Tipton, GOP (i) 177,802 – 54 percent
- Gail Schwartz, Dem 133,076 – 41 percent
- Gaylon Kent, Lib 15,678 – 5 percent
U.S. House District 4 (90 percent reporting)
- x-Ken Buck, GOP (i) 231,884 – 64 percent
- Bob Seay, Dem 113,365 – 31 percent
- Bruce Griffith, Lib 16,623 – 5 percent
U.S. House District 5 (84 percent reporting)
- x-Doug Lamborn, GOP (i) 204,994 – 63 percent
- Misty Plowright, Dem 100,506 – 31 percent
- Mike McRedmond, Lib 21,085 – 6 percent
U.S. House District 6 (84 percent reporting)
- x-Mike Coffman, GOP (i) 162,208 – 52 percent
- Morgan Carroll, Dem 133,963 – 43 percent
- Norm Olsen, Lib 14,473 – 5 percent
- Robert Lee Worthey, Grn 4,039 – 1 percent
U.S. House District 7 (90 percent reporting)
- x-Ed Perlmutter, Dem (i) 160,804 – 55 percent
- George Athanasopoulos, GOP 117,061 – 40 percent
- Martin Buchanan, Lib 12,489 – 4 percent
Get more updates and results on our live election blog.
Voters pass Amendment 71, which will alter the process for changing Colorado’s constitution
DENVER – Colorado voters on Tuesday passed an amendment that will require any proposed amendment to the state constitution be signed off on by voters in each of the state’s 35 Senate districts.
The measure, Amendment 71, passed with 57 percent approval as of 12:22 a.m. Wednesday, when 73 percent of state votes had been reported.
Instead of being able to collect the required number of signatures from anywhere in the state, proponents of a measure to add a constitutional amendment will have to get signatures from at least 2 percent of the total number of registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 Senate districts.
For instance, District 35 is comprised of 16 counties in southeastern Colorado and has 88,962 registered voters. Under an approved Amendment 71, 1,779 signatures would have to be gathered on a ballot drive and approved for the measure to go on November’s ballot.
The amendment won’t change the process for drives to change state statutes, only the constitution.
Currently, any constitutional amendment approved by 50 percent, plus one vote, of voters in an election will become law.
But now that Amendment 71 has been approved, that threshold will be raised to require any constitutional amendment be approved by 55 percent of voters.
That change wouldn’t apply to the repeal of an amendment – only to changes to the constitution. In the case of a repeal, a simple majority vote would remain the threshold for approval.
Read more about the measure here.
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