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Tag: Government Accountability

Is Election Integrity Possible in the Digital Age?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Is Election Integrity Possible in the Digital Age?

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It often feels like people in the United States fall into three broad perspectives when it comes to election integrity: Those who believe election tampering is happening Those who suspect there may be issues but are too scared to speak up Those who trust that elections are secure, as presented by mainstream narratives Regardless of where someone stands, there is a growing concern shared across these groups: a sense that individual liberty is eroding, that government accountability is weakening, and that large institutions—both political and corporate—are exerting increasing influence over the direction of the country. When people ask me which of these perspectives I align with, my answer is consistent: I come from a c...
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Colorado Democrats Push Controversial “No Kings Act” Sparking Legal And Political Debate
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CBS News, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Controversial “No Kings Act” Sparking Legal And Political Debate

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado With three weeks left in the legislative session, Democrats in the Colorado Legislature have introduced a bill titled the "No Kings Act." It has sparked a firestorm of controversy. While the "No Kings" rallies happening across the country are about one specific government official -- President Trump -- the "No Kings Act" at the Colorado State Capitol encompasses every government official. Under the bill, anyone who believes their constitutional rights have been violated could file a civil suit against any public official in state court. "All over the state and the country we are seeing gross abuses of people's constitutional rights and we don't have sufficient remedies in any law -- state law or fed...
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Lawmakers To Examine Claims Of Financial Mismanagement By House Democrat Leader
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Lawmakers To Examine Claims Of Financial Mismanagement By House Democrat Leader

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A legislative ethics panel in Colorado is scheduled to meet Wednesday to review a complaint alleging that Aurora Democrat Rep. Mandy Lindsay misused House Democratic caucus funds. Rep. Bob Marshall, D‑Highlands Ranch, filed the complaint on Jan. 26. Marshall’s complaint outlines the structure of caucus funds and details the responsibilities Lindsay has in managing them. Lindsay told Colorado Politics on Tuesday, “I respect the ethics committee, trust in the work they will do, and I look forward to the process.” Lindsay has served as one of the two House Democratic caucus co‑chairs — alongside Rep. Junie Joseph of Boulder — since November 2022. The caucus chair is responsible for managing the group’s fund, including...
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The Bell Colorado Voters Refuse to Hear
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The Bell Colorado Voters Refuse to Hear

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado is not experiencing a surprise budget crisis, it is experiencing the predictable result of a decade of voter signals. As a recent exile, I can speak with new objectivity. Your legislature responds to incentives. Always. If you reward expansion of government, it expands. If you tolerate fiscal opacity, it deepens. If you ignore constitutional guardrails, elected officials learn they can ignore them too. The current 1.2 billion dollar budget shortfall did not appear overnight. It is the logical outcome of a political training program voters themselves created. Yes. Created. When voters repeatedly elect candidates who promise new programs without demanding sustainable funding, the legislature learns something ...
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Democrat Infighting Derails Transparency Push At State Capitol
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KUNC, Approved, State

Democrat Infighting Derails Transparency Push At State Capitol

By Jesse Paul, Taylor Dolven | KUNC Radio This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com. An effort to bridge the divide between more liberal and more moderate Democrats in the state legislature has fallen apart. The two sides were working on a bill to increase transparency around legislative caucuses in response to the Colorado Opportunity Caucus’ retreat at a hotel in Vail in October. The caucus is made up of moderate Democrats at the Capitol and doesn’t disclose all of its donors, though at least one of their funders is a nonprofit that has targeted liberal Democrats in primaries. But now the two sides are no longer talking about their transparency effort and the more libera...
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Cleaning the rolls, cutting the cost: How Las Animas County found a better way
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Cleaning the rolls, cutting the cost: How Las Animas County found a better way

By Bob Cooper, COIFFE Director | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Clerk and Election team in Las Animas County also adopted a “best practice” to improve Colorado Elections while reducing costs. We now have our largest Colorado county (El Paso County) and a medium-sized county (Las Animas) using a commercial credit agency to flag registered voters who no longer reside at the address in SCORE. SCORE is the Statewide Colorado Voter Registration and Elections system.        These two counties demonstrate leadership by pursuing real “Gold Standard” election operations.  Every Colorado voter should demand other counties implement this best practice because it significantly reduces costs associated with undeliverable ballots while at the same time reduces the opportuni...
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Weiser’s Record: The Lawsuit Machine and the Scorecard
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Weiser’s Record: The Lawsuit Machine and the Scorecard

By Shaina Cole | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Marya Washburn is a federal Forest Service firefighter. She was fired by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last year, right before fire season. At a January forum in Denver, Attorney General Phil Weiser singled her out by name as evidence of what his office has accomplished. "My office got involved in one of the 50 lawsuits we brought against this administration," Weiser told the Colorado Young Democrats forum. "We got our job back." It is also incomplete in ways voters should understand. The lawsuit Weiser was describing is captioned State of Maryland v. USDA. Maryland filed it. Maryland's attorneys drafted the complaint and argued the case. Colorado was one of several states that added its name to the filing. Weiser's o...
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Colorado budget battle reveals deep divide over spending priorities
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado budget battle reveals deep divide over spending priorities

By Rep. Scott Bottoms | Commentary, Complete Colorado Nearly two millennia ago Jesus of Nazareth said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Colorado’s Capitol is a long way in space and time from ancient Israel, but the principle remains and is often illustrated during the legislature’s annual budget week. We see where people’s values are by programs that lawmakers do – or do not – fund. The first observation about budget week is a broad one: Governor Polis and majority Democrats like to make a distinction between Washington DC and Denver. They speak of the ‘Colorado way’ so as to suggest that the dirty and deceitful politics of the national capitol never make their way to the state one. Don’t believe it. Here’s an example: with all the talk of ...
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Boebert Pushes Bill To Block Taxpayer Pensions For Lawmakers Convicted Of Crimes
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Colorado Politics, Approved, National

Boebert Pushes Bill To Block Taxpayer Pensions For Lawmakers Convicted Of Crimes

By Haris Alic and Lauren Green | Colorado Politics EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is working on legislation to strip disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell of his $22,000 annual taxpayer-funded congressional pension. Swalwell resigned from the House on Tuesday after allegations of sexual assault by multiple women, including a former congressional staffer. Despite his exit under an ethical cloud, the California Democrat is still entitled to a taxpayer-funded congressional pension for his nearly 13 years of service in the House. Boebert, who was one of the first lawmakers to call on the House to expel Swalwell, told the Washington Examiner it was unacceptable that Swalwell would still benefit from American taxpayers. “We should pass a...
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Democrats Would Have Sacrificed Swalwell to Target GOP Lawmakers
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TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Democrats Would Have Sacrificed Swalwell to Target GOP Lawmakers

By Matt Vespa | Commentary, Townhall Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), having nothing left to lose, finally decided to resign from Congress. He didn’t specify when, so stay tuned. However, he’s indicated that he’s leaving. Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX), who was already planning to leave after losing in a primary following an affair with a staffer that led to her suicide. Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) are also at risk for ethics violations; Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of stealing millions from FEMA. These four were likely the target of the purge, probably the only motion with substantial bipartisan support.  So, what would have happened? Well, given what was brewing before Swalwell decided to call it quits, Democrats were scheming—what else is new—...
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