Colorado voters lose interest in split

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DENVER -- Support is plummeting for a ballot measure that would split Colorado's nine electoral votes proportionally to the popular vote, according to the latest statewide poll.

Sixty percent of those polled say they oppose the proposal, known as Amendment 36, while 32 percent support it, according to a Rocky Mountain News/News4 survey released yesterday.

The amendment has drawn national attention because it would take effect with the 2004 presidential race. Some analysts have predicted that Colorado could become the next Florida by throwing the results of the presidential race into question if Amendment 36 is approved.

The measure's popularity has dropped steadily since it qualified for the ballot, with its support dropping from more than 60 percent two months ago to 47 percent in early October. Its supporters, Make Your Vote for President Count, blame the closeness of the presidential election.

"You need people to sacrifice partisanship for principle," said Yes on 36 campaign director Julie Brown. "Unfortunately, this amendment has gotten caught up in the presidential election and you have people desperate to get nine electoral votes for their guy."

Amendment 36 has run a well-financed campaign, thanks to the backing of California millionaire Jorge Klor de Alva, who launched the petition drive to put it on the ballot and has contributed $698,000 of the campaign's $700,000 war chest.

But Katy Atkinson, the Republican consultant running the No on 36 effort, has countered with a tongue-in-cheek campaign that voters seem to be taking seriously. The group's fliers show colorful Roy Lichtenstein-style cartoons that describe Amendment 36 as "A Horror Show That Came From California."

Her group, Coloradans Against a Really Stupid Idea, is running television commercials showing cutouts of Senate candidates Pete Coors and Ken Salazar riding an elephant and a donkey, respectfully.

"Yee-haw! Finally, at last, there's one issue that everyone agrees on: Amendment 36. It's bad for Colorado," says the ad. "Even Pete Coors and Ken Salazar agree. Republicans and Democrats agree."

Colorado Republicans have opposed the proposal from the start, calling it an attempt to siphon votes for Democratic presidential candidates. At the same time, many Democrats have joined the opposition in light of Sen. John Kerry's unexpectedly strong campaign showing in Colorado, now considered a swing state.

"As time goes by, people like Sue Casey, who's running the Kerry campaign in Colorado, are saying, 'Hey, we could win this thing. We don't want those votes divided up,'" Mrs. Atkinson said.

Nearly all of the state's newspapers have urged a "no" vote on Amendment 36, arguing that it would dilute the state's political clout in Washington by effectively giving it one electoral vote. Under Amendment 36, the state's electoral votes would almost always be divided 5-4.

"Coloradans should shun the idea of being used as political lab rats and keep Colorado's nine Electoral College votes intact," said a June 16 Denver Post editorial.