COLORADO – If passed, Amendment 75 would raise the campaign contribution limits by allowing candidates to raise more money from individual contributions if their opponent donates $1 million or more to their own campaign committee.
The initiative would allow candidates who run against an opponent who donates $1 million to accept individual contributions for a primary or general election at five times the current rate.
In order for this to pass, 55 percent of the Colorado voters must approve the measure.
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Amendment 75 – Campaign Contributions
| Yes | 811,202 | 34% |
| No | 1,572,040 | 66% |
While campaign finance is regulated by federal law for candidates in federal races, Colorado law regulates campaign finance for state and local candidates. Federal and state courts have determined that limits on the amount of money that candidates can collect from individuals are a permissible restriction of free speech to prevent corruption or the appearance of corruption.
Argument For
1) Wealthy candidates have an unfair advantage in elections because current campaign finance laws allow them to contribute vast sums of their personal resources to their own campaigns. Colorado’s current limits on individual contributions are among the lowest in the country, and candidates who rely on individual contributions are at a significant disadvantage in communicating their message to voters. Amendment 75 offers an effective way to encourage competitive elections.
Argument Against
1) Colorado’s campaign finance system is broken, and this measure further complicates the system without truly addressing financial disparities among candidates. This increase in campaign contribution limits will allow all candidates, including wealthy candidates, to collect more money, further inflating election spending. Opening the door to more money is not the way to fix Colorado’s campaign finance system.
