Colorado secession vote seen locally as lark

Voters in 11 counties across Colorado are heading to the polls Tuesday to decide on a key ballot question: to secede or not to secede?

Supporters say secession is the only way for rural residents to get a voice in the political process, currently controlled at the state level by Democrats, who’ve just passed strict crackdowns on Second Amendment rights, The Hill reported.

 

The 11 counties want to band together and form a new state — No. 51 — but have a high hill to climb. The ballot’s only Step 1; if passed, counties then have to reach agreement on partnering for statehood and then obtain state and federal approval.

But most in the state see today’s vote as a flight of fancy.

“My impression is that this secession movement has drawn more attention from the national press than from local media,” Seth Masket, a political science professor at the University of Denver, said in The Hill.