55% vote required to entrench hunting rights in Colorado law

Colorado voters faced a 55 percent threshold on Tuesday to pass Amendment 83, a constitutional change requiring a supermajority for approval. The measure would elevate hunting and fishing rights from statutory protection to the state constitution, a standard used by 24 other U.S. states.

Polls closed at 7 p.m., with preliminary results expected to follow shortly. The amendment does more than protect access to the outdoors; it designates hunting as the preferred method for managing wildlife populations and mandates the use of traditional methods.

Under the proposed text, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency and the state legislature retain the power to change regulations. However, they may only do so if a law is necessary for sound scientific wildlife conservation, public safety, or preserving future opportunities for all species statewide. This creates a higher legal bar for changing rules than the current statutory framework.

Proponents, led by hunting groups and supported by millions of dollars from large out-of-state donors, argued the change is essential to defend the sport from future ballot measures or regulatory shifts. They view the constitutional language as a shield against political interference.

Opponents, including national animal rights groups who contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaign, warned the amendment would restrict the agency's ability to adapt to changing ecological conditions. They argued that constitutional protection would make future regulation changes easier to challenge in court, leading to lengthy and expensive litigation.

The debate reflects a wider disagreement over who should regulate hunting and how. If approved, Colorado will join the 24 other states that have already embedded similar language in their constitutions. The outcome determines whether the state's wildlife management framework remains flexible or becomes subject to stricter constitutional scrutiny.