VOLUME 33, NUMBER 5 • FEBRUARY 2020 | Message from the President | Congratulations to all of you who have worked to increase membership this year. Membership in LWVCO is up 9% from last year to 1,829 members. We have 48 student members across the state in 11 local Leagues. Well done and keep recruiting!
It was very nice seeing many of you at Legislative Day. Our attendance was good -- more than 100 local League leaders. Andrea Wilkins, Toni Larson, Beth Hendrix, and Cameron Manning planned a day of learning and networking and a fun 100th birthday celebration. A joint tribute was read in the House and Senate, and Governor Polis attended to congratulate us on our work, read the Proclamation he signed in our honor, and cut the birthday cake. READ MORE | | | | Led by Dr. Toni Larson, the Colorado League's Director of Action & Advocacy, and staff Legislative Liaison Andrea Wilkins, trained volunteer lobbyists of the Legislative Action Committee (LAC) work to influence the Colorado General Assembly on selected bills, based on League positions and principles. During each 120-day legislative session, you can read about each bill the Legislative Action Committee is currently following on this Legislative Letter webpage.
The experts on the LAC would be happy to discuss any of the bills or articles you see below. If you would like to get in touch with them, please email the LWVCO office or call us at 303-863-0437. | Colorado Redistricting: Review & Implementation
League members know that merely passing legislation, whether through the legislature or through the ballot, requires follow through. Often only half the work is done once a bill is passed. This holds particularly true for the recently passed redistricting proposals that appeared on the ballot in 2018.
The League of Women Voters of Colorado has been involved in redistricting since the 1950s. In 1974, along with the Colorado Bar Association, the League sponsored a petition drive and campaign to put in place a commission for redistricting the state legislature. It was thought at the time that only the state legislature could draw congressional maps. This changed with a court decision in Arizona that allows commissions to draw congressional maps as well as legislative maps.
Picking up on this change, and acknowledging that improvements could be made, the League joined many partners to pass “Y and Z.” The measure passed with approximately 71% of the vote.
READ MORE about the components of the Y and Z legislation passed by the voters in 2018. | Legislative Action Committee Issues
| Colorado's Presidential Primary Election
By Lois Fornander, LWV Pikes Peak Region
As Colorado has grown, its status on the national electoral scene has also grown. We have become a bellwether state revealing national voting trends, and we've established a positive reputation as a state that encourages and facilitates voter participation. All registered voters now receive a mail-in ballot and enjoy many voting options, including automatic registration and govotecolorado.gov.
Prior to 2020, from a nonpartisan voter point of view, Colorado still had two election problems: voter participation in the caucuses and primaries was restrictive, and the state primary election came too late to impact the national candidate selection process. READ MORE | Not sure about your voter registration or political party affiliation? Check govoteccolorado.gov.
Didn't receive a ballot? Contact your county clerk & recorder office -- see a list here.
Need candidate info? As a public service, the League publishes each candidate's answers to standardized questions, if the candidate chooses to respond. Go to VOTE411.org, the League of Women Voters' one-stop website for nonpartisan election information!
REMEMBER: all ballots must be received by the county clerk & recorder by 7pm on Tuesday, March 3rd! Voters are encouraged to:
- drop off their ballot at designated drop-off locations;
- drop off their ballot at drop-boxes; or
- mail their ballots in time to be received by the county clerk before polls close. Postmarks do not count -- ballots must be in the hands of the county clerk by 7pm on Election Day in order to be counted.
| | | | ACTION ALERT
Did you know? The Equal Rights Amendment was originally introduced in Congress in 1923!
Contact your Senators now -- ask them to vote for H.J. Res. 79 eliminating the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
| | | 2020 Legislative Conference
Thanks to all who participated in the 2020 Legislative Conference!
| | | Celebrating LWV Pueblo's 75th Anniversary
On February 15th, LWV Pueblo celebrated its 75th anniversary and the League's 100th at El Pueblo History Museum.
Shown left are LWV Pueblo board members Pamela Parks and Doris Kester and LWV Colorado Vice President Jean McGuire.
More event photos are here. | | | Funding Opportunities
There's a variety of grants available for local League programming -- see the Grant Opportunities page on the LWVCO website. | | | Run for the League
Runners participating in the Colfax Marathon may choose LWVCO as their charity partner, raising funds and visibility! Tell your friends! Register for the Marathon here. | | | Avoiding Copyright Issues
When including images in League materials, always view the image's permissions closely before incorporating. Using photos and graphics in League materials without the appropriate permissions can expose the League to legal action or hefty fines. For more information, recommendations, and sites with free images, please click here. | | | Bold Women. Change History.
History Colorado's lecture series featuring speakers illuminating the rich history of voting rights continues!
Post-Suffrage Politics
Liette Gidlow, PhD, Mellon-Schlesinger Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
Author, The Big Vote and Obama, Clinton, Palin
Specialist: 20th century politics, women's and gender history
| | | Help Your Local League Make Inroads with Schools
Sonia Koetting, LWV Larimer
The vision of bringing young, emerging voters of Colorado to LWV is taking root! The League of Women Voters of Colorado (LWVCO) has for 5 years offered a special award at National History Day of Colorado, an all-state, public school competition of smart kid projects on many topics of history. It’s a “pre-collegiate social studies and literacy program,” a multi-media affair that brings families, students and teachers from across our state to the CU Denver campus on a spring weekend. READ MORE
| | | | The Colorado Historical Foundation has received a grant from the History Colorado State Historical Fund to develop a statewide survey plan identifying locations associated with the securing Colorado women's right to vote. Key historical sites might include activists' homes or workplaces, meeting and organizing locations, sites of marches, protests, rallies, etc. This survey will bring to light sites warranting further research for potential historic designation, nomination to the National Votes for Women Trail, and installation of historical markers or interpretive signage - overall, helping the public identify with tangible sites where this important history took place.
How you can help: We are seeking sites throughout the state - any leads are appreciated. Please respond to this short survey with a brief description of what you know, and feel free to forward it to others (http://bit.ly/ColoradoSuffrageSites)
To learn more about the project, please contact the Colorado Historical Foundation. | | | |