It’s official: Colorado voters have chosen to make the state’s primary elections more fair and inclusive. The approval of both Propositions 107 and 108 has ensured that more than 1 million unaffiliated voters will now have the ability to participate in primaries. “This is a big win for democracy in Colorado. By passing both propositions 107 and 108, Colorado’s voters have proven once again the wisdom of government of the people, by the people and for the people,” said Campaign Chairman Kent Thiry. The newly approved presidential primary also enfranchises those who were left out by the caucus system: military service members, the disabled, working people, and families with young children. They will now have weeks to cast their ballot for presidential primary races in Colorado from the privacy of their own homes.
“Our hope as a business community is that by engaging all Coloradans in elections we will get back to rewarding elected officials who work together, compromise and find solutions to move our state forward,” said Kelly Brough, President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. “Democracy and Colorado work best when everyone is engaged and we look forward to the progress our state will make because of this important reform.”
Tonight’s results were a direct result of thousands of Coloradans who came together to work on the issue.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the campaign board, staff, our volunteers and all of our supporters who have made these wins tonight possible,” said Let Colorado Vote campaign manager Jesse Hassinger. “Colorado has a history of valuing participation in the election process, and tonight’s results continue the trend.”
Hillary Clinton holds a 5-point lead over Donald Trump on the eve of the 2016 election, according to a Keating Research/OnSight Public Affairs poll released today.
In a poll of 605 likely voters, Clinton leads Trump 43% to 38%, while Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet leads Republican challenger Darryl Glenn 49% to 38%.
“At the top of the ticket, Trump is failing in two areas seen as critical in presidential election years,” said Chris Keating, president of Keating Research. “He trails Clinton by double digits in the suburban swing counties around Denver, and he performs even worse with Hispanic voters.”
The bellwether suburban Arapahoe and Jefferson counties tend to determine the outcome of elections in Colorado, and here Clinton leads by double digits (46% Clinton – 33% Trump). Clinton leads by nearly 3-to-1 among Hispanics (57% Clinton – 19% Trump).
The statewide survey of 605 likely general-election voters was conducted Nov. 2-3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.
“Another difficulty for Trump is that he trails Clinton ‘Big League’ in support from unaffiliated voters, whose votes are critical for election-day success in statewide races in Colorado,” said Curtis Hubbard, a partner with OnSight Public Affairs.
Unaffiliated voters break Clinton’s way by a 12-point (Clinton 39% — Trump 27%) margin.
Clinton holds a large lead among voters age 18-49 (43% Clinton – 30% Trump), while Trump is winning older voters age 50+ (45% Trump – 42% Clinton).
“Voters age 50 and over account for well over 50% of the ballots cast in Colorado to date,” Hubbard said. “Any chance at a Trump victory in Colorado rests in the hands of voters ages 18-49. If they show up, Trump loses.”
Bennet holds comfortable lead
In the U.S. Senate race, Bennet has a comfortable, double digit 11-point lead over Glenn (49% Bennet – 38% Glenn) with 3% for the Libertarian Lilly Tang Williams, 2% Green Arn Menconi and 5% undecided.
Bennet holds large leads over Glenn across all key voter groups in Colorado including by nearly 2-to-1 among Unaffiliated voters (48% Bennet – 25% Glenn), by nearly 3-to-1 with Hispanics (65% Bennet – 24% Glenn), and Bennet is winning the majority of women (56% Bennet – 34% Glenn) while remaining virtually tied with men (42% Bennet – 43% Glenn).
Support for Broncos chances to repeat
With the election season winding down, it’s time to turn our attention to our beloved Broncos. Colorado voters are more likely to think the Broncos will win the Super Bowl this season – 42% believe compared to 37% who don’t think it will happen, while 21% don’t know.
Clinton voters are slightly more optimistic (42% believe to 37% don’t think it will happen) than Trump voters (40% believe to 39% don’t think it will happen), however those who aren’t for Trump or Clinton are the most optimistic about the Broncos chances (45% believe to 34% don’t think it will happen)!
This is the final poll in a series of Presidential tracking polls conducted in Colorado by Keating Research, Inc./OnSight Public Affairs leading up to the November 8, 2016 election. Keating/OnSight provides informative, accurate polling using live-interviewer telephone (cell and landline) surveys and was the most accurate in 2012 predicting Obama would win by 4 points in Colorado.
*Numbers may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
The Yes on 107 and 108 campaign to reinstate a presidential primary and open all primaries to unaffiliated voters released a new ad to remind voters that inclusion isn’t just a nice idea; it’s on the ballot.
The new ad, called “Inclusion” showcases how great ideas — from the wheel, to rock ‘n’ roll, to innovations in science – come from collaboration and working together. Let Colorado Vote believes the same is true of democracy and elections, and that greater participation, by adding over one million new voices to the primary system, can make all the difference in Colorado.
Currently, over one-third of Colorado’s voters are unaffiliated. Colorado leads the nation in the growth of unaffiliated voters and with a completely closed primary system, which means Colorado disenfranchises a higher percentage of its population than almost any other state.
Colorado can do better by voting YES this fall on Proposition 107 to restore a presidential primary and YES on Proposition 108, to open taxpayer-funded primaries to unaffiliated voters.
The measures have drawn the support of Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Govs. Bill Ritter, Bill Owens, Roy Romer and Dick Lamm; and support from editorial boards at The Denver Post, The Colorado Springs Gazette, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, The Boulder Daily Camera, The Greeley Tribune, The Durango Herald and the Fort Collins Coloradoan, among others.
Big Tobacco — not an industry known for sticking to the truth under pressure — is spending $10 million dollars to mislead voters about Amendment 72. We want to give you the tools to answer questions you might be getting from family and friends about why they should vote YES on Amendment 72.
Click on the image or links to learn more and share this important information!
Q: WHY SHOULD WE RAISE TAXES ON CIGARETTES?
If there’s one thing that the Centers for Disease Control, the Surgeon General, and Phillip Morris agree on, it’s this: raising the price of cigarettes is the best way to get people to stop smoking, and to stop kids from starting.
Based on studies of tobacco tax increases all over the country, Amendment 72 is predicted to prevent more than 34,000 kids from becoming smokers, save over 20,000 lives and save over $1.4 billion in future health care costs.
Contrary to ads being funding by tobacco companies, all of the money raised by Amendment 72 is dedicated to programs that will directly benefit those most impacted by smoking. From programs to help people quit to medical research on smoking-related diseases like lung cancer; from veterans health services to medical improvements for clinics treating underserved Coloradans, all of the money raised by the tax is accounted for and targeted where it can do the most good for those most affected by smoking.
Q: WHAT ABOUT E-CIGARETTES AND MARIJUANA? WHY NOT TAX JUNK FOOD AND ALCOHOL?
Here’s the thing: Colorado’s “Single Subject Rule” says that a bill can only focused on one topic. The Yes on 72 coalition chose to focus on the primary problem: smoking, which kills more people in Colorado every year than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined.
Q: WON’T THIS TAX INCREASE JUST CAUSE A RISE IN SMUGGLING AND ILLICIT CIGARETTE TRADE?
The tobacco industry has pushed scare tactics like this for decades, and numerous studies have called these predictions exaggerated. In fact, there has only been a single case of cigarette smuggling in Colorado since the tobacco tax was last raised in 2004. Cigarette tax increases are proven to work and that’s why tobacco companies fight them.
Meanwhile, Colorado is falling behind: we currently rank 38th in the nation for cigarette taxes. Passing Amendment 72 will allow us to fund smoking cessation and prevention programs at the level recommended by the CDC for the first time in decades.
To protect these funds for the programs voters intend, we need to put the cigarette tax in the Constitution where it’s safe from politics and lobbying from big tobacco. In fact, tobacco taxes have been in the Colorado Constitution since 2004, and have helped thousands of smokers to quit. Amendment 72 makes the existing (but outdated) tax more effective at deterring smoking by raising the rate. It will also provide funding to programs which help smokers quit and take care of their long term health needs. The best way to ensure those funds are protected is to put them somewhere they’re off limits to short-sighted political decisions.
Make no mistake: smoking is a deadly addiction that kills more Coloradans than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. For decades, tobacco companies have successfully lured kids into a lifelong addiction, even though one in three youth smokers will die prematurely because of it.
The Yes on 72 campaign is now on the air with two TV spots educating voters about the Yes on 72 campaign, and reminding voters that the opposition campaign is funded entirely by big tobacco in an effort to keep making profits at the expense of Colorado kids and the health of all Coloradans.
Raising taxes on cigarettes is a proven solution to stop kids from starting to smoke, reduce smoking among adults and to support those most harmed by smoking with their lifelong health issues.
