GRAND JUNCTION — Organizers behind the effort to put a repeal of the National Popular Vote (NPV) on the ballot say they are pleased with the results to date and are confident they will meet the signature requirement with plenty of time to spare.
Mesa County commissioner Rose Pugliese, one of two people who decided to take on the challenge as proponents, said organizers are near the required signatures and more than halfway to their goal nearly two months before the petition is due to the Secretary of State. The other proponent is Monument Mayor Don Wilson.
“It has been amazing,” Pugliese said. “The momentum has not slowed down. People are carrying petitions all over the state and continue to take out more.”
The referendum began after the General Assembly passed and Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill that would add Colorado to a compact among states pledging all the member states’ Electoral College votes to the winner of an unofficial national popular vote. The compact goes in to effect if enough states to sign onto the pledge so that the Electoral votes add up to the 270 needed to elect a president.
Some say it would take away the decisions of Colorado’s voters and put it in the hands of Californians and voters in large coastal cities instead.
The bill’s absence of a “safety clause,” which prevents a referendum asking voters to overturn legislation, opened the door to the repeal effort.
The effort requires about 125,000 signatures from registered voters across the state. If successful, voters will decide in 2020 whether to overturn the legislation.
Pugliese said the group has been double checking signatures on its own as packets come in, and to date, believe they have at least 100,000 valid signatures.
They are working to gather 200,000 valid signatures to have a cushion for any signatures thrown out by the Secretary of State.
“We are just being overly cautious,” Pugliese said.
Petitions are due no later than Aug. 1, but Pugliese said they are planning to turn them in by mid-July.
According to Pugliese, there are still numerous of petitions out being circulated, and the group will begin contacting those people to get them turned in so they can be validated by the deadline.
“Everyone is highly motivated to get this question to a vote of the people,” Pugliese said.
More information is available at the group’s website, www.coloradansvote.org.
