Immigration Vote Removed From Colorado Ballot
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
DENVER – The Colorado Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a proposal to deny most state services to illegal immigrants cannot appear on the November ballot.
The proposed constitutional amendment, promoted by Defend Colorado Now, violates a state constitutional requirement that initiatives deal with only one subject, the court said in an unanimous opinion.
The measure aimed to decrease public spending for the welfare of illegal immigrants in Colorado and restrict access to administrative services, the ruling said.
Proponents, who include former Democratic Governor Dick Lamm, already had begun gathering petition signatures to get the measure on the ballot. The state Title Board approved the measure’s language this spring.
Activist Manolo Ganzales-Estay challenged the measure in court after the Title Board rejected his request to reconsider its approval of the initiative’s language.
