The U.S. state of Colorado has had a system of direct voting since gaining statehood in 1877. Citizens and the Colorado General Assembly both have the ability to place new legislation, legislation recently passed by the General Assembly, and constitutional amendments on the ballot for a popular vote. Colorado has three types of ballot measures that can be voted on in a statewide election: initiatives, referendums, and legislatively-referred measures. In order to be placed on the ballot, supporters of a measure must gather signatures from registered voters. From 1877 to 1910, the only ballot measures allowed were legislatively-referred measures. In 1910, Referendum 3 was placed on the ballot by the General Assembly and passed, creating a citizen-led process for initiatives and referendums.
