Voters defeat Weld County Commission’s secession bid

The Weld County Commission sought to secede from the state of Colorado and form a 51st state called “North Colorado.” Attempting to enlist support from officials in other Northern Colorado counties and residents alike, commission members held meetings in rural towns to promote the split.

Commission members cited gun-control legislation, increased oil and gas regulations and Senate Bill 252, which raised the renewable-energy standard for rural electric utilities, as reasons for withdrawing from Colorado.

Weld residents quashed the proposal in a 56 percent-to-44 percent vote in November. Commission member Sean Conway, a leader of the secession movement, acknowledged defeat, saying the county would stop pursuing the initiative while vowing to address what he saw as misguided representation from the Capitol in Denver.

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