In an August 15 article by Kyle Henley, The Gazette of Colorado Springs erroneously reported that among the Colorado ballot initiatives still awaiting approval from the Colorado Secretary of State's office was “a measure that would ban domestic partnerships.” In fact, the backers of Proposed Initiative 109, which would have banned domestic partnerships in Colorado by “prohibiting the creation or recognition by the state or its political subdivisions of a legal status similar to that of marriage, as described in the 'Uniform Marriage Act' in the 2005 version of the Colorado Revised Statutes,” failed to gather the 67,829 signatures needed by the August 7 petition deadline. An August 8 Rocky Mountain News article reported that “backers of a measure against domestic partnerships did not turn in signatures. They fell short of getting the required number, according to an organizer, Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud.”
Initiative 109 was an effort to trump a measure already on the November ballot, Referendum I, which would allow same-sex couples to register as domestic partners, entitling them to certain legal rights. In addition, another measure relating to same-sex unions, Proposed Initiative 139, is still awaiting validation of petition signatures from the Colorado Secretary of State's office. Initiative 139, which was intended to counter Initiative 109, would declare that “domestic partnerships do not affect the institution of marriage between one man and one woman.” As the Rocky Mountain News reported on August 15, Initiative 139 “would specify that same-sex couples have the same legal rights and benefits granted to married couples.”
From the August 15 Colorado Springs Gazette article, “3 more initiatives on ballot”:
The other measures that are waiting for approval include an initiative that would decriminalize marijuana in Colorado and a measure that would ban domestic partnerships. The Secretary of State's Office has until Sept. 6 to rule on those initiatives.
