Colorado voters reject statewide tax increases

By Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post
Updated: 11/02/2011 01:52:16 PM MDT

If 2008 was an election for change, tonight was an election for no change — with Colorado voters rejecting tax hikes, ballot initiatives and refusing to overhaul school boards.

Voters resoundingly shot down the only statewide ballot measure, which would have raised taxes for nearly $3 billion in school funding.

And Denver voters said "no" to a plan to mandate sick leave for all workers — an initiative that many businesses, Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock opposed.

Even a small change to Denver's charter, allowing the auditor to designate a deputy only narrowly passed.

But it would be a mistake to look at the results of this off-year election as an indicator for the 2012 election that includes the highly anticipated presidential race, said Denver political consultant Katy Atkinson.


"What we have seen election after election, regardless of political party, Colorado voters are fiscal conservatives," Atkinson said. "To address them any differently and to assume otherwise is pretty dangerous."

Most political strategists and pundits think Colorado, with its nine electoral votes and a large number of unaffiliated voters, will be a key state in the 2012 presidential race.

Still, tonight was a killing field for tax measures.

Aurora voters rejected a $114 million tax increase for recreation centers, Douglas County voters said "no" to school tax increases and Cañon City voters rejected a tax for library improvements.

"This election is overwhelmingly being framed by this economy," said political analyst Floyd Ciruli. "Clearly, the issues that are framing this are jobs and the economy and taxes."

With most ballots counted the statewide Proposition 103 was losing with 64 percent of voters rejecting the measure to increase the state income tax as well as the sales-tax rate for K-12 education.

"One of the truisms of ballot measures and funding measures is you have to demonstrate accountability," said political strategist Lori Weigel. "This measure didn't have strong enough accountability provisions to ensure voters that money will go where they want it to go."

Whether tonight's results mean anything for the coming 2012 general election is anyone's guess.

Early reporting shows Republicans were at the ballot box in greater numbers than Democrats.

But Colorado political analysts don't think tonight's results have any bearing on how the state will vote for president.

Even in 2008, when Barack Obama won the state, Colorado voters rejected tax increases, Atkinson said.

"Coloradans, in general, don't like raising taxes," she said.

Typically, off-year elections are dominated by school board races.

This election cycle, voters in Denver and Jefferson County rejected candidates who would have tipped the balance of their school boards.

In Denver, pro-reform candidates Allegra "Happy" Haynes and Anne Rowe easily won seats on the seven-member board.

The race between pro-reformer Jennifer Draper Carson and incumbent Arturo Jimenez was too close to call. Jimenez trailed by 205 votes early but led slightly with most ballots cast.

And in the state's third largest city, Aurora, voters selected former Councilman Steve Hogan to be mayor — beating the field that included current Councilman Ryan Frazier, to replace term-limited Mayor Ed Tauer.