FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2004
DENVER, CO — The Green Party of Colorado (GPCO) announced today its endorsement of Amendment 36 – Selection of Presidential Electors. The Green Party of Colorado believes in electoral laws that support one person, one vote and not our current winner-take-all system for selecting the Presidential candidate.
The US Constitution lays out the Electoral College, but deeds to each State legislature the right to determine for itself how their electors are selected. Colorado’s Constitution includes a provision that preserves to the people the power of initiative. “This structure is what allows for ballot initiatives. Therefore, this ballot initiative is legal. We believe Colorado should follow the lead of Maine and Nebraska, which divides electoral votes and rejects the winner-take-all system. This is more consistent with Green values,” explained Lanny Kness, Colorado Green Party Co-Chair.
The Green Party works for several important electoral reforms, including Instant Runoff Voting. “We want policies and laws in place that motivate citizens to vote, because they realize that every vote actually does count. Amendment 36 also improves the chance of minor political parties to gain recognition by earning electors,” said Bruce Meyer, Denver Green running for CO State House District 4.
