A ballot initiative that would have created a bipartisan commission to draw congressional and legislative districts won’t be on the November ballot, after the Colorado Supreme Court voided it in a ruling released Tuesday. By restructuring the way state and congressional boundaries are drawn, Initiative 132 asked too much of voters and violates the “single subject” rule required of ballot initiatives, the court determined. “Further, Initiative 132 removes the power to draw congressional districts from the General Assembly and reallocates that constitutional power to the new Redistricting Commission,” the ruling states. “This constitutes an additional third subject.”
Initiative 132 would have created a commission of four Republicans, four Democrats and four members not affiliated with either major party to draw maps after each 10-year census.
Though the ballot initiative had Republican and Democratic backers who said it would help avoid the partisan gamesmanship that results from the legislature overseeing the process, some Democrats saw it as a way to weaken minority voting strength.
Full Article: Colorado Supreme Court spikes ballot initiative on legislative, congressional boundaries.