After being one of the pioneering states on medicinal marijuana, Colorado voters last week approved a measure to regulate marijuana the way the state treats alcohol.
Amendment 64 passed with 54.9 percent of voters — 1.3 million total — signaling support for the measure, with 45 percent against (1.07 million).
The passage of Amendment 64 comes in the face of numerous government groups voicing formal opposition to the measure.
“The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper in a statement as results were trickling in. “That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug, so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.”
In Adams County, voters favored Amendment 64 by 56.4 percent (94,617 voters) to 43.5 percent opposed (72,941 voters) with all precincts reporting.
Amendment 65 passes
Amendment 65, an advisory question on the 2012 ballot backed by Colorado Fair Share, received overwhelming support from voters last week, netting 73.81 percent — more than 1.6 million votes — in favor of urging state lawmakers to push for changes in how political campaigns raise and spend money. The ‘no’ votes totaled 571,347 — or about 26.19 percent.
Formally titled the ‘Colorado Corporate Contributions Amendment,’ Amendment 65 would instruct “Colorado’s congressional delegation to propose and support, and the members of Colorado’s state legislature to ratify, an amendment to the United States constitution that allows congress and the states to limit campaign contributions and spending.”
Amendment S passes
The Colorado State Personnel System Amendment — better known as Amendment S — won voters’ approval last week, securing 56.26 percent in favor (1.168 million votes) to 43.74 percent opposed (908,106 votes).
The measure was introduced to reform the state’s personnel system by adding job applicant testing, introducing limits on temporary worker hirings and restrictions on the number of finalists for government positions.
RTD District K:
Solano seen edging
Pawlowski for seat
Despite Election Night returns showing former Brighton mayor Jan Pawlowski with a slim margin in the race for the District K director seat on the Regional Transportation District Board of Directors, Paul D. Solano now appears to have a 383-vote lead that will hold.
Solano garnered 17,925 votes — or 34.55 percent — to Pawlowski’s 17,542 votes (33.81 percent). Also earning votes were David Elliott (10,092, or 19.45 percent) and Rich Himmel (6,318, or 12.18 percent).
Young confirmed as
next Adams County D.A.
With the pending retirement of longtime District Attorney Don Quick, the race to replace him was over as soon as Dave Young announced his candidacy.
Young was unopposed in the running to be the next 17th Judicial District Attorney, garnering 138,436 votes.
Obama secures
a second term
For much of Election Night, it looked like Florida would provide another nail-bite-inducing, who-will-win mystery long after everyone went to bed.
As it turned out, the close race in Florida wouldn’t matter as President Obama racked up big electoral victories in the Upper Midwest, retaining enough of the states he won back in 2008 to secure a second term in the White House.
While Mitt Romney outperformed U.S. Sen. John McCain in a number of states that went heavily Democratic four years ago, it wasn’t enough to secure a projected 270 Electoral College votes to secure victory in the presidential race.
With Florida called for Obama, the president’s Electoral College vote count is set at 332 to Romney’s 206. As of press time, Obama had won the popular vote 50.6 percent (62.08 million votes) to Romney’s 47.9 percent (58.78 million votes).
Obama won Colorado with 51.23 percent of the vote (1.25 million votes) to Romney’s 46.44 percent (1.13 million votes). Obama carried Adams County by a wider margin, winning 56.57 percent (96,941 votes) to Romney’s 40.47 percent (69,354 votes).
Commissioner expansion planwins voter approval
A ballot measure to expand the Adams County Board of Commissioners from three members to five won voter support in last week’s general election.
The main question of Adams County Question 1A — whether to expand the board from three members to five — was approved 57.18 percent (88,788 votes) to 42.82 percent (66,496 votes) with all precincts reporting.
As to how to expand the board, 57.5 percent of voters selected Option 3, which stipulates five commissioners resident in districts to be voted on by the entire county.
Just more than 28 percent of voters selected Option 2 on their ballot, which would have added two at-large members to the board voted on by the entire county while restricting vote on the three district commissioners to their respective district constituents.
Only 14.25 percent of voters picked Option 1, which would have added two at-large members to the board while leaving the other three district commissioners to be elected by the entire county.
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