The Poundstone Amendment is an amendment to the Colorado Constitution enacted in 1974 concerning county annexations. The ballot initiative was drafted by Freda Poundstone, a Colorado politician and lobbyist who opposed the efforts of Denver to absorb surrounding municipalities. Supporters claimed the amendment would prevent Denver from abusing its status and size, while detractors pointed out that it greatly limited the ability of the city to absorb other school districts and thus end segregation in its schools.

Ballot initiative

Title

An act to amend Articles XIV and XX of the Constitution of the State of Colorado, concerning the annexation of property by a County or City and County, and prohibiting the striking off of any territory from a County without first submitting the question to a vote of the qualified electors of the County and without an affirmative vote of the majority of those electors.

Text

Provisions of the Proposed Constitutional Amendment The proposed amendment to the State Constitution would:

Election results

Passed by 409,174 votes (58.4%) to 292,040 votes (41.6%).