Bill Tracker

Requires correctional facilities to provide decennial census data on inmates to include both the address of the correctional facility as residence and also the last known address prior to incarceration or other legal address. This last known address or other legal address is the one to be used for redistricting. The data show that there are about 19,000 incarcerated people at any one time, and the average length of incarceration is 3 years. Some of these have much longer sentences depending on the crime, but many have much shorter sentences as little as a few months. The applicable LWV policy is "an open governmental system that is representative". For these 19,000 people, they will be represented only if the decennial census takes their home address into account.

This bill fills a loophole in campaign contribution limitations by requiring limits on campaign contributions for School District Director, which is a volunteer position.

This bill increases multilingual ballot access beyond federal requirements. The federal Voting Rights Act requires minority language ballots be provided when a county's population has 10,000 people or 5% of the population of the county that speak the minority language and do not speak English very well. This bill would change the thresholds to 2,000 people or 2.5% of the population. It also defines responsibilities of the secretary of state and county clerks in providing the minority language ballots and creates a hotline to provide access to translators that will be administered by the Secretary of State.

For decades the League of Women Voters of the United States has worked to extend the Voting Rights Act and expand its coverage to language minorities. 

House State, Veteran & Military Affairs Committee 1/30.  Moved to Appropriations with a 6-3 vote.  Two amendments: L001 to change timeline for SoS Hotline from 2020 to 2022 and eliminate requirement for staff to review translation. L002 to add census data for determining qualifications for counties.  Both were adopted.

House Appropriations Committee 2/21. Referred to COW, 7-4.  Amendment J001 was adopted as well, specifying $72,112 in funding for the State Dept.

House, 3rd Reading 3/2. Passed 41-20, 4 excused. 

Last year House Bill 19-1278 created a cash fund to provide grants to counties purchasing election supplies and voting equipment, such as ballot drop boxes. This bill clarifies and expands the intended equipment and supplies eligible for reimbursement. "Voting equipment" has a very specific definition which did not include laptops, tablets, servers & printers which are necessary to set up the additional VSPC's as required by HB19-1278.  It also allows counties to be reimbursed for incremental increases in leasing costs for such equipment.  These changes do not increase workload or expenditures for the program.

The LWVCO supports appropriate funding for VSPC's.

Although League of Women Voters has a long history of promoting and protecting voting rights, we will monitor this bill as it reappears from the 2019 session.  A major change from 2019 removes confidentiality from the voter information of minors.  The question of constitutionality, a substantial fiscal note, and the possibility of a complex system of separate ballots may outweigh the value of early voting as civic education and the establishment of lifetime voting habits.  Further concerns relate to the ability of minors to understand issues related to school district financial matters, including taxes, and the possibilities for influence of minors' votes.

This bill to allow 16-year-olds to vote in school district elections passed House State Affairs in a hearing held March 3, 2020 by a vote of 6 - 3 to send the bill on to House Appropriations. Opposition to the bill in the hearing came from the County Clerks' Association regarding the exponential increase in precinct ballot styles, the difficulty of individual verifiability and protection of anonymity of ballots, and effects regarding SCORE, the Statewide Voter Registration System (Statewide Colorado Registration and Elections). The witness testified the enfranchisement of the young age group would be easier if for all elections rather than the school districts only.  The SOS opposes the implementation date of the bill, preferring no earlier than 2024 as the SCORE system is 15 years old and must be updated soon at a cost of $ 8 - 10 million.  The bill, if passed, with its Fiscal Note of $400,000 would delay the update of SCORE and modifications made now must be discarded with the eventual update.  Another witness testified the Fiscal Note amount is needed otherwise for schools and pointed to the unconstitutionality of the provision if challenged.

The witnesses in favor, may of them students, one as young as ten years old, testified students need a voice in the administration of schools, that students know how to cure problems in their schools, and that civic engagement and citizen participation of youth in the age group will increase.

Although League of Women Voters strongly supports the expansion of voting rights, consideration of the testimony here prompts a continuation of its position of Monitor for this bill.

When the Colorado legislative session resumed, and just at conclusion, this bill failed in House Appropriations on June 16, 2020.

This bill makes various changes to the Colorado Municipal Election Code to keep code in synch with federal code, including:

• adding an alternative affirmation to be included with absentee ballots for active military/overseas voters;
• eliminating the requirement for mail ballots to include a ballot stub and duplicate stub;
• changing the deadlines for filing candidate nominating petitions and nomination withdrawals;
• changing the wording on the self-affirmation that appears on the return envelope for mail ballots.

The bill increases the workload for the Dept. of State in FY 2020-21 only.  The increased workload can be accomplished with existing resources.

HB 1313 (Administration of Late Ballots) requires county clerks and recorders to process voter registration applications and changes in voter registrations within two business days and requires that all ballots be mailed by first class mail, ensuring timely delivery, beginning 11 days out from an election.   LWVCO supports this bill because it protects citizens’ right to vote and aligns with our belief that all citizens should be encouraged to vote.

 Representative Sullivan, the bill sponsor, stated that he believes the bill will promote voter participation and increase voter confidence in the election process.

 This bill was heard by the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee on March 10. Testimony in support of the bill was provided by America Votes and Common Cause. Representatives from the County Clerks Association (El Paso County Clerk Chuck Broerman and Jefferson County Clerk George Stern) testified in support of amendments to the bill, which expanded the time for processing voter registration applications (from 48 hours to two business days) and lessened civil penalties associated with a failure to report lost, stolen, or late ballots to the county clerk and recorder.   There was opposition testimony from the Douglas County Clerk, Merlin Klotz, who argued that these changes should be incorporated into rule, as opposed to statute, argued that these changes amount to an unfunded mandate for counties, and that voters need to exercise more responsibility for ensuring their vote is counted on time.

 The proposed amendment was approved and the bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole on a vote of 6 to 2.