Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

Think Before You Ink

Signing Petitions is Not Necessarily a Civic Duty

As a general election approaches, voters are often asked to sign a variety of initiative petitions “just to get it on the ballot so people can vote on it.” This reasoning is inadequate; your signature should be considered at least as valuable as your vote. Far fewer signatures are required to qualify an initiative for the ballot than votes for it to pass.

To help you decide whether or not to sign a petition, the League of Women Voters of Colorado offers these points to consider:

Is it complex? Some issues can be decided by a simple “yes” or “no” vote, but complex issues need to be thoroughly examined and debated in a legislative arena — not a grocery store parking lot — before writing onto a ballot. Some initiatives are not well written, or contain conflicts that may require court resolution or interpretation.

Whose idea is it? You can find out the designated representatives and registered issue committees on the Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/index.html.

All signature gatherers are required to wear a badge that identifies them as “volunteer circulator” or “paid circulator”. If the signature gatherer is not wearing a badge, do not sign. If s/he is a paid circulator, the badge should also give the name and phone number of whoever hired her/him.

How will it be funded? An unfunded mandate or a recall of an elected official who will be up for reelection soon anyway, may impact other essential programs by diverting budget funds.

Does it belong in the Constitution? If an initiative intends to amend the U.S. or state Constitution, consider whether it really belongs there. Is it a fundamental right or principle that should be protected from change? Correcting a constitutional amendment requires another constitutional amendment — and another vote of the people — which is cumbersome and costly.

Why should Gen Z vote in local elections?

Caitlin McCrady shares
why Gen Z should vote!

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IMPORTANT UPDATE - July 17, 2024

League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region is one of the Plaintiffs in Citizens Project et al. v. City of Colorado Springs et al., a lawsuit challenging Colorado Springs’s off-cycle municipal elections as violating the Voting Rights Act because they disparately suppress Black and Latino turnout. The case was set for trial next month but on June 9 the judge dismissed the case. His decision did not say anything about the merits of our claim or in any way endorse the election timing. It simply said the organizations who brought the suit are not harmed by the practice in a way that allows them to bring a lawsuit.

While we are very disappointed in the judge's decision, rest assured that this is not the end of our efforts to ensure the City’s municipal elections are fair. We are working with our co-plaintiffs and lawyers to determine the best next steps.

For those who may not be familiar with the case, here is a brief summary: On June 1, 2022, the Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School filed suit on behalf of the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region, Citizens Project, Colorado Latinos Vote, and the Black and Latino Leadership Coalition, challenging the City of Colorado Springs' choice to hold elections for City Council and Mayor in April of odd-numbered years. According to studies referenced by the Harvard Law Election Clinic (HLEC), off-cycle elections disproportionately impact non-white voters, have low and unequal voter turnout, waste taxpayer resources, and lead to a government less representative of the community.

We have posted the lawsuit on our website under Documents, and you can also find an informative handout regarding the lawsuit, created for the plaintiffs by the Harvard Law Election Clinic This excellent resource is useful for understanding why the lawsuit can make a difference in voter turnout and in improving our democracy.

Sincerely,

Shelly Roehrs, Spokesperson

League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

Think Before You Ink

Why should Gen Z vote in local elections?

League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region is a 501(c)(3) organization.