Breckenridge passes pot initiative, Denver rejects impound measure

written by: Jeffrey Wolf

3 months ago

DENVER - Breckenridge made pot legal, Denver rejected a get-tough proposal on unlicensed drivers, and tax hikes were turned back around the state Tuesday in municipal elections that appeared to show a public in an anti-government mood.
- Measure to keep Aurora libraries open fails
- Breckenridge legalizes pot
- Majority of voters skip election

In Denver, voters defeated a proposal to require police to seize cars from people caught driving without a license.

The measure would have made it mandatory for police to impound the vehicles of drivers who cannot prove they have a license and it could cost the car's owner up to $2,700 to get it back.

Opponents say the measure targeted illegal immigrants and it intensified interest in an otherwise ho-hum municipal slate in Colorado's largest city. In early returns Tuesday, the Denver car proposal was losing more than 2-to-1, with 24,016 votes for and 54,717 votes against.

The vote came just a day after the release of a state audit showing that unlicensed drivers were involved in nearly one-fourth of all fatal crashes last year. City voters weren't swayed, though.

Brian Poskin, 29, owner of Ollie's Barber Shop in Denver, said the measure was mean-spirited.

"It's a bad idea," Poskin said. "I mean, I don't think any human being can be 'illegal."'

In Breckenridge, 72 percent of voters in early returns voted to make up to 1 ounce of marijuana legal for adults over 21. The measure is largely symbolic - pot possession is still against state law - but supporters said they wanted to send a message to local law enforcement to stop busting small-time pot smokers.

"We believe this a signal to the state of Colorado and the nation as a whole," said Sean McAllister, a Breckenridge lawyer who pushed the decriminalization measure. Denver approved a similar decriminalization in 2005.

The Breckenridge vote came as communities nationwide are struggling with how to enforce pot laws at a time when medical marijuana has surged in popularity, especially in Colorado and California.

Elsewhere around Colorado, voters seemed in no mood to help the government. Voters in Colorado Springs crushed a proposal to hike property taxes to prevent city budget cuts. The rejection came despite warnings from city officials that even police officers and firefighters would have to face layoffs without the tax hike.

A sales tax extension for open space failed in Boulder County, while Aurora voters rebuffed a tax hike for libraries. In Pueblo, voters strongly rejected two plans to change city government in early returns.

However, not all tax hikes went down Tuesday. In Eagle County, Vail voters narrowly signed off on a property tax hike to make improvements to the city's pools, trails and golf course. And in Berthoud, voters overwhelmingly decided to join a taxing district to support a new campus for Aims Community College.

Turnout was light. In some towns, elections officials said only about a quarter of registered voters cast ballots.