Skip to main content

Proposition DD was Closer Than it Should've Been

Colten Dudley
Prof. Hitt
POLS 304
Dec. 4, 2019
When one thinks of the state Colorado, gambling and sports rarely come to mind first, that is unless the sport is skiing. The state has very few casinos and is a history of sports teams that fall into the bounds of mediocre to the brink-of-greatness. That being said, Colorado does suffer from a lack of water availability, and thus, for some reason, these two elements came together to foster Proposition DD, a measure voted on in the 2019 Colorado Ballot.
This measure asked voters 5 to legalize (and subsequently, tax) sports betting. The tax and fee revenue from sports betting is intended to pay for the regulation of sports betting and provide a funding source for the Colorado Water Plan and other water-related obligations. This measure, while making very little logical sense to many, won on the ballot, but not by a very large margin.






As seen from this chart, provided by TheDenverChannel.com, proposition DD barely won in Colorado, showing that the State is more evenly divided over certain propositions, despite the belief that Colorado is more blue than red. But why did it meet such a split opinion?
The Colorado Water Plan, released by the state in 2015, identifies objectives, goals, and actions by which Colorado will address future statewide water needs. This is a widely non-partisan cause, and the bill saw much bipartisan support, so why did the public seem so split on the bill? It is now thought that the wording of the bill, which was confusing at best and misleading at worst, saw many people vote against it. Proposition DD’s ballot question asked "Shall state taxes be increased by twenty-nine million dollars annually to fund state water projects and commitments and to pay for the regulation of sports betting through licensed casinos by authorizing a tax on sports betting of ten percent of net sports betting proceeds, and to impose the tax on persons licensed to conduct sports betting?"

The wording was confusing, so the race was closer than it should have been, arguably. Despite the state of Colorado lacking many locations where legal sports betting could occur and be taxed (like Black Hawk or the Lodge Casino’s), the measure was passed, and the combination of people who supported this measure, like business owners and agricultural workers clearly used their combined numbers to see a win, if only a marginal one over those who opposed the bill. With a more accessible wording of the measure and more educationally-based advertisements, I think the proposition would’ve been much closer.

Sources

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TABOR & Proposition CC: Providing Context to Colorado's Tax Problem

Edward Baisley Prof. Matthew Hitt POLS 304 Dec. 2019 Blog Post 3 (TABOR and Proposition CC) Colorado's tax system is very unique in comparison to pretty much every other state in the U.S. Arguably the biggest aspect of the tax system that is unique is the amendment to the Colorado Constitution known as TABOR or the Tax Payers Bill of Rights. This amendment which was drafted into law in 1992, has many implications for Colorado's state and local governments. One of the main implications is that TABOR requires the state and local governments of Colorado to acquire voter approval before any tax increase can be implemented. Some other more less known implications are detailed by Denver Post author Anna Staver, she explains that TABOR: “ Limits how many tax dollars governments can keep … It’s called the TABOR cap, anything a government collects above the cap gets returned as a TABOR tax refund … (TABOR) Limits when lawmakers can ask voters to raise taxe...
1 comment
Read more

The Flawed American Electoral System

A free and fair election is one that is inclusive to all of the population. A democratic state requires active citizen participation to ensure equal representation. The framers of the constitution originally wanted the United States government to only be governed by educated white men. It was not until 1920 that the 19th amendment was passed that allowed white females to vote in America. Then it was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that allowed African-Americans the right to vote freely. There were many amendments and reforms throughout history that has changed our election system. Different changes to state election process will ensure an equitable election system. This is a highly debated legislative issue that goes back and forth for the past decade and into the 2020 election. It is crucial for such a powerful and free country to protect its proud democratic values.  There are still issues with the American election systems. There are a lot of holes in represe...
1 comment
Read more

The Ballot Initiative in Colorado

    One of the most distinctive features of the legislative process in Colorado is the prevalence of the ballot initiative. In the election this November, voters had the opportunity to approve their own laws. One of these laws included a proposition that would legalize sports betting.     This is not the first time that voters have had the ability to make hugely influential decisions. Voters have voted to legalize marijuana. In Colorado, they even approve tax increases because of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR. This means that, unlike in other states, Colorado voters have legislative power of their own.      One of these most recent initiatives involved sports betting. Colorado would legalize sports betting, but sports betting would be taxed. This revenue would be used to fund plans to address Colorado's water problem. However, according to the Colorado Sun, the money from sports betting will not generate any money to address these water iss...
Post a Comment
Read more