Contributed by Brian Rodriguez
Deborah Richardson, Executive Director of ACLU Colorado wrote in a recent op-ed:
“For over a year, we have seen incident after incident that substantiates a concentrated effort to disenfranchise Black and Brown voters. Moreover, there is continuing rhetoric, despite any proven evidence, that the 2020 elections were ‘stolen.’ In response to these false claims, an anti-democratic movement is sweeping the country in the form of voter suppression measures unlike any since before the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The ‘Good Old Boys’ see the handwriting on the wall. They are willing to do anything to maintain power. They realize that Black and Brown voters, when joined with Asian Americans and progressive whites – is the new Red, White, and Blue. The future of democracy is in the hands of this new coalition. As Stacey Abrams warns us, we must stop participating in our own oppression.”
Steps To Secure Your Vote
Step 1: Check Your Registration Status
First, check your Colorado voter registration status and register to vote at: https://www.coloradosos.gov/voter/pages/pub/home.xhtml
Step 2: Know Your Voter ID Laws
Learn about Colorado voter ID laws at: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/vote/acceptableFormsOfID.html
Step 3: Vote in EVERY Election
The coordinated effort to suppress the vote can be overcome. By voting in every federal, state, and local election, you have a say in who gets elected, and, by extension, you have a say in what becomes law. Find your local election at: https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/electionInfo.html?menuheaders=5
Important Primary Election Dates:
Early voting start date June 13, 2022
Early voting end date June 27, 2022
Primary Election date June 28, 2022
Don’t wait for partisan politicians to change voting laws restricting your civil right to vote early and by mail. Recently, the Mesa County Clerk (Tina Peters), indicted for election tampering, who is running for the Republican nomination to become the state’s chief election official said she sees “a need for more secure elections”; in other words, voter suppression.
Use your voice, your power, your vote now to protect your right to vote. Do your part by registering and voting in state and local elections.
