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Original URL: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/election/article/0,1299,DRMN_36_1599064,00.html
Ballot measures received last-minute boost of cash
Rocky Mountain News
December 10, 2002
By Burt Hubbard
The financial backers of four losing statewide ballot measures put $105,000
combined into the campaigns during the closing weeks of the election.
Financial reports showed that Internet entrepreneur Jared Polis contributed an
additional $44,300 to the Yes on 30 campaign that backed an amendment to allow
Election Day voter registration.
That brought the total contributions from Polis, his family and company to about
$1.15 million.
Despite the loss, Polis said he won't shy away from similar campaigns in the
future.
"I will continue to look at ways to help more Coloradans who choose to vote to
exercise the right to vote," Polis said.
He said he thought the measure lost because only the entrenched voters went to
the polls. The opposition raised less than $20,000.
"We were asking the group that's already enfranchised to help enfranchise
others, and that's always a difficult sell," Polis said.
Denver businessman Rutt Bridges donated another $46,000 to the campaign behind
Amendments 28 and 29. Both lost. Amendment 28 would have mandated that voters
receive mail ballots while Amendment 29 would have replaced the party caucus
system with primary elections.
That brought Bridges' total donations to almost $1.6 million. The opposition
groups to the two measures raised about $10,000.
And California businessman Ron Unz loaned another $15,000 to the Amendment 31
campaign to replace bilingual education with English immersion.
That brought his total loans to $370,000.
The campaign got another $41,000 in donations, including $10,000 from former Los
Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
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