Latest news with #SenateBill25-1
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These bills on elections and democracy passed the Colorado Legislature in 2025
State Rep. Michael Carter, left, and state Sen. Julie Gonzales, center, pose for a photo after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed the Colorado Voting Rights Act, a measure Gonzales sponsored, into law Monday, May 12, 2025 at the Governor's Residence in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado legislators this year passed a handful of bills related to elections and democracy. One of the bills put existing federal rights into state law in case national protections erode. Another changed how the state fills vacant General Assembly seats, which became a hot topic after three senators resigned in the period after last November's election and the start of the legislative session. The session, during which Democrats held large majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate, ended last week. Here is a look at some of the key elections and democracy proposals lawmakers adopted. Gov. Jared Polis signed the Colorado Voting Rights Act, Senate Bill 25-1, into law earlier this week. The law codifies parts of the 1965 national voting rights law into state statute in case federal protections are stripped, either at the hands of the Trump administration or through the courts. The law clarifies the right to vote across racial and language minority groups and adds ballot translation requirements to municipal elections. A handful of cities in the state opposed the bill because of increased workload and cost. The law also bans voting qualifications based on sexual orientation, gender expression or whether a voter is in jail. It also creates a civil right for voters to bring discrimination lawsuits against local governments for alleged voter suppression. 'Colorado's election system is one of the very best in the country, and with this, we're taking steps to make sure that no matter what happens at the federal level, we can make sure to protect our voter integrity here in the great state of Colorado,' Polis said before signing the bill into law. The bill passed with entirely Democratic support. Polis signed House Bill 25-1225 the same day as the Colorado Voting Rights Act. The law prohibits someone from carrying a visible gun or toy gun while doing certain election-related activities such as voting, canvassing, counting votes and helping someone else vote. Carrying a visible gun during those activities will be classified as voter intimidation. 'Those who serve as on a canvas board or serve as election judges — these are salt-of-the-Earth, dedicated positions. They require an incredible amount of time,' bill sponsor Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, a Pueblo Democrat, said ahead of the bill's signing. 'When they come under threat for the work they do to preserve the freedom of our communities, our state and our country, we need to ensure that they have protections on the back end. That's what this bill does.' A bipartisan bill changed how vacancies in the General Assembly are filled when a lawmaker resigns or dies before the end of their term. There were five vacancy selections this year. They concerned three Senate seats, a House seat when a representative moved to one of the vacant Senate seats, and another Senate seat when a lawmaker resigned amid an ethics investigation. Right now, a vacancy committee comprising members of the outgoing lawmaker's party, often highly-involved party insiders, picks a replacement to serve until the next general election. That could create a scenario where a handful of people pick a legislator to serve the entirety of a term if a lawmaker resigns shortly after reelection. This bill makes sure that somebody will represent the people of a district, but as soon as they have the opportunity to stand (for an election), then people can run against them. That's fair. – Gov. Jared Polis The new process creates a new vacancy election to coincide with an already-scheduled election. Vacancy committees would still immediately fill the seat, but the appointed lawmaker would then need to run to retain their seat, either that same year or the next one, depending on when the resignation happened. The idea is that an appointed lawmaker could serve in just one session before running for reelection. The law also increases the number of people who serve on a vacancy committee by including more precinct organizers and county commissioners of the same party that live in the district. 'This bill makes sure that somebody will represent the people of a district, but as soon as they have the opportunity to stand (for an election), then people can run against them. That's fair. I think it strikes a good balance, and it will make sure that we have more accountability to the people of our great state,' Polis said before signing the bill on May 12. House Bill 25-1327 would make changes to the citizen initiative process, in which people can bring measures to the ballot if they gather enough signatures. 'With more and more ballot initiatives being brought, we are trying to make the process easier for people to track and follow, and we are also trying to reduce some inefficiencies for agencies that are part of the title review process,' bill sponsor Sen. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Democrat, said during the bill's Senate committee hearing. If initiative proponents bring five or more drafts in the same cycle on the same topic, they would need to submit a chart explaining the differences between the drafts so the state's Title Board and other interested parties can understand the distinctions between the versions. Proponents for initiatives who earn a title, which allows them to collect signatures, would need to update the secretary of state when they reach 25%, 50% and 75% of their required petition signatures, and those statuses would also get posted online. Fiscal summaries for initiatives that propose a tax increase would need to include an estimate of the maximum revenue change. Additionally, the Title Board would be required to indicate whether an initiative would modify, extend or repeal existing law or create new law. There are also some calendar and deadline changes for the Title Board in the bill. The bill passed on party-line votes in both chambers, with Democrats in favor. Polis has not yet taken action on it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Polis signs voting rights bill, shielding Colorado from federal backsliding
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shakes hands with state Sen. Julie Gonzales after he signed the Colorado Voting Rights Act, a measure Gonzales sponsored, into law Monday, May 12, 2025 at the Governor's Residence in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed the Colorado Voting Rights Act into law Monday, establishing various protections contained in the federal Voting Rights Act at the state level. Senate Bill 25-1, the first bill of the 2025 legislative session, prohibits election practices that limit the participation of people of color and other protected groups, bill sponsors said. It also includes protections for LGBTQ+ voters, expands multilingual ballot access, and requires accommodations for people with disabilities at residential facilities. The state attorney general could enforce voting rights under the Colorado measure, so the state does not need to rely on federal courts to enforce voting protections. The provisions of the bill would apply to all state and municipal elections. Voters whose rights are violated under the act can take action along with civil rights groups. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Bill sponsors include Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Junie Joseph, a Boulder Democrat. Supporters of the bill include Colorado Common Cause, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, the League of Women Voters and the ACLU, among other groups. Gonzales said inaction from Congress and decisions from federal courts have led to the 'slow dismantling' of the federal Voting Rights Act. Several court decisions have weakened the federal VRA over the last decade, and there's growing concern that President Donald Trump's administration could try to further erode its protections. Those were hard fought protections that the civil rights movement and the Black community particularly fought and led to achieve, and to see the fact that now a generation later, we don't know whether or how long those protections will continue to exist — we're not just going to sit around and see what happens. – State Sen. Julie Gonzales 'Those were hard fought protections that the civil rights movement and the Black community particularly fought and led to achieve, and to see the fact that now a generation later, we don't know whether or how long those protections will continue to exist — we're not just going to sit around and see what happens,' Gonzales said at a bill signing ceremony at the Governor's Residence in Denver. 'We are taking action now. We are taking action here today to ensure that every Coloradan can cast a ballot free from discrimination and free from fear.' Polis said the Colorado Legislature makes the first bill each session something that is particularly important and that it's appropriate that SB-1 centers on voting rights, because 'our democracy begins with voting.' 'Voting is not something that we can take for granted. We need to make sure that we are protecting our rights as Americans to have our voices heard,' Polis said at the bill signing. 'Colorado's election system is one of the very best in the country, and with this, we're taking steps to make sure that no matter what happens at the federal level, we can make sure to protect our voter integrity here in the great state of Colorado.' The measure ensures incarcerated voters have the right to vote while in custody and eases access for voters who live on tribal lands in Colorado. Eligible voters in assisted living facilities will also be provided information to make it easier for them to vote. The bill also expands requirements for multilingual ballots to include municipalities in a county already required to provide multilingual ballots under requirements of a 2021 law. Joseph, who immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, said the Colorado Voting Rights Act has 'historical weight' building on protections established in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. She said that had it not been for that measure, 'I would not be before you here today.' A January poll found that two-thirds of Coloradans support protecting voting rights at the state level, and 61% support the Colorado Voting Rights Act, while 33% oppose it. Eight states have passed their own versions, several others have considered similar measures. Polis also signed House Bill 25-1225, which adds protections against intimidation, threats or coercion to people voting or helping others to vote. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado Senate gives preliminary approval to Voting Rights Act, which mirrors federal law
A sign directs Election Day voters to the ballot drop box and polling center at the La Familia Recreation Center in Denver Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) The Colorado Senate gave preliminary approval Friday to a bill intended to codify in Colorado certain anti-discrimination provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act. Senate Bill 25-1 would mirror the VRA to 'prohibit election practices that create disparities in participation for communities of color and other protected groups,' Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, said. The Colorado Voting Rights Act also includes protections for LGBTQ+ voters, expands multilingual ballot access, and requires accommodations for people with disabilities at residential facilities. The attorney general's office will be able to enforce the act so Colorado voters don't need to depend on the federal government to enforce the VRA. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Gonzales sponsored the bill in the Senate, where it will need to pass one more vote before it goes to the Colorado House of Representatives for further debate. House sponsors are Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Junie Joseph, a Boulder Democrat. Democrats hold strong majorities in both chambers. Gonzales introduced several clarifying amendments, one of which says that if a voter files a complaint about a violation in a county other than the one where they reside, the Denver District Court would adjudicate the matter. Over an hour of debate was spent on Republican amendments to the bill to require the secretary of state to notify county clerks, the governor and the attorney general of any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive election information, such as voting machine passwords. Before the 2024 election, a worksheet containing election equipment passwords was inadvertently posted to the Colorado secretary of state's website. While county clerks said that election security in the state remained strong following the breach, many were upset that Griswold did not inform them about the breach until after the Colorado Republican Party learned about and announced it. The Senate adopted a version of the amendment that requires written notification within seven days of discovery of any such breach, after a proposal to require immediate notification was withdrawn. If a breach occurs within three weeks of an election, the secretary of state must send notice within 48 hours. Another amendment the Senate approved, introduced by Minority Leader Paul Lundeen of Monument, requires a process to ensure voters who cannot vote in person in primary elections — such as military personnel who are overseas — can still participate. Gonzales supported the amendment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado Voting Rights Act picks up nine amendments and clears first committee
A sorting machine processes ballots at the Adams County Government Center in Brighton on Nov. 7, 2023. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline) A Colorado Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday intended to establish protections in the federal Voting Rights Act at the state level in Colorado after hours of testimony and several amendments. Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat and sponsor of Senate Bill 25-1, said the Colorado Voting Rights Act is necessary since the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 is 'under attack.' Several court decisions have weakened the federal VRA over the last decade, and there's growing concern that President Donald Trump's administration could try to further erode its protections. The Colorado bill would mirror the VRA to 'prohibit election practices that create disparities in participation for communities of color and other protected groups,' Gonzales said. It also includes protections for LGBTQ+ voters, expands multilingual ballot access, and requires accommodations for people with disabilities at residential facilities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The state attorney general could enforce voting rights under the Colorado measure, so 'we don't have to rely on the federal government or federal courts,' Gonzales said. The provisions of the bill would apply to all state and municipal elections. Voters whose rights are violated under the act can take action along with civil rights groups. The Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee passed the bill on a 3-2 party line vote, with both Republicans, Sen. Byran Pelton of Sterling and Sen. Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells, voting against it. Senators on the committee said their communities haven't had any complaints of discrimination that prevented someone from voting and asked why this measure was necessary given Colorado's status as having the 'gold standard' of elections. 'If you actually zoom out and look at the municipalities and the differences between the standards for statewide elections and our municipal elections, there is no requirement that municipal elections have any polling places or in-person assistance for voting,' Gonzales responded. 'If a local municipality does send mail-in ballots, they're not required to have more than one location to drop off ballots, regardless of the size of the population or geography, which is a very different practice for statewide elections.' Gonzales said some municipalities also don't allow same-day voter registration, with a deadline of the Friday before an election. She led an effort in 2021 to expand access to multilingual ballots for Coloradans, and sponsored a measure in 2024 to require a day of in-person voting in county jails. Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, told Colorado Newsline that anti-discrimination protections under the federal VRA must be enforced by the federal government, and the Colorado version would allow the state 'to enforce our own voting rights' in state court. 'The Trump administration has signaled that they certainly will not enforce the VRA, and also are actively working to dismantle the Department of Justice,' Belknap said. 'They are who enforces our federal voting rights.' Belknap said municipalities should still run their own elections as they wish, but it's 'long overdue' that they have clear and fair standards to prevent practices that can result in unfair barriers to voter participation for certain populations. She also said there's 'no centralized information' about how municipalities run elections in Colorado. A poll found that two-thirds of Coloradans support protecting voting rights at the state level, and 61% support the Colorado Voting Rights Act, while 33% oppose it. Eight states have passed their own versions, and two more are considering similar measures this year, too. Heather Stauffer, advocacy director at the Colorado Municipal League, said the nonpartisan nonprofit that represents cities and towns across the state is concerned about the constitutionality of the Colorado Voting Rights Act because of its applicability to home rule municipalities. She said while municipalities are committed to ensuring all voters can have their voices heard without barriers, the Colorado Constitution says municipalities have 'the full right of self government in all matters pertaining to municipal elections.' 'The Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals confirmed for 113 years that municipal elections are a matter of purely local concern,' Stauffer testified before the committee Tuesday. 'Even if the state had a plausible interest in combating unidentified discrimination, there is not sufficient justification to override express language of the constitution.' Stauffer also said defending a Voting Rights Act claim could be financially 'devastating' for the smallest communities with the least amount of resources. She suggested the Legislature refer a measure to the ballot if lawmakers want all elections to be conducted in November. Gonzales said 'respectfully, we disagree' on the constitutionality of the bill, because she believes that applying anti-discrimination standards to elections 'is a matter of statewide concern.' She said there should not be separate sets of rules for elections that happen in the spring versus the fall. 'We believe that under this bill, local control is respected,' Gonzales said. 'Jurisdictions are free to continue their current election methods and practices, but if a court finds that the voting practices of a local governing body are systematically discriminating against a set of voters, there really does need to be appropriate recourse.' As introduced, the bill would have created a new state office with 22 staff to run a database of election information. The committee approved an amendment that moves that responsibility to the secretary of state's elections division, 'drastically' reducing the bill's cost in a tight budget year, Gonzales said. No new data will be collected, nor any private voter information made public — the database would compile existing information county clerks have about their elections. 'Right now, we don't track as a state how local elections are conducted, and we need more tools to understand disparities in participation across the state,' Gonzales said. 'This election database would empower the state and the public with this information.' That amendment also clarifies that the secretary of state does not have an investigatory role, and that data for the database must only be provided if it is already available and if the secretary does not already have the data. One amendment removed a tribe's ability to request an in-person Voter Service and Polling Center on tribal land for up to 15 days, which Gonzales said was based on feedback from the Southern Ute Tribe and county clerks. It also removes a requirement that the secretary of state verify addresses on tribal lands for voter registration purposes. Gonzales said initially, bill sponsors wanted to extend multilingual ballot requirements to all municipalities. An amendment she introduced changed it so that only municipalities 'that exist wholly or partially' within a county already required to provide multilingual ballots under the 2021 law have to provide them as well. Currently, 20 Colorado counties need to provide Spanish ballots under that law. Gonzales said she's still working with the Colorado Municipal League to determine the potential to exempt small counties with limited Spanish speakers. Another amendment, supported by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, adds protections for eligible voters confined in jails, ensuring those who wish to vote don't have 'unfair barriers' preventing their participation. Gonzales also introduced an amendment to clarify requirements for residential facilities for people with disabilities, making it so they only have to post election information for general elections and specifying where that information be posted. Other amendments made various language clarifications in different sections of the bill. The legislation will go to the Senate Appropriations Committee before it is considered on the Senate floor. It will then need to go through House committee hearings and floor votes. House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Junie Joseph, a Boulder Democrat, are the House sponsors of the bill. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The right of Coloradans to vote should be protected
Matthew Katz delivers a ballot at a drop box outside the Denver Elections Division offices on April 4, 2023. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline) Coloradans know a thing or two about what makes America beautiful. Beyond the overwhelming splendor of nature, the state also boasts a trendsetting history of passing critical laws before the rest of the nation follows its lead — including granting women the right to vote nearly three decades before the federal government ratified the 19th Amendment. Now, Colorado legislators are considering the Colorado Voting Rights Act. This important Colorado legislation is also known as Senate Bill 25-1, meaning it's the very first bill introduced by the state's Senate this year. However, there are still many processes the bill must endure before it can become law. It passed its first committee hearing on Tuesday. Every step of the journey, it's imperative that Colorado legislators never lose sight of how this bill can impact their constituents. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill contains commonsense policies designed to protect the voting access Coloradans enjoy today, and it sets fair standards to ensure all Colorado citizens have an equal chance to make their voices heard by voting. Specifically, the act would prohibit election methods and district maps that unfairly drown out the voices of communities of color, and would also prohibit election practices that lead to disparities in voting. This is critical, because Coloradans still face large racial disparities in voter turnout. In fact, it's estimated that if the barriers that cause voting disparities were removed, voter turnout in 2020 would have been roughly 5.1 percentage points higher, and turnout in 2022 would have been around 6.1 points higher. Although there is a federal voting rights act which does offer some protections, courts have gutted the act over the years — meaning it no longer fully protects the freedom to vote. The Colorado Voting Rights Act would help fill the holes courts have ripped in the federal legislation. At the same time, it would also offer expanded protections like creating a statewide election database, expanding access to multilingual ballots, and improving voting access on tribal lands. For those interested in learning more about the Colorado Voting Rights Act and other states' voting rights acts, you're in luck. The Center for American Progress recently partnered with the Legal Defense Fund to launch a video explainer series, which will feature a new video each month through June 2025. These videos will explain everything you need to know about state voting rights acts and how they can protect the freedom to vote from dangerous, discriminatory attacks. A recent national poll revealed 73% of polled voters want their representative to prioritize passing a state voting rights act. And this isn't a partisan matter — that 73% represents voters across the political spectrum. Coloradans deserve fair elections where every citizen has an equal chance to make their voice heard to their government. It's clear Coloradans want their leaders to continue paving the way forward on voting rights. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
