Persuasive Essay On Amendment 71

Amendment 71 to Colorado’s constitution spits in the face of democratic virtue. Colorado, being one of just 18 states in the union that allows its citizens to initiate constitutional amendments, is now assailed by private interests that would prefer to exclude the common Coloradan. Specifically, Amendment 71 makes it more difficult to amend the Colorado Constitution by requiring each and every initiative to have signatories from each and every senatorial district in Colorado, a feat that has never been accomplished by any initiative, equalling 2% of the registered voters in each respective district. Additionally, the initiative must then garner 55% of the state senate vote for passage as opposed to a simple majority.
Proponents of the bill say that the Colorado Constitution is far too easy to amend and that we must raise the bar for all future bills. Advocates also claim that this procedure will ensure that bills are brought to a vote by the consensus of all Colorado’s districts, instead of being dominated by Denver or …show more content…
All Coloradans deserve the opportunity to introduce amendments. All Coloradans deserve to evaluate and vote on all proposed amendments. All Coloradans deserve to levy themselves equitably against private interests. Overall, Amendment 71 creates colossal pecuniary and logistical hurdles to starting initiatives, gives discretionary powers to the state government, and is consequently more susceptible to being influenced, and is disingenuous with its own claims to ostensibly equalize the voices of Coloradans, but in effect muzzles them. Therefore, I implore you to vote no on Amendment 71 because only the status quo ensures Coloradans retain and reserve their their input to the constitution, a prerequisite to all subsequent