A majority of Colorado voters were rejecting a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to school choice in the Colorado Constitution, with 52.06% voting against Amendment 80 as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Early results showed 47.94% of voters favored the school choice amendment, which needs 55% of support to pass because it would amend the state constitution.
“We’re not going to be secure until the final vote is in, but we’re definitely encouraged at seeing the returns so far,” said Kevin Vick, president of the , which opposed the measure.
ELECTION RESULTS: Live Colorado election results for the 2024 election
Under state law, Coloradans already can send their children to any public K-12 school in the state for free, even if they live in a different district.
Supporters of the amendment said the measure would further protect the right of parents to choose where their children go to school, including traditional district-run schools, charter schools, private schools or home schools.
The measure has drawn opposition from several groups, most notably from the Colorado Education Association. The state’s largest teachers union has called Amendment 80 “an unnecessary, duplicative and misleading proposal.”
Vick previously said Amendment 80 would open the door to a state voucher program, which would use taxpayer money from public schools and give it to private schools.
“Voters of Colorado saw this (amendment) for what it really is,” he said Tuesday evening.
But Michael Fields, president of , the conservative group that petitioned the amendment on the ballot, has denied claims that the measure would have led to a voucher program. He called such comments “scare tactics.”
Previous attempts, including in Douglas County, to create a voucher program in Colorado have failed.
During the election, a political advertisement falsely implied Vick supported Amendment 80. The advertisement led former state Rep. Bri Buentello to file a campaign finance complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office because it didn’t disclose who paid for it. (Fields said Advance Colorado was not behind the pro-Amendment 80 ad that featured Vick.)
