A majority of Colorado voters rejected a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to school choice in the Colorado Constitution. As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday, 52.26% voted against Amendment 80

Early results showed 47.74% of voters supported the school choice amendment, which requires 55% approval to pass because it would change the state constitution.

“We won’t have certainty until the final vote, but we’re certainly encouraged by the results so far,” said Kevin Vick, president of the Colorado Education Association, which opposed the measure.

ELECTION RESULTS: Live Colorado election results for the 2024 election

Under state law, Colorado residents can already send their children to any public K-12 school in the state for free, even if they live in another county.

Supporters of the amendment said the measure would further protect parents’ rights to choose where their children go to school, including traditional district schools, charter schools, private schools or home schools.

The measure faced opposition from several groups, particularly the Colorado Education Association. The state’s largest teachers union called Amendment 80 “an unnecessary, duplicative and misleading proposal.”

Vick previously said Amendment 80 would open the door to a state voucher program in which tax dollars would be used by public schools and given to private schools.

“Colorado voters saw this (amendment) for what it really is,” he said Tuesday night.