DENVER – In a 5-2 vote, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that a ballot initiative asking voters to rescind the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights can proceed.
The court ruled that the state government’s title board was incorrect when it rejected the proposal. The title board previously rejected the initiative when it ruled that it violated a rule requiring ballot initiatives to only address a single subject.
The state’s supreme court ruled Monday that the initiative was narrowly tailored to address the single issue, ruling against the title board. The court ordered elections officials to certify the proposed repeal question so proponents can begin collecting voter signatures to put the question on the ballot.
The two justices that voted against it argued that TABOR is a complex bill that affects more than just government spending and taxation. They argued that the wide-ranging nature of the bill violated the single-issue rule.
TABOR is a voter-approved constitutional amendment that strictly limits the ability of Colorado government to raise taxes, issue bonds, and increase spending without a vote of the people.
If petitioners raise enough signatures, voters could decide the ballot question in the 2020 election.
CLICK HERE to read the full ruling.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the title board is made up of multiple representatives from other offices in the state government, not just the Secretary of State’s office.
