By John Ingold The Denver Post
Colorado voters will have only one affirmative action-related ballot measure to decide upon this November.
The Secretary of State's office announced Wednesday that Initiative 82, a measure that would have safeguarded affirmative action policies in Colorado, doesn't have enough signatures to make the ballot. That leaves only Amendment 46, which would eliminate certain affirmative action programs in the state, on the ballot.
"Obviously we're very disappointed," said Melissa Hart, the president of Coloradans for Equal Opportunity, the campaign behind Initiative 82.
"I think we're still going to defeat Amendment 46. That's the most important thing."
Jessica Peck Corry, a spokeswoman for Amendment 46 backers Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, understandably felt differently about the news.
"We're very pleased," she said. "Now voters will have the chance to vote on the real initiative."
Initiative 82 grew out of the effort to defeat Amendment 46. The two sides waged back-and-forth legal battles that Hart said ultimately left her group too little time to collect signatures.
After going line-by-line through Initiative 82's petitions, the Secretary of State's office found it had only 68,195 valid signatures. It needed 76,047 to make the ballot. http://www.denverpost.com/fitness/ci_10373326
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