Agenda Date: 04/01/2025
Subject:
Title
Resolution 24-2025: Opposing Senate Bill 25-001 Colorado Voting Rights Act unless amended to remove municipal elections and apply the provisions to state elections.
Body
From:
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager
Prepared by:
Reid Betzing, City Attorney
Presentations:
Reid Betzing, City Attorney
PURPOSE:
Council consideration of a resolution opposing Senate Bill 25-001 Colorado Voting Rights Act unless it is amended to remove municipal elections and apply the provisions to state elections.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
SB25-001 is the Colorado Voting Rights Act which purportedly attempts to protect voting rights acts by easing the ability for claims to made against municipalities.
The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark civil rights law during a time in which certain segments of populations in areas of our country faced challenges to being allowed to vote. The VRA as been used by the courts to address certain policies and redistricting plans that made it more challenging for marginalized segments of our country to vote and diluted their overall voting power.
These protections are what have led to the creation of SB25-001.
Some of the things that SB25-001 attempts to address are:
* Allows for discrimination claims to be brought at the state level against municipalities.
* Extends protections to disallow discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
* Makes sure people can vote while in jail.
* Expands the creation of multilingual ballots from qualifying counties to also qualifying municipalities.
* Requires the reporting of voting data, demographics, election results to the state.
Some of the possible concerns with SB25-001 are:
* That Article XX, Section 6 of the Colorado Constitution explicitly grants municipalities control and power to regulate all matters pertaining to municipal elections in a city or town.
* The Colorado Supreme Court has expre...
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