Judge Orders a Stay in Fracking Ban Vote
Posted on Dec 23, 2013 9:00am PST
A Broomfield district court judge will hear arguments over whether the
city properly conducted its election on banning the use of hydraulic fracking.
The city's November election on the matter was close, with a state-mandated
recount indicating that the ban passed by a 20-vote margin. But election
monitors representing the Broomfield Balanced Energy Coalition which opposed
the ban, filed a suit against the city saying some of the more than 20,000
votes should have been counted, others should have been thrown out.
The Colorado Secretary of State's office also issued a report detailing
problems with the process.
But the city certified the vote results, and the fracking ban, on December
12. City and County Attorney Bill Tuthill advised that the ban was now
in effect in a statement posted on its website December 12.
But the next day, Broomfield district Judge Francis C. Wasserman issued
an order staying the certification of the election results pending a hearing.