FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2020
Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association, on the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling on requiring in-person signatures for ballot measures:
“We are extremely disappointed by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision today to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed signatures to be collected via email and mail in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. No one could have predicted the impacts the past four months have had on the world, including the ability for citizens to safely get an initiative on the ballot for the upcoming November general election.
“The idea of a fair and equitable tax system in Colorado enjoys broad support across the state. Restructuring the tax code would mean lower taxes for 95% of Coloradans, and Initiative 271, if passed by voters, would generate more than $1 billion in funding for chronically underfunded public schools. This is even more critical since the Colorado Legislature withheld a record $1.18 billion from students and educators during the 2020 Legislative Session.
“Today’s ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court demonstrates that the institution is out of touch with the realities of most Coloradans. If there was ever a time to enact innovative ways to carry on the work of our democracy, this is it. Today, the Colorado Supreme Court failed in its obligation to the people of the state of Colorado.”
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