Colorado $12 Minimum Wage, Amendment 70 (2016)

Colorado Amendment 70
Election date November 8, 2016
Topic Minimum wage
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

2016 measures
November 8
Amendment T d
Amendment U d
Amendment 69 d
Amendment 70 a
Amendment 71 a
Amendment 72 d
Proposition 106 a
Proposition 107 a
Proposition 108 a
Polls
Voter guides
Campaign finance
Signature costs

The Colorado $12 Minimum Wage Amendment, also known as Amendment 70, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported raising the minimum wage from $8.31 to $9.30 per hour in 2017 and then increase it 90 cents each year until the wage reaches $12.00 in 2020.

A "no" vote opposed this amendment to raise the minimum wage, thereby keeping the state minimum wage at $8.31 per hour.

In November 2016, voters in Arizona and Maine also voted on measures to increase their state minimum wages to $12. In Washington, citizens voted on an initiative to increase the minimum wage to $13.50. All three measures were approved.

Election results

Amendment 70
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		1,517,903	55.36%
No		1,224,189	44.64%

Election results from Colorado Secretary of State

Overview

Minimum wage in Colorado

Colorado's minimum wage was $8.31 per hour in 2016. The federal minimum wage was $7.25. Prior to Amendment 70 in 2016, Colorado voters saw the minimum wage topic on the statewide ballot once. Initiative 42 in 2006 increased the minimum wage to $6.85 per hour and provided for it to be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index. The amendment also prohibited more than $3.02 per hour in tip income from being used to offset that minimum wage.

Initiative design

Amendment 70 increased the minimum wage to $9.30 in 2017, $10.20 in 2018, $11.10 in 2019, and $12.00 in 2020. After 2020, annual adjustments were made to account for increases in the cost of living. For employees who regularly receive tips to supplement a base hourly wage, no more than $3.02 in tip income may be used to offset the minimum wage.

State of the ballot measure campaigns

Colorado Families for a Fair Wage, the campaign that supported the initiative, outraised opponents three-to-one. As of December 13, 2016, supporters received $5.41 million, while Keep Colorado Working, the opposition campaign, received $1.73 million. The top donor to the “Yes” campaign was the Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund, which contributed $1,050,000. The top donor to the “No” campaign was the Workforce Fairness Institute, which contributed $850,000. Polls indicated that about 56 percent of voters supported Amendment 70. Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) supported the measure.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution increasing the minimum wage to $9.30 per hour with annual increases of $0.90 each January 1 until it reaches $12 per hour effective January 2020, and annually adjusting it thereafter for cost-of-living increases?

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:

What is the minimum wage? The minimum wage is the lowest wage that can be paid to most workers. The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 per hour for most workers and $2.13 per hour for workers who receive tips. It was last increased in 2009. Federal law allows states and cities to set a higher minimum wage than the federal government. What is Colorado's current minimum wage law? In 2006, Colorado voters adopted an amendment to the state constitution that raised the minimum wage to $6.85 per hour on January 1, 2007, and required that the minimum wage be adjusted each year up or down for changes in inflation, as measured by the Colorado consumer price index (CPI). The CPI is a common measure for changes in the prices of goods and services, such as food, housing, gasoline, and medical care. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment sets the state's minimum wage each January. It is currently set at $8.31 per hour for most workers. Colorado law does not allow cities to set a higher minimum wage than the state. The 2006 amendment also set the minimum wage for tipped workers at $3.02 less than the state minimum wage. The minimum wage for tipped workers is currently $5.29 per hour plus tips. Some tipped workers, such as servers and bartenders, may earn enough in tips to bring their hourly earnings above the state minimum wage, while some may not earn enough in tips to reach it. When tipped workers do not earn enough, employers must supplement their wages to ensure that they receive at least the state minimum wage. The occupations of workers most likely to be paid minimum wage include retail salespeople, food service workers, child care workers, janitors, and home health aides. How does Amendment 70 change state law? Amendment 70 increases the state minimum wage to $9.30 per hour on January 1, 2017, after which it increases annually by $0.90 per hour until it reaches $12.00 per hour in 2020. Because the minimum wage for tipped workers remains at $3.02 less than the state minimum wage, Amendment 70 increases the tipped minimum wage to $8.98 per hour plus tips by 2020. Beginning in 2021, the minimum wage is adjusted annually for increases in the CPI. Although Amendment 70 and current law both use the CPI to adjust the minimum wage, Amendment 70 prevents a decrease in the minimum wage if the cost of living falls.

Constitutional changes

See also: Section 15, Article XVIII, Colorado Constitution

If approved by voters, Amendment 70 amended Section 15 of Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution. The following underlined text was added and struck-through text was deleted:

Section 15. State minimum wage rate. Effective January 1, 200717, Colorado's minimum wage shall be is increased to $6.85 $9.30 per hour and shall be is adjusted increased annually by 0.90 each January 1 until it reaches $12 per hour effective January 2020, and thereafter is adjusted annually for inflation cost of living increases, as measured by the Consumer Price Index used for Colorado. This minimum wage shall be paid to employees who receive the state or federal minimum wage. No more than $3.02 per hour in tip income may be used to offset the minimum wage of employees who regularly receive tips.

Fiscal impact statement

See also: Fiscal impact statement

The fiscal impact statement was as follows:

“

State government spending. Amendment 70 will affect costs for several state government agencies. Any state agency that pays an employee an hourly wage less than that required by Amendment 70 will experience an incremental increase in staffing costs if Amendment 70 passes. The actual increase in state costs for each of these agencies will depend on how the agencies, universities, and the legislature manage the increase. Their options may include increasing state funding, increasing fees, raising prices, reducing workers' hours, or some combination of these choices. Local government impact. The fiscal impact of the measure on local governments has not been estimated. Costs will increase for any local governments that currently pay workers at or near the minimum wage.

”

Support

Colorado Families for a Fair Wage led the campaign in support of Amendment 70.

Supporters

Officials

• Gov. John Hickenlooper (D)
• U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez
• Jill Stein, 2016 Green presidential candidate
• Sen. Leroy Garcia, Jr. (D-3)
• Rep. Daneya Esgar (D-46)
• Boulder City Council

Former officials

• Rep. Don Marostica (R-51)

Organizations

• 9to5 Colorado
• Bell Policy Center
• Boulder Chamber
• Business for a Fair Minimum Wage
• Colorado Center on Law and Policy
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
• Colorado Coalition for Medically Underserved
• Colorado Education Association
• Colorado Fiscal Institute
• Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
• Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights
• Colorado People’s Alliance
• Colorado WINS
• Community Language Cooperative
• Denver Food Rescue
• Enterprise Colorado
• Focus Points
• FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities
• Generation Latino
• Growing Home
• Growing Partners of Southwest Colorado
• Interfaith Alliance
• Jobs with Justice
• La Plata County Thrive!
• League of Women Voters of Colorado
• Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado
• Manna Soup Kitchen
• Metro Caring
• Mi Familia Vota Colorado
• NAACP – Aurora
• NAACP – Denver
• NARAL Pro-Choice America
• New Era Colorado Foundation
• One Colorado
• Padres & Jóvenes Unidos
• ProgressNow Colorado
• Sierra Club – Rocky Mountain Chapter
• Together Colorado
• Unite Colorado Springs
• Western Colorado Congress
• Women’s Lobby of Colorado
• Young Invincibles

Unions

• American Federation of Teachers, Colorado
• Colorado AFL-CIO
• Denver Area Labor Federation
• Service Employees International Union Colorado
• UNITE HERE Local 23

Arguments

Colorado Families for a Fair Wage answered the question "Why should we raise Colorado's minimum wage?" with:

“

The minimum wage has not kept pace with the cost of living. The minimum wage was created to help keep working families out of poverty, but the current wage of $8.31 hasn't kept up with the cost of living. In fact, the actual cost of living in Colorado has been rising faster than what is indicated by the Consumer Price Index, the official measure of inflation. Full-time minimum wage workers only make about $17,000 a year. That's less than $300 per week after taxes. That is not enough for a person, let alone a family, to pay rent, bills and put food on the table. In most parts of the state, even a single adult working a minimum wage job would fall short of the income needed to meet their basic needs, according to the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado. Colorado's minimum wage falls so short of the actual cost of living that many full-time workers have to rely on government assistance.

”

Colorado economics professors Alexandra Bernasek, Elissa Braunstein, Paula Cole, Daphne Greenwood, Kevin Duncan, Anders Fremstad, Peter Sai-Wing Ho, Michael V. Martin, Tracy Mott, Anita Alves Pena, Chiara Piovani, Martin Shields, Steven Shulman, Chris Stiffler, Jack Strauss, Daniele Tavani, Robert Urquhart, Ramaa Vasudevan, Sarah Wilhelm, and Yavuz Yasar co-signed a statement supporting raising the minimum wage and Amendment 70:

“

The Colorado economy has experienced steady growth in recent years. Real wages, however, for the lowest paid workers in the state have been flat or falling for the last decade. This trend in wages has spurred action across the country to increase the minimum wage and heightened interest in examining the impact of these increases. Scores of studies have been conducted to understand the employment effects of minimum wage increases. Results from the most rigorous studies overwhelmingly suggest that minimum wage increases have little to no negative effect on employment of low wage workers and, in fact, could stimulate consumer demand and economic activity as low wage workers spend their additional earnings.

”

Other arguments in support of Amendment 70 included:

• Patty Kupfer, speaking on behalf of Colorado Families for a Fair Wage, said, "All the studies show that when working people have more money in their pockets they spend it. ... They spend it here in Colorado. That creates jobs and helps our communities thrive. It's just about paying more to workers and that's the end of the story."

• Rep. Daneya Esgar (D-46) contended, "Workers who work for a minimum wage are no longer just teenagers or someone with a part-time job. ... Over 85 percent of those who would benefit from this would be over 20 years old and depend on one or more jobs to feed their families."

Official arguments

The official arguments in favor of Amendment 70 as listed in the voter guide were as follows:

“

1. Colorado's current minimum wage is too low to provide a basic standard of living for some workers. Full-time workers making the minimum wage in Colorado earn approximately $17,285 annually, or about $300 per week after taxes, and some rely on public assistance to make ends meet. While the minimum wage has increased only 21 percent since 2007 (when the last voter-approved increase in the minimum wage went into effect), prices for basic necessities such as health care and housing have increased more steeply. For example, the overall average rent price in the Denver metro area has increased about 37 percent, from approximately $946 in 2007 to about $1,292 in 2015. 2. Raising the minimum wage may help businesses. Higher wages may improve employee productivity and morale and reduce turnover. This is especially important for businesses that pay the minimum wage, as they tend to have very high turnover. Hiring and training new employees can be very costly for businesses. Lower tumover translates into more experienced, more productive workers and significant cost savings.

”

Campaign advertisements

Campaign advertisement videos that were previously displayed here are no longer available.

Opposition

Keep Colorado Working led the campaign in opposition to Amendment 70.

Opponents

Officials

• Rep. Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff (R-47)

Organizations

• Colorado Restaurant Association
• Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry
• Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
• Farm Bureau, Colorado
• The Colorado Bankers Association
• Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association
• Castle Roch Chamber of Commerce
• Trinidad Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce
• Tavern League of Colorado
• Prosper South Metro Denver Chamber
• Colorado Business Roundtable
• PRO 15
• National Federation of Independent Businesses
• Northwest Douglas County Economic Development Corporation
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver
• Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce
• Colorado Women’s Alliance
• Colorado Springs Forward
• Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance
• Common Sense Policy Roundtable
• Colorado Licensed Beverage Association
• Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association
• Colorado Competitive Council
• Colorado Concern
• American Subcontractors Association, Colorado
• Aurora Chamber of Colorado
• Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., Colorado
• Club 20
• Greeley Chamber of Commerce
• Douglas County Business Alliance
• Upstate Colorado Economic Development
• Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce

Individuals

• Alfredo Ortiz, President and CEO of the Job Creators Network

Arguments

Alfredo Ortiz and Tony Gagliardi, guest columnists for The Gazette, wrote:

“

A minimum wage increase is a bad move for Colorado. Because hiking the minimum wage makes employees more expensive and therefore less employable, it would actually hurt rather than help. Only about 3 percent of Coloradans earn the minimum wage, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So raising the minimum wage would do little to help the working poor. And 60 percent of minimum-wage earners fall between the ages of 16 and 24 - when people are just entering the workforce and earning entry-level wages.

”

Rep. Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff (R-47) argued:

“

Colorado voters need to be really careful what they ask for. This initiative just rings of ‘if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.’ A raise in wages sounds great, and it would be if that were the only thing to happen, however, there is a web of impact that voters should be very conscientious of, including overall job.

”

Other arguments against the measure included:

• Tyler Sandberg, speaking on behalf of Keep Colorado Working, said, "We're having a great response from those concerned about the ramifications this will have on small business. ... Study after study show that when you get minimum wage raises that go so far, you have exponential damage."

• Carolyn Livingston, communications director for the Colorado Restaurant Association, stated, "They cannot afford this. ... We polled our members last year and they said they were going to have to reduce hours, reduce employees and might introduce technology."

• Dave Feamster, owner of seven Little Caesar Pizza stores in southern Colorado, contended, "The (food) prices will go up. ... Labor is our second-highest line item, after food."

Official arguments

The official arguments against Amendment 70 as listed in the ballot analysis were as follows:

“

1. Increasing the state minimum wage may actually hurt the very employees that the higher wage is meant to help. If Amendment 70 passes, some workers earning the minimum wage may face lay-offs, reduced hours, or fewer benefits. Also, workers seeking minimum wage employment may have a harder time finding work if businesses make fewer minimum wage jobs available. Finally, businesses may choose to raise prices. Because low-wage workers spend a higher percentage of their income on basic necessities like food, they are particularly vulnerable to rising prices. 2. Increasing the state minimum wage may hurt small and family-owned businesses, particularly in rural communities where the cost of living is lower and economic recovery has been slow compared with urban areas. Businesses in rural communities have a harder time absorbing increases in costs and may struggle to pay higher costs if the minimum wage increases, which may further distress the economy in rural Colorado.

”

Campaign advertisements

Campaign advertisement videos that were previously displayed here are no longer available.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Colorado ballot measures

Total campaign contributions:
Support:	$5,409,354.00
Opposition:	$1,733,419.99

As of December 13, 2016, the support campaign for this initiative featured one ballot question committee, Colorado Families for a Fair Wage, that received a total of $5,409,354 in contributions. The support campaign spent $4,983,399.

As of December 13, 2016, the opposition campaign for this initiative featured one ballot question committee, Keep Colorado Working, that received a total of $1,733,420 in contributions. The opposition campaign had spent $1,733,307.18.

According to reports through December 13, 2016, the top donor in support of this initiative, the Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund, provided approximately 19 percent of the campaign's total war chest. It contributed $1,053,978. The top donor in opposition to this initiative, the Workforce Fairness Institute, provided approximately 49 percent of the campaign's total war chest. It contributed $850,000.

Support

Cash donations

The following ballot question committee registered to support this initiative as of December 13, 2016. The chart below shows cash donations and expenditures current as of December 13, 2016. For a summary of in-kind donations, click here.

Committee	Amount raised	Amount spent
Colorado Families for a Fair Wage	$4,941,290.14	$4,983,399.23
Total	$4,941,290.14	$4,983,399.23

In-kind donations

As of December 13, 2016, the ballot question committee registered to support this initiative received in-kind donations in the amount of $468,063.86. The top in-kind donor, the SEIU Committee on Political Education, provided $276,848.48 of the in-kind donations.

Top donors

As of December 13, 2016, the following were the top five donors in support of this initiative:

Donor	Amount
Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund	$1,053,978.00
Fairness Project	$1,011,333.97
SEIU C.O.P.E.	$1,001,997.00
Civic Participation Action Fund	$700,000.00
National Education Association	$630,000.00

Opposition

Cash donations

The following ballot question committee registered to oppose this initiative as of December 13, 2016. The chart below shows cash donations and expenditures current as of December 13, 2016. For a summary of in-kind donations, click here.

Committee	Amount raised	Amount spent
Keep Colorado Working	$1,733,409.99	$1,733,307.18
Total	$1,733,409.99	$1,733,307.18

In-kind donations

As of December 13, 2016, Keep Colorado Working received $10 worth of in-kind donations.

Top donors

As of December 13, 2016, the following were the top five donors in opposition to this initiative:

Donor	Amount
Workforce Fairness Institute	$850,000.00
Hospitality Issue PAC	$372,500.00
Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution	$125,000.00
National Restaurant Association	$50,000.00
Darden	$50,000.00

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Media editorials

Support

• Colorado Springs Independent said: "In our view, this is not a sudden, massive increase to $15 as proposed in other states. This makes much more sense, and we agree with those owners of small businesses who embrace the idea that it's better to pay employees even more, thus reducing turnover and the cost (in money and time) of training newcomers."
• The Daily Camera said: "Raising the minimum wage is the tool before us to lift hundreds of thousands of Colorado workers out of poverty. Talk won't get it done. We endorse passage of Amendment 70."

Opposition

• The Aurora Sentinel said: "As vital as minimum wage laws are, they must work for employees and employers by being based on reliable local market forces. Amendment 70 doesn’t do that. Vote no and lobby your lawmaker to create a workable, scalable plan for the state."
• The Coloradoan said: "While our state needs a solution to this problem and the larger one of growing inequality in our economic system, the logical arguments against Amendment 70 prevail for a majority of the Coloradoan Editorial Board. This measure is too broad and does not take into consideration the unique impacts it will have."
• Colorado Springs Gazette said: “The reason minimum wage advocates don't reach for the sky is the fact a lot of nonprofessional jobs cannot produce $20, $30 or more each hour. In fact, lots of good jobs don't produce enough to support $12 an hour. Politicians want the image of raising wages while limiting the ensuing job losses to low-profile entry-level workers.”
• The Denver Post said: "But the proposed Amendment 70 overreaches and would be a mistake for Colorado. We don’t wish to sound hard-hearted in our rejection of the measure and acknowledge the good intentions behind it. But it goes too far in some key ways and we worry that it could actually hurt low-wage earners more than it would help them, especially the young, new workers the law has traditionally served."
• Longmont Times-Call and Loveland Reporter-Herald said: "The legislative route would allow lawmakers the flexibility to deal with different economic factors — and different sections of the state where the economy might not be as robust as it is on the Front Range. A "no" vote is recommended."
• The Tribune said: "We don’t see a need for this measure. It would raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020. We’re all for wages rising and workers making more, but we think the state’s existing minimum wage, which is indexed to rise along with inflation is working well."

Polls

See also: 2016 ballot measure polls

• In late August 2016, Magellan Strategies conducted a poll and found 55 percent of respondents supporting Amendment 70. The partisan divide on the issue was steep, with 83 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents, and 24 percent of Republicans supporting Amendment 70.
• Colorado Mesa University, Rocky Mountain PBS, and Franklin & Marshall College released a poll in September 2016 indicating that support for the initiative was around 58 percent.
• Magellan Strategies surveyed 500 likely voters on November 1 and November 2, 2016, and found 54 percent of respondents supporting Amendment 70.

Colorado Amendment 70 (2016)
Poll	Support	Oppose	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Magellan Strategies 11/01/2016 - 11/02/2016	54.0%	43.0%	3.0%	+/-4.38	500
Colorado Mesa University, Rocky Mountain PBS, and Franklin & Marshal College 9/14/2016 - 9/18/2016	58.0%	36.0%	7.0%	+/-5.1	540
Magellan Strategies 8/29/2016 - 8/31/2016	55.0%	42.0%	3.0%	+/-4.4	500
AVERAGES	55.67%	40.33%	4.33%	+/-4.63	513.33
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Background

Voting on Minimum Wage
Ballot Measures
By state
By year
Not on ballot
Local Labor and unions Local wages and pay

The minimum wage debate is as old as the United States Department of Labor, an institution established in 1913. The minimum wage was once debated as an issue of constitutionality. The United States Supreme Court ruled the minimum wage unconstitutional in 1923's Adkins v. Children's Hospital, but later reversed course in their West Coast Hotel v. Parrish decision in 1937.

Minimum wage in Colorado

See also: Colorado Minimum Wage Increase, Initiative 42 (2006)

Prior to the passage of Initiative 42 in 2006, Colorado's minimum wage was equivalent to the federal government's minimum wage. The measure was approved with 53 percent voting "yes" and 47 percent voting "no" to increase the minimum wage to $6.85 per hour. Initiative 42 adjusted the minimum wage annually based on the Consumer Price Index. The initiative led to a decline in Colorado's minimum wage on January 1, 2010, from $7.28 to the federal level of $7.25. Since there was a slight deflation in 2009, the minimum wage in Colorado automatically declined.

2016 minimum wages

Below is a chart detailing the minimum wage in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, in 2016. Washington, D.C., had the highest minimum wage at $10.10 per hour. Georgia and Wyoming both had state minimum wages at $5.15 per hour, which was below the federal minimum wage.

Click "Show" in the State column to expand.

State	2016 minimum wage	Rank
Alabama	$7.25	31
Alaska	$9.75	4
Arizona	$8.05	24
Arkansas	$8.00	27
California	$10.00	2
Colorado	$8.31	18
Connecticut	$9.60	5
Delaware	$8.25	19
Florida	$8.05	24
Georgia	$5.15	50
Hawaii	$8.50	15
Idaho	$7.25	31
Illinois	$8.25	19
Indiana	$7.25	31
Iowa	$7.25	31
Kansas	$7.25	31
Kentucky	$7.25	31
Louisiana	$7.25	31
Maine	$7.50	29
Maryland	$8.25	21
Massachusetts	$10.00	2
Michigan	$8.50	15
Minnesota	$9.00	10
Mississippi	$7.25	31
Missouri	$7.65	28
Montana	$8.05	24
Nebraska	$9.00	10
Nevada	$8.25	21
New Hampshire	$7.25	31
New Jersey	$8.38	17
New Mexico	$7.50	29
New York	$9.00	10
North Carolina	$7.25	31
North Dakota	$7.25	31
Ohio	$8.10	23
Oklahoma	$7.25	31
Oregon	$9.25	9
Pennsylvania	$7.25	31
Rhode Island	$9.60	5
South Carolina	$7.25	31
South Dakota	$8.55	14
Tennessee	$7.25	31
Texas	$7.25	31
Utah	$7.25	31
Vermont	$9.60	5
Virginia	$7.25	31
Washington	$9.47	8
Washington, D.C.	$10.50	1
West Virginia	$8.75	13
Wisconsin	$7.25	31
Wyoming	$5.15	50

This map was current as of December 31, 2016.

Reports and analyses

Common Sense Policy Roundtable

Eric Fruits, President and Chief Economist at Economics International Corp., prepared an analysis of the potential effects of raising the minimum wage for Common Sense Policy Roundtable, an opponent of Amendment 70. The report's executive summary stated:

“

Once fully phased-in, the minimum wage hikes under the initiative would reduce Colorado’s total employment by as much as 90,000. The reduced employment would result from some workers losing their jobs and some workers being unable to find a job. Some job losses would result from business closures and consolidation. Some workers may be discouraged by reduced employment opportunities and exit the labor force entirely. Once fully phased-in, the minimum wage hikes would reduce teen employment by as much as 10,500. More than 1 in 6 Colorado residents between the ages of 16 and 19 are unemployed. A large number of teen workers save their earnings to fund their higher education costs. A reduction in employment opportunities for Colorado teens would likely lead to a higher student debt burden for students seeking higher education in the state. The proposed minimum wage increases would reduce Colorado wage and salary incomes by as much as $3.9 billion a year. The reduced incomes would result from reduced employment and increased underemployment. Reduced employment and smaller incomes resulting from a steep increase in the minimum wage are likely to increase poverty. An increase in the minimum wage will not benefit the unemployed and will worsen employment opportunities, thus contributing to a worsening poverty rate, especially in those areas with already high rates of unemployment and poverty. While some employees would undoubtedly benefit from a higher minimum wage, most if not all of these income benefits would be offset by lost wages from reductions in employment and increased underemployment, particularly among young and low-skilled workers. Workers currently having the most difficulty finding jobs today would have even worse prospects if a large increase in the minimum wage went into effect. Consequently, a steep increase in the minimum wage would likely harm those Coloradans who need the most help with employment and income opportunities.

”

The full report was available here.

The Women's Foundation of Colorado

In collaboration with the Colorado Women’s College Collaboratory (CWCC) of the University of Denver, the Women's Foundation of Colorado released a report examining who would be impacted by an increase in the state minimum wage to $12 an hour. Jennifer C. Greenfield, Professor of Social Work, and Jack Strauss, Chair of Applied Economics, at the University of Denver worked on the report. Key findings from the report included:

“

An increase in the minimum wage would have a significant positive impact on Colorado women and families, lifting many working women and their children out of poverty. The proposed $12 per hour minimum wage will boost income for approximately 290,000 women. Increasing the minimum wage to $12.00 per hour by 2020 will boost earnings and consumer spending in Colorado. Incomes will increase for 20% of all households in Colorado, including 200,000 households with children. Most of the increased earnings will impact workers over 20 years of age and households earning less than $60,000 annually. Increasing the minimum wage will contribute to economic growth without significant job losses or increases in consumer prices. The impact on overall prices is small, as consumer prices may rise .1-.2% per year over the transition period, which is well below the average cost of living increase of 2% over the past generation. Childcare costs are not expected to increase substantially, especially in parts of the state with higher cost of living, such as Denver and Boulder. Childcare costs are driven by cost of living, not minimum wages. Since increases in minimum wages will have little effect on overall wages throughout the state, they should have no statistically significant or meaningful impact on childcare prices. A minimum wage increase would be a net positive for minimum wage earners and the state of Colorado. It would increase earnings, strengthen the economy, and reduce economic inequity in our state. Only a very small number of Coloradans may lose benefits if the minimum wage is increased and in most of those cases, women and their families still come out ahead because the increase in income will be greater than the value of benefits they may lose.

”

The full report was available here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado

• The proposed initiative was filed with the Colorado secretary of state's office on March 4, 2016, and the petition format was approved on April 20, 2016.
• Initiative proponents needed to collect 98,492 signatures by August 8, 2016, to land the Amendment 70 on the ballot.
• Supporters submitted over 200,000 signatures on July 25, 2016.
• The Colorado secretary of state's office certified Amendment 70 on August 11, 2016.

Cost of signature collection:
Sponsors of the measure hired FieldWorks, LLC to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $881,263.52 was spent to collect the 98,492 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $8.95.

State profile

Demographic data for Colorado
	Colorado	U.S.
Total population:	5,448,819	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	103,642	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	84.2%	73.6%
Black/African American:	4%	12.6%
Asian:	2.9%	5.1%
Native American:	0.9%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	3.5%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	21.1%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	90.7%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	38.1%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$60,629	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	13.5%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Colorado

Colorado voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Colorado, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Colorado had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Colorado coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Colorado
• United States congressional delegations from Colorado
• Public policy in Colorado
• Influencers in Colorado
• Colorado fact checks
• More...

Related measures

Minimum wage measures on the ballot in 2016
State	Measures
Arizona	Arizona Minimum Wage and Paid Time Off, Proposition 206 a
South Dakota	South Dakota Decreased Youth Minimum Wage Veto Referendum, Referred Law 20 d
Washington	Washington Minimum Wage Increase, Initiative 1433 a

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Colorado $12 Minimum Wage Amendment. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Colorado $12 Minimum Wage, Amendment 70 (2016) - Google News

See also

Suggest a link

• 2016 ballot measures
• Colorado 2016 ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado

External links

• Amendment 70
• Colorado 2016 Ballot Information Book

Support

• Colorado Families for a Fair Wage
• Colorado Families for a Fair Wage Facebook
• Colorado Families for a Fair Wage Twitter

Opposition

• Keep Colorado Working
• Keep Colorado Working Facebook
• Keep Colorado Working Twitter