We are a month into the Colorado Legislative session. So far 330 bills have been introduced. Each legislator is guaranteed five bills a year, which means we’ll likely see at least 170 more in the next few months, shaping the policies that will impact our communities for years to come.

One of the key bills we’ve been tracking is Senate Bill 25-001: The Colorado Voting Rights Act, which was the very first bill introduced in the Senate this year. This bill strengthens voter protections in Colorado by addressing voter suppression, voter dilution, and accessibility barriers — especially for historically marginalized communities. Key provisions include:

• Expanding voting access for Indigenous communities by ensuring polling locations and voter registration options on reservations.
• Improving language access by requiring multilingual ballots in qualifying municipalities.
• Strengthening voting rights for individuals with disabilities by requiring state-funded service providers to display voter information.
• Creating a statewide election database to track election data and ensure transparency.
• Protecting voters from discrimination based on race, language, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

A West Slope Youth Voice Leader Helping Shape Voting Rights
One of the authors of this bill is Veniece Miller, who got her start in civic engagement right here at Western Colorado Alliance!

Veniece was our very first West Slope Youth Voice (WSYV) intern and played a key role in launching the program. After organizing the first cohort of students, she went on to study political science at CU Boulder, interned for Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, and later worked for the U.S. Senate. Today, Veniece is with Harvard Law School’s Election Law Clinic, where she has helped draft state versions of the Voting Rights Act across the country, including here in Colorado.

There will be a Lobby Day at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on Monday, March 3, in support of the Colorado Voting Rights Act. You can register and get more information here.

A WSYV Lobby trip coming soon!

This weekend, 24 high school students from seven schools across Western Colorado — our largest cohort yet — were scheduled to head to the Colorado State Capitol, to advocate for this bill and other legislation that will impact young people on the Western Slope.

Unfortunately, two Alliance organizers and one student have now been diagnosed with COVID and so we are re-scheduling the West Slope Youth Voice Lobby Trip. We haven’t finalized a new date yet, so watch this space or our Facebook page to find out when the next Lobby Trip will occur.

From Veniece Miller to the students soon traveling to the Capitol, we are proud to support the next generation of leaders who are shaping policy and making their voices heard. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish this year and beyond!

If you’d like to learn more or submit testimony in support of the Colorado Voting Rights Act, reach out to me at jeriel@westerncoloradoalliance.org.