Colorado Secession Vote Today Will Probably Succeed
Today a Colorado secession proposal is being voted on in 11 counties out of 64. These counties want to secede from the state to form “North Colorado.” Ten of them are clustered in the north of Colorado, with the eleventh in the northwest corner. They plan to ditch Denver and the left-leaning Front Range region. The secessionist argue that state leaders do not represent them and do not serve their interests. And it’s looking like most if not all of these counties will pass their secession proposals. However, there’s a catch.
As Daily Beast points out, there are a few Constitutional hurdles before “Northern Colorado” becomes the 51st state. One of these includes the law requiring states be contiguous. Moffat County, separated from the other 10 counties, would likely have to join Wyoming. Most importantly, though, Congress would have to approve the break-up of the 137-year-old state and the creation of a new one, after state legislature approves it first. However much the 11 Colorado secessionist counties may want to break away, those steps probably won’t happen.
Those leading the charge know this, though. As CNN reports, Coloradans in these counties want to “send a message to our legislators,” says Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway. Conway says he and other northern Colorado residents feel ignored and “politically disenfranchised.” If political leaders won’t listen to them, then secession movements will become more common, he argues. Conway believes that it is becoming more important to “move towards creating our own political entity” to protect northern Coloradans’ interests and way of life.
Northern Coloradans cite several recent instances where they feel the state’s representatives have failed them. As demonstrated in the successful recall elections of two Democratic state senators, many state citizens have taken issue with new gun control measures which went into effect earlier this year. The new laws include restrictions on magazine sizes and a universal firearm registry.
Though the gun laws ruffled many feathers in rural Colorado, a renewable energy bill passed earlier this year was seen by many as a line being crossed. The bill dictates a certain amount of energy used in agriculture come from renewable energy sources. Conway and others say the bill unfairly hits farmers harder in the pocket-book than it does for urban Coloradans.
Governor John Hickenlooper says the issues cited by Conway and other secessionists are well-supported across Colorado, not just in the cities. “Rural communities are hurting, but it’s not because of background checks on gun sales, civil unions for gay people or expanded renewable energy,” the Democratic governor said. Hickenlooper says the Colorado secession vote may be “designed to divide us, it is destructive,” but that he sees it as a cue to “do a better job of listening.”
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
