Peter Marcus

Opponents of a proposed ballot initiative that would extend constitutional rights to a “person” from the moment of biological development are gearing up for their third fight against the anti-abortion so-called “Personhood” proposal, not willing to offer proponents the opportunity to say, “Third time’s the charm.”

Proponents of a ballot proposal that would offer Colorado driver’s licenses to all residents of the state whether they are a legal resident or an undocumented immigrant are busy gathering signatures despite cries that the initiative would legitimize illegal behavior.

The architects of four controversial proposed ballot initiatives that aimed to do everything from protect gun rights to eliminate property taxes in Colorado have abandoned their petition drives after lackluster fundraising and an inability to draw volunteers.

Samuel Babcock and his sister, Elise Van Grinsven — both from the Colorado Springs area — had proposed the conservative-leaning initiatives after having discussions around the “kitchen table,” according to Babcock. The initiatives would have:

Advocates for water belonging to the people of Colorado believe there is a rapidly growing problem in the state flowing from local and state government’s abuse of public waterways in a manner that destroys the environmental and aesthetic values of the state’s lakes, rivers, ponds and streams.

Cannabis advocates say it is high time for recreational marijuana to be legalized in Colorado, and so they are out in full force seeking support for a ballot question that has already been certified for the November election, and collecting signatures for another two ballot proposals, all of which aim to end prohibition in the state, and perhaps begin to topple the dominoes towards federal decriminalization.

A 20-month process to reform the state’s decades-old telecommunications laws ended in political gridlock and inter-party disagreements among Senate Democrats over how to fund broadband investments in rural parts of the state.

UPDATE: This version of the story corrects an earlier version that incorrectly states "recall" law in Colorado. The corrected version states "recount" law. The Colorado Statesman regrets the error.

Gov. John Hickenlooper is weighing a controversial bill that some believe creates a separate class of the public in reviewing ballots following an election, with the aim of maintaining anonymity while also allowing for transparency.

Following a divisive three-day special legislative session, both sides of the political aisle licked their wounds on Wednesday as they mustered up the strength to discuss the highlights of the 2012 session. It was a respite from all the blame games and polarizing rhetoric that had held the assembly captive over the past week.

One day after House Republican leadership killed a bill that would have recognized same-sex civil unions in Colorado, supporters of traditional marriage lined up on the west steps of the Capitol to articulate their message that same-sex marriage and civil unions are wrong, and that the only way to halt the “breakdown of marriage” is to elect leaders who support protecting marriage as being between one man and one woman.

The 2012 legislative session ended on a high note for marijuana proponents, with two centerpiece bills opposed by the community going down in flames in a special session called by Gov. John Hickenlooper to address several pieces of lost legislation that died last week in a game of political chess.