Voters in the City and County of Denver have the right to place initiatives on the ballot by petition. Several steps are involved in this process, and the procedures are prescribed by law.

 

After drafting the text of a proposed initiated ordinance, petitioners must go through a review and comment period with City Council and the City Attorney. Following this, proponents must file several required documents with the Denver Elections Division: 

Once approved by the Division, proponents may print and circulate their petitions. Maximum circulation deadline is 180 days from Division approval, but other time restrictions may reduce this window. For an initiated ordinance, petitioners must collect valid signatures from registered Denver voters equaling five percent of the total votes cast in the previous mayoral election. For 2009 and 2010, this equals 3,973 valid signatures. Petitioners are encouraged to gather an ample number of signatures in excess of this to ensure that at least the required number of signatures are confirmed valid.

 

Once completed, the petitions go through a signature verification process at the Elections Division. If a sufficient number of signatures are verified, the measure is referred to the ballot at the next regularly scheduled election. However, restrictions exist on how close to any election an initiative can be certified to the ballot.

 

The process for an initiated charter amendment is similar to the process for an initiated ordinance, but there are some important differences in the technical requirements, deadlines and signature requirements.

 

Charter amendments can be referred to a regular election or to a special election. For the purpose of a charter amendment only, "regular election" is narrowly defined as Denver's every-four-year municipal election. Every other regularly scheduled election is considered a "special election" in the case of a charter amendment. In addition, charter amendments may be referred to a special election with an approximate date chosen by the charter amendment petitioners.

 

Petitioners have a maximum of 90 days to gather signatures, but other time restrictions may reduce this window. The valid signature requirement is five percent of the total number of registered Denver voters if petitioners are aiming for a regular election, or ten percent if a special election. The exact number of signatures is determined on the date the petition materials are approved. Currently, five percent of Denver's registered voters is approximately 21,000 signatures, and ten percent is approximately 42,000 signatures. Petitioners are encouraged to gather an ample number of signatures in excess of this to ensure that at least the required number of signatures are confirmed valid.