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Colorado Treasurer Race Pits Limited Government Against Expanded Investment Role
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The Sum & Substance, Approved, State

Colorado Treasurer Race Pits Limited Government Against Expanded Investment Role

By Ed Sealover | The Sum and Substance The Colorado Treasurer’s office, to be blunt, is a pretty boring post. It invests some $17 billion in state tax revenues and oversees a smattering of financial programs but is largely limited in the things it can do to impact the state and its business community. This year’s race for the open office, however, will serve as a referendum of sorts on whether voters want it to keep its traditional focus or would prefer it expand the ways in which it invests and safeguards Colorado taxpayers’ money. That’s because the two men seeking to replace term-limited Democratic Treasurer Dave Young have very different visions for how they intend to use the power of the office. Kevin Grantham — the last Republican to serve as Colorado Senate pres...
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Adams County’s election-worker shortage needs a plan, not more fear
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Adams County’s election-worker shortage needs a plan, not more fear

By Karen Hoopes | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Let's start with the basic fact: Adams County is reportedly about 200 workers short. That is a serious problem. But it is a management problem, and management problems require facts, urgency and a plan. Clerk and Recorder Josh Zygielbaum says fear is keeping experienced workers from returning. Fear may be one factor. But before that becomes the explanation, voters deserve to see the evidence. How many former workers were contacted? How many actually said fear was the reason? When did recruiting begin? What did they say about pay, schedules, training or the hiring process? Those questions matter because the diagnosis determines the solution. If workers are concerned about safety, give them clear information and re...
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Douglas County Is Working. Why Redesign a Government That Has Served It So Well?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Douglas County Is Working. Why Redesign a Government That Has Served It So Well?

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Douglas County voters will soon be asked to make a consequential decision about the structure of their county government. A citizen-initiated ballot measure proposes expanding the Board of County Commissioners from three members to five, with the expanded board composed either of five commissioners elected by district or three elected by district and two elected at large. The current commissioners have referred a separate measure that would allow voters, if they approve expansion, to preserve countywide elections for all five commissioners. Supporters of the expansion have framed their argument around representation, accountability, and population growth. Douglas County has unquestionably grown, and it is reasonable to perio...
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Despite Missed Deadline, Judge Orders Libertarian Sean Vadney Onto Colorado Secretary of State Ballot
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Despite Missed Deadline, Judge Orders Libertarian Sean Vadney Onto Colorado Secretary of State Ballot

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics A Denver judge ruled Friday that the Colorado Libertarian Party’s pick for secretary of state will appear on the November ballot after the party’s original nominee withdrew one day after the deadline to replace minor party candidates. Following a hearing on Thursday, Denver District Court Judge Adam J. Espinosa approved a motion filed by Sean Vadney asking that state election officials list the 26-year-old Highlands Ranch resident as the Libertarian nominee, concluding that the party met the appropriate “substantial compliance” standard with legal requirements for parties to fill ballot vacancies. Vadney will face Democrat Amanda Gonzalez, the Jefferson County clerk, and Republican James Wiley, a former Libertarian, for the office h...
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Colorado Voters to Decide More Than a Dozen Ballot Measures Including Tax Hikes, Immigration and Youth Sports
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Axios Denver, Approved, State

Colorado Voters to Decide More Than a Dozen Ballot Measures Including Tax Hikes, Immigration and Youth Sports

By John Frank | Axios Denver Colorado voters will decide more than a dozen ballot measures this November, from remaking the state's tax system to banning gender-affirming surgery for minors. Why it matters: Beyond the candidates, voters will have a direct say on major changes to taxes, immigration, criminal justice and other hot-button issues. State of play: The marquee measure would scrap Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax in favor of a graduated system that would raise taxes on those making $500,000 or more a year. Legislative fiscal analysts estimate the Democratic-led measure would generate an additional $2 billion a year, with the money reserved for education, health care and early child care. The other side: A countermeasure backed by ...
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Bermúdez: Colorado voters become a test case for Democrats’ transgender long game
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Bermúdez: Colorado voters become a test case for Democrats’ transgender long game

By Alejandro Bermúdez | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As national LGBT activists prepare a decade-long campaign to reshape public opinion on transgender issues, Colorado voters will face two major questions this November: whether biological males should compete in female sports and whether minors should undergo transgender-related surgeries. According to The Washington Times, members of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ caucus recently acknowledged that Republicans are preparing to make transgender policies a major issue in the 2026 campaign, especially those involving children, medical interventions and women’s athletics. Rather than retreat, activists are pursuing a longer strategy modeled on the campaign that transformed public opinion on same-sex marriage. ...
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Gaines: Will Jena Griswold fail upward again?
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Gaines: Will Jena Griswold fail upward again?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I well remember how I felt when Jena Griswold got her second term as Secretary of State. She ran against a Republican who, though eminently qualified not to mention competent, was about as plain-Jane as they come. She was boring. Oh, and she said all the right things for Trump-avoidant voters about elections and voting machines.And yet, Jena won handily. When I woke to those election results I kept asking myself how Jena continues to fail upwards. It is a mystery to me. I get party line voting, something many engage in and parties depend on, but even at that how does Jena Griswold survive primaries and contests with people who are obviously better?I read the story linked below about Griswold recently which brought...
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Colorado AG Candidate Michael Allen Calls for Full Audit After His Confidential Voter Data Was Accessed
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KOAA News, Approved, State

Colorado AG Candidate Michael Allen Calls for Full Audit After His Confidential Voter Data Was Accessed

By Alasyn Zimmerman | KOAA News Allen is running against Sec. of State Jena Griswold to become Colorado's next Attorney General this Nov. EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, who represents El Paso and Teller counties, claimed his information was among 59 confidential voters accessed after information was wrongly made public earlier this month. The Colorado Secretary of State's office announced last week, an update to the state's "Find My Voter Registration" site made 133,000 confidential voters information public, 59 of those were accessed by someone. The voter details include the following: full name birth year voter ID registration status party affiliation residential address Allen is r...
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Proposal to Make Colorado Ballot Measures Easier to Read Reaches November Ballot
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Proposal to Make Colorado Ballot Measures Easier to Read Reaches November Ballot

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette A ballot initiative that would require all ballot measures to be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level has qualified for the November ballot, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The measure, backed by the group Advance Colorado, would also prohibit any state law from interfering with the provision by mandating that certain language appear in ballot initiatives. Advance Colorado submitted 176,224 signatures, of which 141,305 were deemed valid, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. To qualify for the ballot, an initiative needs at least 124,238 valid signatures. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Another error from Griswold’s office exposes confidential voter records for 11 days
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Another error from Griswold’s office exposes confidential voter records for 11 days

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice For 11 days in August, the profiles of Colorado voters who had specifically asked the state to keep their information hidden were searchable by anyone who knew where to look and had the information the tool required. These are people the state allows to shield their records because they said public disclosure could expose them or a household member to criminal harassment or bodily harm.  On August 14, an update to the Secretary of State's "find my voter registration" tool removed the setting that kept their records out of public view. The office didn't notice until the late afternoon of August 25. Fifty-nine of those profiles were pulled up before anyone caught the mistake. What broke The change was suppo...
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