Colorado's Secretary of State, Mike Coffman, announced yesterday that most of the voting machines used in the state have been decertified. In a highly anticipated decision, the Secretary said that the machines are unreliable and unsecure and therefore cannot be used for the 2008 elections. At Common Cause, we fight to ensure that our votes are counted accurately and with integrity. If that means decertifying our electronic voting machines because they are unreliable, then the decision was a necessary one. However, we also believe that we cannot take away options for voters. Encouraging participation in our elections should be a top priority for our election administrators.

The issue of requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote is rearing it's ugly head in Colorado once again. Each year in the legislature, a bill of this sort comes up at least once. And each year, we at Common Cause work hard to defeat the bill because we believe in removing barriers to our voting process, not adding them. But this year, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink is taking a different approach. Balink belives that if the legislature won't pass a bill requiring proof of citizenship, a lawsuit would force the issue. Those who believe that we should require proof of citizenship claim it's not that difficult to obtain the proof, and you would only have to do it once. An editorial in this week's Denver Post says: To say that proving citizenship is not onerous is wrong. It is expensive and time-cosuming, not to mention infringing on our basic voting rights. The citizenship requirement is aimed at illegal immigrants and discouraging them from voting. But, there is little to no evidence of voter fraud in Colorado. This is a solution in search of a problem. The possibility of having to bring even more identification to the polls is going to discourage people from voting. In a democracy where voting is a fundamental right, we should be passing laws that make it easier to vote, not harder.

Last November, Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 41, the Common Cause- backed law that bans lobbyists from giving gifts to legislators, and places a $50 limit on gifts that can be received by public employees in connection with their public office.  Before the election and since its passage, the lobbyists and other powerful interests opposing the law have pulled out all their guns to fight it.  Not surprisingly, the lobbyists don't like to admit how much they used free gifts, trips and meal to build relationships at the Capitol.  Instead, they've focused on advancing wild interpretations of the law, such as the myth that Amendment 41 would stop children of state employees from accepting college scholarships.

The fight has moved from the ballot box to the legislature to the courts.  Opponents have challenged Amendment 41, arguing that it threatens their constitutional rights.  A district court enjoined the gift ban portion of the law last May (meaning it is not in effect until the court rules).  We don't agree with that ruling, and believe that the law will ultimately be upheld, as many other gift bans have been throughout the country.  The Constitution doesn't guarantee a right of lobbyists to buy free lunches.

Last Thursday, the Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case.  A ruling will likely be rendered by the end of the year.  

The law was intended to stop people from violating the public trust for private gain. A child of a public employee that accepts a scholarship based on academic merit is hardly violating the public trust.  

I think news columnist Jim Spencer said it best:  

While it could be a while, cross your fingers and hope that the Colorado Supreme Court rules the right way, the way the voters want.  Amendment 41 passed with over 62% of the vote.  To me, that means one thing:  "We want ethics reform, and we want it now."  

Do the media represent you?  Chances are they don't.  When over 90% of all media outlets are owned by white men, it's no wonder that so many perspectives on TV, the radio, and the newspaper are blatantly homogenous.  Media justice is not only about strengthening our democracy through diversity, but media justice is also a cornerstone civil rights issue.

If you're interested in this topic, please be sure to check out an upcoming event about minority and female media ownership.  It will be a town hall format in both Washington DC and Denver, with both cities interacting live via satellite.  If you're out of the geographic reach of either of those areas, then you can attend by watching the whole event in real-time on the internet.

Join author, commentator, and talk show host Tavis Smiley, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, and other distinguished speakers for a one-of-a-kind event on the importance of media diversity.  Mark your calendars on June 29th starting at 10AM/Noon (MST/EST) and learn how you can work for a more diverse media!

Just when we thought it was never going to happen. FINALLY. The Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 210, the compromise ethics implementation bill and it is now headed for the Governor's desk. This is no small feat, it has taken months to get this far. After a lot of feet dragging, the Colorado legislature is finally going to uphold the will of the voters.

Amendment 41, the Ethics in Government Initiative, was passed in November with over 62% of the vote. Higher than any other initiative on the ballot (and to be fair, there were 12 all together). Since its passage, it has become the talk of the town...literally. Opponents made wild claims that children of government employees would no longer receive college scholarships, and ranchers in southern Colorado couldn't receive disaster aid in the wake of giant snow storms. These claims caught on in the news, and the media storm that followed was something that none of us could have predicted. But, finally, Senate Bill 210 makes serious strides toward implementing the law the right way.

Back in November, Denver voters got quite the slap in the face on Election Day. Lines were up to three hours long, election judges weren't properly trained, software malfunctioned, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. As a result, in January, we held a special election to eliminate the Denver Election Commission and replace them with one elected Clerk and Recorder who can be held accountable to the public. Voters were obviously telling the Commission they weren't doing a good job.

So, as we head into a May 1st Municipal election in Denver, voters are being slapped in the face...again. The Election Commission has deactivated 117,038 Denver voters because they didn't vote in November and January. These voters were sent a postcard telling them they are inactive and asking them if they would like to reactivate themselves. Of the 117,000 cards sent out, only 11,000 people have responded. Unless these people request a ballot, they will not receive one in the mail.

To read the full editorial in the Denver Post, click here.

We will continue to pressure the DEC to contact these "inactive" voters again, and to launch an aggressive campaign to inform Denverites that there is an election coming up.

Last day to register to vote is Monday, April 2nd.