One thing to watch in Colorado...

Overuse of provisional ballots.

According to Election Protection Officials, including Common Cause Colorado, many counties are immediately driving voters to use provisional ballots at any sign of a discrepancy.  Protocol is for poll workers and election officials to call their County Clerks to double check the database.

There has been reports of voter intimation early on in Weld County, were police officer were checking IDs and camped out in primarily Latino Voter Precincts.  Also at Colorado College.

Colorado Independent has been keeping good track of problems in Colorado.

Generally things have been quiet on the Western front with a few hiccups.  Many voters have had to vote on provisional ballots because of the voter purge confusion or not showing up on voter rolls despite knowing they registered.

One major hiccup coming from Weld County.  There have been reports from Hispanic voters leaving polling location without voting because information is only provided in English ONLY.  Most of the voter information, including ballots were not translated into Spanish.  Some voters have waited at their polling location until a family member arrived that could translate this information.

I experienced something similar in 2006 in Iowa, where I had to translate the entire ballot for a family that could only read in Spanish. There were no pollworkers that could speak Spanish or materials translated.  
Colorado unlike Iowa does not have an English only law.

The sky is falling on Wall Street and now more than ever we need all the information we can detailing the possible impacts for Americans. What are the news stories about the financial bailout telling you? Do we know any real details about proposed legislation? How many and what kinds of experts have been asked about these details? Where are the headlines with possible outcomes for Colorado? All I can find are articles mentioning the bailout, only to have the rest of the article about horse race campaign issues.

We see the same headlines in every newspaper in every town. Where are the guts of the stories?

We need a diverse marketplace of ideas in times like these, not superficial headlines that are sent down to all the local newspapers and TV stations from just a few corporate owners. Look at what several Colorado newspapers are running and notice that all but one are written by the Associated Press, instead of local journalists.

The Denver Post Bailout defeated in House; stocks plunge (Associated Press)
The Rocky Mountain News Stunning defeat in House for economic bailout; stock plunge a record (Associated Press)
Durango Herald Durango businesses feel the crunch (local story)
The Pueblo Chieftain DENIED! - House defeats $700B financial markets bailout (Associated Press)
Daily Camera Stunning defeat for economy bailout; stocks plunge (Associated Press)
The Coloradoan House rejects bailout plan (Associated Press)

In an article in The Denver Post yesterday, Aldo Svaldi laid out some interesting information about the reasons why our newspapers are slowly consolidating into a few large hands.

The second part of this story is the impact this kind of change has on democracy. As our newspapers, radio stations and TV stations have gone from many to few, so have the perspectives that are critical in a democracy.

Since 1995, the number of companies owning TV stations has gone down 40%. Since the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Clear Channel has been able to go from the previous 40 radio station limit to owning over 1,200 stations nationwide.

The result has been infotainment, less local news and much of the same pre-packaged content being consumed all over the country.

Although there are real economic reasons for these vast changes, diversity in media ownership has to be a priority.

Ownership limits have to be restored and communities need to find innovative ways to create and maintain local media.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass Senate Joint Resolution 28, a bill that will neutralize the FCC's efforts to relax media ownership laws in favor of Big Media.  This is an enormous win for citizens across the country and a strong signal that lawmakers are listening to us.  Our phone calls, emails and letters are making a difference and we have Common Cause members across the country to thank.  Next up: the U.S. House of Representatives.

Allowing the media industry to be owned by fewer individuals is bad for democracy.  Our Senators stood up for us and spoke loud and clear yesterday.  

Go team!!

As we begin to see more companies announcing lay-offs and our economy tripping toward an unknown future, our community media becomes even more important.

During rough times, whether Mother Nature is being extra testy or the local Citigroup lets go of 9,000 neighbors, newspapers, TV and radio must be real resources for people to talk about their problems and discuss the solutions.

As it sits right now, your local newspaper is more than likely owned by a corporation that owns many others across the country. The effects of this kind of change are lower news budgets, which in turn means more stories bought from the AP and little local coverage. The local coverage that is available is very light. Journalists no longer have much time for investigation, so increasingly stories come straight from press releases.

In effect, we are in the dark about what is really going on.

The capacity for community dialogue is low. Let's move forward and fight for more. Tell the FCC that you don't want any more media consolidation. Tell your Congressmen that we will no longer put up with media in the corporate interest instead of the public interest.

Free Speech TV, KBDI TV, KGNU Radio, and Denver Open Media are hosting a lecture with award-winning journalist, Amy Goodman. Amy's program, Democracy Now!, airs on over 350 stations across the nation, providing access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S. corporate-sponsored media.

*WHEN*: Sunday, April 20, 7:00 PM

*WHERE*: East High School Auditorium,

1600 City Park Esplanade, Denver

*COST*: $10 for FSTV members, $15 for non-members and at the door *Also Available* are a limited number of $100 VIP tickets which include preferred seating, a reception with Amy at 6 PM before the lecture, and a copy of her new book, Standing up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times.

Tickets will be Will-Call only, and can be picked up any time after 6 PM on the day of the event

Call 303-296-1212 during business hours or visit KBDI.org to reserve your tickets today!

This Sunday, March 30, Jim Hightower is coming to Ft. Collins, CO!

Jim Hightower, a Texan born and bred, is a fiery and funny popular public speaker. Frequently appearing on television and radio programs, Jim brings a hard-hitting populist viewpoint and the credo: "You can fight the gods and still have fun." 

Join us at noon at the New Belgium Brewery for good food, good beer, and great conversation.

At the event you'll hear Jim speak and have the opportunity to get a signed copy of his new book, Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow! Register now for the event.

Please RSVP if you are planning to attend so we can get an accurate head count for lunch.

To sign up, call the office at (303) 292-2163 or email Colorado@commoncause.org. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door.  If you want to purchase a copy of the book in advance, $45.

Hope to see you there!