Another session of the Colorado General Assembly has concluded in the standard way: with both a bang and a whimper. Laws were made, tears were shed, and minds were frayed, all as life outside the building continued per usual. The legislative session, which consists of a mad dash through the General Assembly’s constitutional requirements in the constitutionally limited timespan of 120 business days, is over.
After looking into one of their main issues, I have to agree with Republicans: Our elections are being rigged.
If I know one thing for sure, it’s that 2020 is anything but a typical election year. When casting their ballot this year, voters in Colorado will need to worry about more than updating their voter registration, bringing their ID, or finding their polling location. In 2020, voters will also need to wear a mask to protect themselves from a global pandemic, as COVID-19 cases once again rise across Colorado. Voters will also need to navigate the climate catastrophe raging outside. For those voting in person, masks will serve a dual function: protecting them from COVID-19 and protecting their lungs from the toxic wildfire smoke.
Colorado News Collaborative (COLab), a coalition of 60 Colorado newsrooms, released an interactive voter guide this month featuring articles from across the state about Colorado ballot measures, state house and senate elections, and U.S. senate and house races.
The Non-Violins Marching Band (NVMB), a local advocacy group whose name is a play on ‘nonviolence’ and the fact that the group plays violas, filmed a video urging Coloradans to get out and vote, specifically voting by mail, in the 2020 General Election.
Many people across the country are discussing how possible changes in the U.S. Postal Service operations could affect mail ballot voting. In Colorado, we have built up an excellent infrastructure to make sure voters can exercise their rights. We are in a good place to deal with some possible bumps in the road on the way to Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3). Here are ten ways Colorado voters can help County Elections Divisions protect voters’ rights and count the ballots in a secure and timely manner:
A voter guide founded by the American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for its homophobic views on LGBTQ+ rights, only listed Republican candidates in the Colorado 2020 Primary.
This year, a clean election not only means no fraud but also no spreading of COVID19.
Former GOP Congressional candidate George Athanasopoulos, who is leading the Initiative 76 “Citizen Voter” campaign, believes in the effort not only for its policy impact, but as a political organizing tool to help Republicans in the 2020 election.
Colorado’s Secretary of State reminded all voters today that mail ballots will be arriving soon and nonpartisan election and voting information is readily available online for anyone, of all political leanings, who needs it.
