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Topping the 4th District special election ballot will be an Approval Voting Party candidate. But why?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Topping the 4th District special election ballot will be an Approval Voting Party candidate. But why?

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Candidates from the two major parties appearing at the bottom of the 4th Congressional District's special election ballot will have to hope voters read the whole ballot. The top place on the ballot is generally viewed by candidates to be best, but the major parties won't hold the spot. Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office explains a random lottery drawing was held Wednesday, April 24, to determine the order of candidates on the ballot, as required by state law for vacancy elections. Neither the Democratic nor Republican candidate was drawn for the top-line. Frank Atwood, the Approval Voting Party's candidate, will hold the top line. He last appeared on a ballot in 2022, vying for the U.S. Senate seat won by Democrat Michael Bennet. Atwoo...
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Holtorf celebrates drawing second-line place on 4th District Republican primary ballot
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Holtorf celebrates drawing second-line place on 4th District Republican primary ballot

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice District 63 State Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, will appear second on the Republican Party's 4th Congressional District primary ballot, immediately following 3rd District U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, he announced Friday. He won a lottery drawing for the position among qualified candidates on the congressional ballot to replace ex-Congressman Ken Buck, following top-line candidate Lauren Boebert. Holtorf earned 15.4% of the delegate vote at the 4th District Assembly in early April and his certification of 1,866 signatures allowed him to advance onto the ballot through the hybrid method. Boebert qualified for the top line on the ballot by taking 40% of the delegate vote at assembly, the highest total among the four attending candidates, and a...
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Peter Yu a ‘solid conservative’ of ‘broad appeal’, he says in letter to 4th District supporters
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Peter Yu a ‘solid conservative’ of ‘broad appeal’, he says in letter to 4th District supporters

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice If Peter Yu earns the Republican nomination for Congress in Colorado's 4th District, it may just be through his work ethic and accessibility with voters. He didn't draw support from delegates in the special election and did not attend the Republican Party's assembly, but he has attended almost every Lincoln Dinner in the 22 counties of the district. Those are echo chambers, he has said, and Yu has preferred to take his largely self-funded campaign to the streets of the district ranging about one-third of the state's land area. "I have personally knocked on over 12,000 doors already this year," Yu said in a letter to supporters this week, announcing he would appear on the ballot. "I have enjoyed standing with many of you for 30 minutes or ...
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Colorado lawmakers back off withholding road money from cities under plan to boost housing near transit
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State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado lawmakers back off withholding road money from cities under plan to boost housing near transit

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Facing outcry from local officials, Colorado Democrats this week said they would back off a plan to withhold highway maintenance funding from cities that don’t meet proposed state targets for housing density near transit stops. But even with the biggest penalty in the bill on the chopping block, local government leaders across the Denver metro area remain divided over the legislation, the centerpiece of Gov. Jared Polis’ plans to reduce housing costs in Colorado. House Bill 1313 would require a number of urban and suburban local governments to allow more apartments and townhomes along major transit corridors. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Colorado lawmakers to introduce long-awaited property tax relief bill
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado lawmakers to introduce long-awaited property tax relief bill

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The long-awaited major property tax bill will likely be introduced sometime early next week, giving it about a week to work through the General Assembly before its May 8 adjournment. This bill, however, will have had an advantage that previous bills, most notably the 2023 legislation, didn't have: a public airing of its concepts. That's because the bill will be largely based on the recommendations of the property tax commission, which has been meeting since last December. Lawmakers have been scrambling to deal with skyrocketing property taxes since 2020 when voters approved repealing the Gallagher Amendment, which set specific assessment rates for residential and non-residential properties.  READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Democrat Trisha Calvarese can remain on 4th District special election ballot, judge rules
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State, The Colorado Sun

Democrat Trisha Calvarese can remain on 4th District special election ballot, judge rules

By Sandra Fish | The Colorado Sun Democrat Trisha Calvarese will remain on the June 25 special election ballot in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, a Denver judge ruled Wednesday in throwing out a lawsuit seeking to dislodge her.  Calvarese “has presented a good faith effort to comply with applicable regulations and has not acted to mislead the electorate,” Denver District Court Judge David Goldberg wrote. The ruling came after a one-hour court hearing Tuesday in a lawsuit trying to keep Calvarese off the ballot based on the allegation that she hadn’t been registered as a Democratic voter in Colorado for long enough to qualify as her party’s nominee for the contest.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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In final weeks of Colorado legislative session, 374 bills still need action
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coloradopolitics.com, State

In final weeks of Colorado legislative session, 374 bills still need action

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics On day 105 of the 120-day legislative session, lawmakers have 374 bills out of 673 bills introduced that need action between now and midnight, May 8, when the session adjourns. The number of bills introduced in 2024 is the fifth highest in the last 25 years. Four sessions have had more than 700 bills, with 2003 at the high watermark, with 736. According to data from the Office of Legislative Legal Services, the House has introduced 462 bills, the Senate 211. The larger number for the House reflects not only its more members but also the fact that it took the lead on appropriations bills this year, including the state budget and dozens of related bills. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Caldara: Ex-Rep. Ken Buck leaves constituents without a voice in D.C., at worst possible time
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Commentary, completecolorado.com, State

Caldara: Ex-Rep. Ken Buck leaves constituents without a voice in D.C., at worst possible time

By Jon Caldara | Complete Colorado (You can listen to this column, read by the author, here.) The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has called for a vote on funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. He has done so at sizable professional risk. His isolationist Republicans might remove him from his leadership position for it. By the time you read this column, you’ll likely know how those votes went. As I write this, I have no idea. But I do know there’s one vote that could be wildly important, if only there were a representative to cast it. With Ken Buck’s resignation well before his term ends, he has left the voters of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District without a voice in government, and at a remarkably critical time. Not only is the ...
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House bill to add protections for victims of sexual assault signed into law
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House bill to add protections for victims of sexual assault signed into law

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A bipartisan bill offering increased protection for victims of sexual crime offenses has been signed into law by Lt. Gov. Diana Primavera, in the absence of Gov. Jared Polis. House Bill 1072, by Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, adds protections in law for victims of sexual assault. The bill passed the House by a rare 63-2 vote, with only Democrat Reps. Judy Amabile and Elisabeth Epps opposed. “I am proud to be a part of this expansion to broaden protections for victims of sexual assault,” Frizell said in a statement. “This is a crucial step in promoting a fair and just legal system for victims and ensuring the blame is placed on the perpetrator, not the victim." Under current law, criminal rape shield laws ar...
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Rep. Armagost complains House Bill 1460 is ‘blatantly punitive for officers’
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Armagost complains House Bill 1460 is ‘blatantly punitive for officers’

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Ryan Armagost, formerly a law enforcement officer, was critical Wednesday of a rushed process and lack of stakeholder involvement in House Bill 1460, titled "addressing measures to strengthen responses to law enforcement misconduct." The bill advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday and to the House floor by a 6-5 vote. "This bill was pretty blatantly designed to be punitive for officers," he said. "It is littered with punitive action without due process." The bill requires law enforcement agencies to respond to allegations of officer misconduct with an investigation, and officers are required to report allegations of misconduct by their peers. Should an officer fail to report, a Class 2 misdemeanor penalty could be a...
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