Will Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler be subject to a recall vote? Democrats have been talking off the record about such a possibility for months, but on Wednesday Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio issued a statement that takes the discussion into the public.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s School of Law, one of the foremost nonpartisan public-policy institutes focused on justice and democracy, reports that 70 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the 2012 presidential election will now come from states with new restrictive voting laws, a statistic that could greatly affect the voter turnout and outcome of the upcoming election.
During a speech given in Texas last night, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder criticized legal challenges launched by states against the section of the Voting Rights Act that requires approval of election laws in certain areas. Holder also affirmed the need for vigilance against laws aimed at rolling back voting rights.
A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice shines the spotlight on a range of new state laws that make it more difficult to vote, particularly for poor and minority voters.
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today requested that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) carefully review highly restrictive photo identification voter requirements that are under consideration or recently signed into law in several states. He said such laws could potentially disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters.
Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s bill to require proof of citizenship of all Colorado voters died Monday in a Senate committee–on a party-line vote. Proof the bill is needed just wasn’t there, Democrats said.
Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, told the Colorado Independent Thursday that she was calling Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s bluff to purge individuals who may or may not be improperly on Colorado’s voting rolls.
Republicans voted on a party line, 5-4, Thursday to kill HB 1096, a bill which would have allowed 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote and have their voter status activated when they reach the age of 18.
The Secretary of State will periodically check voter banks for non-citizens if Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, gets his way in the House. Partnering with Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, to introduce the bill, HB 1149 would accomplish similar goals as Harvey’s recently defeated bill that would have required proof of citizenship before registering to vote. The bill includes considerable modifications that could serve to defuse some traditional arguments against the this type of legislation.
Do Philip Anschutz and the Coors family really care how county commissioners are elected in Fremont County, Wyoming? Hard to say, but they are helping to bankroll a non-profit Lakewood law firm that seems to care a great deal.
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