Supporters of "end of life" option turn in petition signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State

DENVER, August 4, 2016 -- The backers of a proposal that would allow terminally ill Coloradans to obtain a prescription to bring about their deaths turned in petition signatures Thursday to the Colorado Secretary of State in an effort to put the measure before voters in November.

Supporters of the "Medical Aid in Dying" measure, which outlines the circumstances to get the drug prescribed, said they collected more than 160,000 signatures. The office will now conduct a 5-percent random sample of signatures to determine whether Initiative No. 145 meets the threshold to make the ballot.

Backers of citizen-initiated ballot proposals must turn in their petition signatures by 3 p.m. Monday. To get on the ballot, proponents need to submit 98,492 valid voter signatures -- 5 percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Colorado Secretary of State in the last general election.

The only citizen-initiative already confirmed on the ballot is Amendment 69. Backers were informed last November they had collected enough valid signatures to put what is known as "ColoradoCare" before the voters.

Here's a look at other measures that are currently circulating and could be on the November ballot:

Proposed constitutional amendments

• Local government authority to regulate oil-and-gas development: No. 75
• Mandatory setback for oil/gas development: No. 78
• Requirements for constitutional amendments: No. 96
• New cigarette and tobacco taxes: No. 143

Proposed propositions

• Primary elections: No. 98
• Presidential primary election: No. 140

Proponents of a measure that would boost Colorado's minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020 turned in signatures last month. The office is sampling the signatures to determine whether Initiative No. 101 meets the threshold to make the ballot.

Also on the ballot will be two measures referred by the Colorado General Assembly: Amendment T, regarding servitude, and Amendment U, regarding property taxes.

In addition, the Denver Metro Scientific and Cultural Facilities Board put Ballot Issue 4B, a sales-and-use tax measure, on ballots in the following counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, Douglas (except Castle Rock and Larkspur) and Jefferson.