The Colorado Voting Rights Act protects and expands state voting rights

DENVER – Today, the Colorado Voting Rights Act, sponsored by Senadora Julie Gonzales, Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, and Representative Junie Joseph, was officially signed into law.

The Colorado Voting Rights Act (COVRA) mirrors and strengthens the federal Voting Rights Act to prohibit discrimination in elections, ensuring all eligible voters have the right to be heard at the ballot box and a right to fair representation. The legislation gives 1.37 million Coloradans access to multilingual ballots in their municipal elections and makes Colorado the first state to create specific protections for LGBTQ+ voters and eligible voters who are confined to county jails.

“In this time of uncertainty and national instability, Colorado is paving a different path by acting on its own to strengthen our right to vote,” said Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause. “Colorado already leads the nation in secure and accessible elections. By passing the COVRA, we are keeping our state at the forefront of democracy by dismantling voting barriers for historically disenfranchised communities and establishing a framework for other states to follow. We’re grateful to Governor Polis for protecting and expanding access to the ballot for all Coloradans.”

This landmark legislation is championed by a coalition of 40+ community-based organizations, led by Colorado Common Cause, ACLU of Colorado, the League of Women Voters of Colorado, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), Colorado Black Women for Political Action, State Innovation Exchange (SiX), Disability Law Colorado, and the Sam Cary Bar Association. National experts who supported the effort include Common Cause, Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Campaign Legal Center.

The Colorado Voting Rights Act: 

• Strengthens voter protections: The COVRA reinforces and builds on the federal Voting Rights Act by strengthening protections for communities of color, creating new protections for LGBTQ+ voters, and ensuring the right to vote is upheld for eligible voters who are confined to county jails.
• Safeguards Colorado’s election system: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is under attack. The COVRA shields the state from the dismantling of federal voting rights protections, federal and state administration changes, and other future attempts to undermine fair and accessible elections. 
• Advances equity and fair representation: The bill requires local governments to ensure communities of color have an equal say in who represents them. COVRA sets standards local governments can follow to ensure all community members have their fair share of electoral power.
• Breaks down language barriers with multilingual ballots: The bill creates access to multilingual ballots in local elections for the first time, covering 17 city elections and 1.37 million Coloradans.
• Empowers voters with disabilities: The COVRA ensures that voters with disabilities who live in residential facilities are provided nonpartisan information about their right to vote.
• Creates a strong legal framework in state courts: With federal courts often hostile to challenges against discriminatory practices, the COVRA equips Colorado to address these issues in state courts. It empowers the Colorado Attorney General and civil rights groups to enforce voting rights when they are violated, offering voters stronger legal recourse.
• Creates a statewide database for election information: To understand where gaps in voter registration and turnout persist, the COVRA establishes a statewide database where the public can gather information about state and local elections – information that’s currently difficult to obtain.