The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Colorado’s constitutional provisions governing the process for casting votes in Recall elections violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, forcing last-minute changes to ballots and voting instructions in Colorado’s legislative Recall elections. The Colorado Supreme Court’s Order (to be followed by a full written Opinion at a later date) was issued in response to an interrogatory (request for judicial clarification) filed late last Friday by Colorado Governor Hickenlooper, seeking the court’s guidance on whether the requirements of the Colorado Constitution (Article XXI Section 3) for voting on the Recall question and possible successor candidates are consistent with the the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution:
Colo. Const. art. XXI, § 3 requires an elector who wishes to vote for a successor candidate in a recall election to also cast a ballot on the recall issue. Is this requirement consistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution?
The Court’s Order was short and to the point:
The provision in Article XXI, Section 3, of the Constitution of the State of Colorado stating that “no vote cast shall be counted for any candidate for such office, unless the voter also voted for or against the recall of such person sought to be recalled from said office,” conflicts with the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. We therefore answer the Interrogatory in the negative. [Emphasis added] (Order 13SA214, p.2)
Since the Order does not provide the reasoning behind the decision, it is difficult to analyze the basis for the court’s ruling. It is interesting to note, however, that the court’s decision was apparently reached on a 5-2 vote, with Justices Coats and Marquez dissenting (a somewhat unusual pairing).
Full Article: Colorado Supreme Court strikes down voting rules in Recall Election – Denver Colorado Courts | Examiner.com.