In an ironic twist, Republican Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers wants voters to support Amendment 71, which would make it harder to amend the state constitution. The amendment would require that petitions receive signatures from at least 2 percent of voters in all 35 Senate districts. The general public would then need to vote in favor of the amendment by at least 55 percent.
Current law requires five percent of the previous vote for secretary of state, but those signatures can be collected anywhere in Colorado. Raise the Bar Protect Our Constitution, the coalition promoting more stringent constitutional amendment laws, claims groups get signatures in Denver and Boulder, cities that don’t necessarily represent all Coloradans.
If the amendment passes, the chances of expanded gambling in Colorado would dramatically decrease. In fact, amendments would nearly impossible to achieve.
In a pro-Amendment 71 commercial, Suthers said, “The Founding Fathers made it hard to amend the United States Constitution, because they knew it set fourth fundamental rights that should be protected. The Colorado Constitution is a far different story.” The group’s website states, “Our state requires the same initiative process to amend our constitution as our state laws. This framework has made Colorado’s ballot and constitution among the most easily changed in the country.” According to the group, the U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times and the Colorado constitution has been amended more than 150 times.
Colorado is one of only five states that allow charitable, parimutuel, commercial, tribal and racetrack gambling, plus a state lottery. Native American tribes may operate casinos on their sovereign land, and localities are allowed to approve casino gambling. Only three have done that: Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City.
In the Amendment 71 commercial, Suthers refers to 2014, when more than 70 percent of Colorado voters rejected a constitutional amendment to expand gambling. In that situation, a group of investors based in Rhode Island wanted voters to allow slots and table machines at its Arapahoe Park horse racetrack and 11 off-track betting parlors, with 34 percent of total revenue going to support education. Suthers says, “East Coast casinos tried to create a gambling monopoly in our constitution. It’s time to make sure constitutional amendments have broad public support.”
