Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed the Colorado Voting Rights Act into law Monday, establishing various protections contained in the federal Voting Rights Act at the state level.
Senate Bill 25-1, the first bill of the 2025 legislative session, prohibits election practices that limit the participation of people of color and other protected groups, bill sponsors said. It also includes protections for LGBTQ+ voters, expands multilingual ballot access, and requires accommodations for people with disabilities at residential facilities.
The state attorney general could enforce voting rights under the Colorado measure, so the state does not need to rely on federal courts to enforce voting protections. The provisions of the bill would apply to all state and municipal elections. Voters whose rights are violated under the act can take action along with civil rights groups.
Bill sponsors include Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Junie Joseph, a Boulder Democrat. Supporters of the bill include Colorado Common Cause, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, the League of Women Voters and the ACLU, among other groups.
Gonzales said inaction from Congress and decisions from federal courts have led to the “slow dismantling” of the federal Voting Rights Act. Several court decisions have weakened the federal VRA over the last decade, and there’s growing concern that President Donald Trump’s administration could try to further erode its protections.
“Those were hard fought protections that the civil rights movement and the Black community particularly fought and led to achieve, and to see the fact that now a generation later, we don’t know whether or how long those protections will continue to exist – we’re not just going to sit around and see what happens,” Gonzales said at a bill signing ceremony at the Governor’s Residence in Denver. “We are taking action now. We are taking action here today to ensure that every Coloradan can cast a ballot free from discrimination and free from fear.”
Polis said the Colorado Legislature makes the first bill each session something that is particularly important and that it’s appropriate that SB-1 centers on voting rights, because “our democracy begins with voting.”
“Voting is not something that we can take for granted. We need to make sure that we are protecting our rights as Americans to have our voices heard,” Polis said at the bill signing. “Colorado’s election system is one of the very best in the country, and with this, we’re taking steps to make sure that no matter what happens at the federal level, we can make sure to protect our voter integrity here in the great state of Colorado.”
The measure ensures incarcerated voters have the right to vote while in custody and eases access for voters who live on tribal lands in Colorado. Eligible voters in assisted living facilities will also be provided information to make it easier for them to vote. The bill also expands requirements for multilingual ballots to include municipalities in a county already required to provide multilingual ballots under requirements of a 2021 law.
Joseph, who immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, said the Colorado Voting Rights Act has “historical weight” building on protections established in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. She said that had it not been for that measure, “I would not be before you here today.”
A January poll found that two-thirds of Coloradans support protecting voting rights at the state level, and 61% support the Colorado Voting Rights Act, while 33% oppose it. Eight states have passed their own versions, several others have considered similar measures.
Polis also signed House Bill 25-1225, which adds protections against intimidation, threats or coercion to people voting or helping others to vote.
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