Democracy Wire

The Colorado caucuses this March highlighted the many problems with this outdated system. Restoring the presidential primary in our state will make the nomination process more inclusive, convenient, and representative.

The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) should allow anyone to view any public record that includes information such as public funds, city ordinances, or government spending. So, how how do you request a public record and what is the process once you submit the request?

On Monday March 14th, HB 16-1259 was passed 11-0 by Colorado House Education Committee. The bill expands the membership of board of trustees for a local district college and details how a local district college can take action without holding regular or special meetings. This second part is what most interests us at Colorado Common Cause.

Since Citizens United, we’ve become accustomed to hearing about “secret money” groups. The irony is that while the court used this case to demolish campaign contribution limits, they named disclosure as the key counter to the outsized influence of money in politics. Unfortunately, elected officials have not responded to the Supreme Court’s suggestion for increased disclosure requirements. As a result, we are left in the dark about who is spending millions to influence our vote

I think John Oliver is right when he says that “Voting is a right. If you take that away, you ruin democracy.” And that is what we’re doing if we deny eligible voters the right to cast a ballot for lack of photo ID.

We are pleased to announce that author and former Common Causer Derek Cressman is coming to Denver on a national tour for his new book, “When Money Talks – The High Price of “Free” Speech and the Selling of Democracy.” Join us for our monthly happy hour on Thursday, March 3rd to learn more about the push to reform how money influences our elections. Derek has spent 20 years in this movement, including his time at Common Cause as the principle architect of our campaign calling for a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United.