A ballot measure approved by Colorado voters in November is being challenged in federal court.
As The Denver Post reports, Amendment 71, which lifted the threshold for passage of constitutional amendments to 55 percent of the vote from a simple majority, makes it more difficult to amend the state constitution. And to get on the ballot, measures now need signatures from 2 percent of registered voted in all 35 state Senate districts.
A coalition of advocacy groups and citizen activists filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday claiming the amendment violates the U.S. constitution, arguing that the new signature threshold is so difficult it would shut out all but the wealthiest causes from accessing the ballot.
Getting on the ballot previously required signatures totaling 5 percent of people who voted for the secretary of state in the last general election, with no geographic requirements. Supporters of Amendment 71 argue that it should be harder to revise the state constitution.
The suit also claims the amendment violates the First Amendment by limiting political speech.