All 3 statewide ballot initiatives fail

Colorado voters turned down three initiatives that were on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Phillips County electors cast their ballots in the same way as the statewide outcome, voting down all three questions.

Amendment 78, Proposition 119 and Proposition 120 all went down in defeat last week.

In Phillips County, the voter turnout was 46.93%, while statewide only a 35.66% turnout was recorded in the off-year election.

Amendment 78 required 55% of the vote to pass because it was a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution.

Statewide, it failed with only 43.65% voting in favor. In Phillips County, 47.43% voted yes.

The amendment involved legislative authority for spending state money. If it had passed, it would have required that all state spending be allocated by the state Legislature and that custodial money be deposited in and spent from a new fund.

The two propositions both failed to get the simple majority necessary to pass.

Proposition 119 involved the creation of the Colorado Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress program.

It would have funded financial aid for tutoring and other out-of-school enrichment and instruction through an increase in retail marijuana taxes and transfers from existing state funds.

Statewide, the initiative gained only 45.6% in favor. Only 28.9% of Phillips County voters actually voted for passage of Proposition 119.

Proposition 120 concerned a reduction in the property tax assessment rate.

If it had passed, it would have lowered property tax assessment rates for multifamily housing and lodging properties and would not have impacted assessment rates for other types of residential and nonresidential property.

Only 43.3% of Colorado voters favored the proposition. In Phillips County, 40.86% voted for the measure.