The Colorado election results are in: Colorado voters have rejected proposition 103, which would have raised $2.9 billion for Colorado’s education system. Bloomberg Business Week reports that Colorado’s education system sits at 39th in the nation in spending per student.
According to the Associated Press, Proposition 103 was rejected 64-36 percent with 72 percent of the vote counted. Had Proposition 103 passed, the measure would have raised state income and state sales taxes to increase funding to Colorado’s education system.
“While Prop 103’s proposed way forward may not be our preference today, the issues it raises remain relevant,” Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio said in a press release. Palacio also suggested that despite Tuesday night’s election results, the importance of education spending in Colorado remains a topical issue to Colorado voters.
“Tonight’s results are one part of a much larger conversation Coloradans are having about how we invest in our future generations. A strong education system remains fundamental to our continued vitality, and Proposition 103 raised important questions about how we stand by our children and students and offered a solution to funding concerns,” Palacio said.
According to The Colorado Independent, Colorado state Senator Rollie Heath’s measure would have increased the sales tax from 4.63 percent to 5 percent and it would have also bumped up the income tax from 2.9 percent to 3 percent.
In an August Public Policy Polling poll, 47 percent of those surveyed planned to oppose Proposition 103 and 45 percent planned to support the measure. The PPP poll surveyed 510 Colorado voters from August 4 to 7. The PPP poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
