Boulder sticks with in-person petitions despite guidance from government, health officials

By Shay Castle. Originally published in the Boulder Beat on April 25, 2020.

"It was 10:28 p.m. on Tuesday when city council first hinted it might abandon attempts to ensure direct democracy could continue unimpeded by COVID-19. By 11:15, the fifth and final vote was informally cast, putting a nail in the coffin holding circulators’ hopes that they could gather signatures online rather than in-person — a difficult and possibly dangerous task that flies in the face of guidance from state government and health officials.

Council’s refusal to make concessions sent organizers into an uproar. They penned op-eds, courted media coverage and sought the assistance of civil liberty advocates, pointing out the hypocrisy of city leaders meeting remotely yet encouraging residents to stay home — all while insisting that signatures could still be collected safely."

Read the full story on the Boulder Beat.