Jen Schumann - Rocky Mountain Voice

A crisis of cradle and classroom: How Colorado’s baby bust is closing schools

Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories / June 6, 2025 / Birth Rate Decline, Colorado schools, Denver Public Schools, Douglas County, Education funding, Jefferson County, Mesa County, Public Education, Rural Education, School Closures

Colorado’s classrooms are getting quieter – not because kids are learning, but because there are fewer of them. Across the state, dropping birth rates and shrinking enrollment are forcing schools to close, merge or sit half-empty. And the trend isn’t slowing down.

In May, the Common Sense Institute released a report warning that Colorado’s birth rate has been declining since 2005 and has fallen faster than the national average since 2011. The report projects the state will lose more than 15,000 children under age 18 by 2030 – roughly the equivalent of the entire Thompson R2-J school district.

A crisis of cradle and classroom: How Colorado’s baby bust is closing schools Read More »

“Write your own rules?” Douglas County voters to decide if it’s time for Home Rule

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories / June 4, 2025 / Douglas County, Home Rule, Local Government, Special Election

On June 24, Douglas County voters will weigh in on whether to create a Home Rule Charter Commission – and decide who should serve on it. The commission would be made up of 21 members, including six from each commissioner district and three at-large.

If the measure passes, the elected commission will draft a charter that could reshape county governance.

Ballots were mailed starting June 2. Drop boxes and in-person voting will remain open through 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Before voters decide, it’s worth understanding what’s at stake: Home Rule would give Douglas County the chance to write its own charter – a localized framework for how the county governs itself.

“Write your own rules?” Douglas County voters to decide if it’s time for Home Rule Read More »

Message still matters: How Caliber Contact’s Pollie-winning campaign helped defeat Colorado’s Prop 127

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories / May 30, 2025 / 2025 Pollie Award Winners, Ballot Measures, Ballot-box Biology, Caliber Contact, Political Messaging, Prop 127, Public safety, Republican Strategy, Wildlife Management

When Colorado voters rejected Proposition 127 in 2024, they didn’t just weigh in on mountain lions and bobcats – they delivered a decisive verdict on who should shape wildlife policy. In the state’s first failed wildlife ballot measure since 1992, 54.7% voted no.

Behind that result was an award-winning campaign by Caliber Contact, a Republican firm that reframed the issue through a values-driven lens by tapping into safety concerns, protective instincts and the voice of everyday Coloradans – over celebrity advocates.

Message still matters: How Caliber Contact’s Pollie-winning campaign helped defeat Colorado’s Prop 127 Read More »

Two CVRs, one pattern: Arapahoe County rewrote its election record, critics say–and no one’s accountable

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, National, State, Top Stories / May 28, 2025 / 2020 Election, Arapahoe County, Cast Vote Records, Election Integrity, Legal Accountability, Tina Peters, Voting Systems

Arapahoe County quietly replaced its 2020 general election cast vote record (CVR) in early 2025 – years after the election was certified. The change came without public notice, audit, or oversight. The reason? A Yale professor raised concerns about a strange pattern in the data.

That pattern, according to a growing number of analysts and lawmakers, was more than just strange. It was statistically impossible.

“This is like flipping a coin 3,500 times and getting heads every time,” said Dr. Walter Daugherity, a Harvard-trained computer scientist who presented forensic findings at a press conference held Tuesday on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol. RMV covered the lead-up to the event in a story titled Analyst to reveal altered Arapahoe 2020 CVR at Tuesday Capitol press conference.

Two CVRs, one pattern: Arapahoe County rewrote its election record, critics say–and no one’s accountable Read More »

“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, National, State, Top Stories / May 22, 2025 / 75th Colorado Legislature, ADA Compliance, Civil Rights, Governor Jared Polis, gun control, Gun rights, Mesa County, Second Amendment, Senate Bill 25-003, U.S. Department of Justice

Would you need a perfect GPA to speak your mind or worship freely? Mesa County officials say Colorado’s new gun law is treating the Second Amendment that way – and they’ve asked the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene.

In a three-page letter sent this month, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners urged federal authorities to investigate Senate Bill 25-003, calling it a “grotesque misuse of government power” that effectively imposes a discriminatory test on anyone wishing to lawfully own or carry a firearm.

The law, which takes effect in August 2026, requires residents to complete state-approved firearms training, score 90% on a written exam and obtain conditional approval from their sheriff’s office every five years in order to receive or renew a permit.

“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ Read More »

Analyst to reveal altered Arapahoe 2020 CVR at Tuesday Capitol press conference

A nationally recognized computer scientist will present what he says is direct evidence of vote data manipulation in Arapahoe County’s 2020 election – and altered ballot records in a newly released 2025 file – at a May 27 press conference at the Colorado State Capitol.

Dr. Walter Daugherity, a Harvard-trained expert in computer science and election auditing, is set to speak at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on the west steps of the Capitol. According to a press release circulated Wednesday, Daugherity will walk the public through four exhibits that show what he describes as “a manipulated cast vote record” and evidence that votes were changed at the ballot level.

Analyst to reveal altered Arapahoe 2020 CVR at Tuesday Capitol press conference Read More »

‘Congressional inquiry’ triggers $250K legal tab for Denver’s sanctuary city stance

Denverite, Approved, Local / May 21, 2025 / Denver Immigration Congressional Hearing, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Federal investigation, Immigration Policy, Legal Fees, Public Accountability, Sanctuary cities, Taxpayer Spending

The legal bill is coming due for Denver’s response to a congressional inquiry.

The city recently received an invoice for $250,000 from Covington & Burling, the high-powered Washington law firm the city hired as it faced federal scrutiny over its immigration policies.

The city has been represented by Dana Remus, who previously was the White House counsel for former president Joe Biden. The contract began Feb. 1 as Mayor Mike Johnston was preparing to testify before the Republican-led U.S. House Oversight Committee.

‘Congressional inquiry’ triggers $250K legal tab for Denver’s sanctuary city stance Read More »

“They didn’t think I had it”: Tina Peters on evidence, betrayal and faith behind bars

In a jailhouse visit marked by resilience, revelation and restrained emotion, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters offered a window into the chapter of her life that has largely unfolded behind bars.

For two-and-a-half hours on May 18, we sat across from each other in a controlled visitation room. No pens or paper were allowed, so what follows is drawn from a memory still sharp with immediacy, and a recorded voice memo I made in my truck just moments after we said goodbye.

Peters wore standard prison-issued clothing and a DOC patch with her name and inmate number sewn on. I bought her a cappuccino from the vending machine and a Butterfinger, which I had to unwrap and place on a paper plate before handing it to her across the table. She smiled and said it was a rare treat – something she doesn’t get to experience very often.

“They didn’t think I had it”: Tina Peters on evidence, betrayal and faith behind bars Read More »

Out of order: Was DNC vice chair David Hogg undone by procedure—or politics?

National, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories / May 19, 2025 / Bylaw Reform, David Hogg, Democratic National Committee, Gender Parity, Parliamentary Procedure, Political Strategy, Robert’s Rules

When your bylaws mention gender 47 times and Robert’s Rules is 1,135 pages long, what could possibly go wrong?

David Hogg says the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is trying to “fast-track” his removal as vice chair. The party insists it’s just following procedure. But veteran parliamentarian Gregory Carlson says what happened may violate one of the most basic principles of Robert’s Rules of Order – you can’t go back and undo a vote after the meeting is over.

“Usually, you can’t overturn something that’s already happened on procedural grounds,” Carlson said. “You have to challenge it at the time that it’s happening.”

Out of order: Was DNC vice chair David Hogg undone by procedure—or politics? Read More »

Silent signature, rising resistance: HB1312 becomes law, but parents vow to fight on

Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 25-1312 into law on Friday, May 16, without a press conference, social media announcement or public ceremony.

While the bill, known as the “Kelly Loving Act,” was hailed by progressive lawmakers as a milestone for transgender rights, many Coloradans who opposed the bill say the governor’s quiet signature is a telling indication of just how controversial the legislation had become.

Silent signature, rising resistance: HB1312 becomes law, but parents vow to fight on Read More »

Author name: Jen Schumann