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Latest results: Amendment J, removing same-sex marriage ban from state constitution

If it passes, this statewide ballot issue in the 2024 elections will repeal the definition of marriage being only between one man and one woman.
Credit: KUSA

COLORADO, USA — One of the statewide issues on the 2024 Colorado ballot was Amendment J, a ballot measure about removing a same-sex marriage ban from the state constitution.

Under Colorado law, only a simple majority of voters is needed to repeal a provision of the state constitution.

The latest results are below:

Results are called by The Associated Press. Click here for more on how AP calls races.

To view all 2024 Colorado election results, click here.

What does Amendment J do?

According to the Amendment J section in the Colorado Blue Book:

"In 2006, Colorado voters approved an amendment to Colorado’s constitution stating that only the union of one man and one woman is a valid or recognized marriage in Colorado. Amendment J repeals this language, which has been declared unconstitutional by state and federal courts."

A YES vote on Amendment J means the language in the Colorado Constitution that defines a valid marriage as a union between one man and one woman would be gone.

A NO on Amendment J means the current language in the state constitution that defines a valid marriage as a union between one man and one woman would still be present.

In 2014 and 2015, the Colorado Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court both ruled that same-sex couples have a right to marry and bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. This makes same-sex marriage in Colorado currently legal. 

However, if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its previous rulings, the legality of same-sex marriage would be left to individual states to decide.

In 2022, the U.S. Congress repealed the previous ban on same-sex marriage from federal law. All 50 states are now required to recognize same-sex marriages lawfully entered in any state.

Amendment J fiscal impact

In the Colorado Blue Book, it states Amendment J would not have a fiscal impact on state or local governments. The amendment just conforms the state constitution to the current practice and rulings by the Colorado Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court.

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