When the U.S. Supreme Court threatened to overturn marriage equality, Headwaters Strategies and our client, One Colorado, rapidly mobilized a strategy to safeguard the rights of LGBTQ+ Coloradans and their families.  At the time, Colorado’s Constitution still contained an outdated prohibition on same sex marriage, but traditional signature-gathering to get on the ballot to remove this prohibition would cost millions our client didn’t have. Instead, Headwaters and our team made the strategic decision to pursue a more innovative and fiscally viable path forward–refering the measure to the ballot through the legislature. This would be no easy task as referring an initiative to the ballot requires not just a majority but a Blank majority. Headwaters successfully assembled and led a powerhouse team of bipartisan legislators in both the House and Senate to refer a question to the ballot that would abolish the prohibition of same sex marriage and saved $3 million in signature collection. Our strategic foresight, innovative strategy, and legislative prowess culminated in a decisive victory—Amendment J passed statewide with a commanding 64% to 36% margin in November 2024, cementing Colorado’s commitment to equality.