One of aimed at allowing the social use of marijuana has failed to make the ballot after falling short in verified petition signatures, the Denver Elections Division said Monday.
That means Denver voters won’t get a chance in the Nov. 8 election to allow private marijuana clubs, which some other Colorado cities and towns have sanctioned. But they still might have the option of voting for a broader measure that would legalize the social use of cannabis products in some regular businesses, such as bars or cafes or even yoga studios. Permit seekers would have to win the backing of a neighborhood group.
The latter measure, called the , still is having its petition signatures verified. Denver Elections spokesman Alton Dillard said the verification process for that measure should be complete by next week.
The petition submission for an Initiated Ordinance from did NOT contain enough valid signatures to make Nov. 8 ballot.
— Denver Elections (@DenverElections)
For its private clubs measure — dubbed the initiative — the Denver chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) turned in more than 7,500 signatures, Dillard said. An initiative requires 4,726 valid signatures from registered Denver voters to make the ballot.
But workers verified just 2,987 as eligible. The rest came from voters registered outside Denver County or from people who weren’t registered voters.
The remaining proposed ballot measure has a little more room for error. Backers including Kayvan Khalatbari of Denver Relief Consulting containing 10,800 signatures.
. has turned in petitions for their intiative. We have 25 days to verify their signatures.
— Denver Elections (@DenverElections)
Jordan Person, Denver NORML’s chapter director, said she was surprised by the number of rejected signatures for the group’s private clubs initiative, adding that it underlined the need for more voter registration drives.
In the meantime, she said, she still plans to speak to a City Council committee about the issue soon.
“You know, we’re not going to stop,” she said, arguing that private clubs are the better solution to the need for places where people, including tourists, can consume marijuana together. “We’ve done so much in the year that we’ve been a chapter. I’m just proud so everyone’s efforts.”
Neighborhood Approved Consumption Pilot Project Initiative turns in sigs. 25 days to review.
— Denver Elections (@DenverElections)
Earlier Monday, the Colorado secretary of state announced that two proposed statewide anti-fracking ballot measures , also because of insufficient signatures.