Colorado Set to Expand Voting Rights
In a major victory for the voters of Colorado, the state's legislature passed a bill that would greatly expand voting rights. The Senate has to pass a minor amendment before the legislation goes to Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) for signature. The new law would implement same-day registration, automatically send mail-in ballots to every voter and create a statewide voter database to prevent fraud that would be updated in real-time.
While most of the state's Republican legislators opposed the bills, many Republican county clerks and another Republican former Secretary of State Donetta Davidson supported it—increasing the rights of Colorado voters and cutting costs on expensive in-person elections.
From the Denver Post :
Those promoting the changes said the bill is uniquely Colorado, and the state could take the lead nationally on making elections more convenient to voters. They are confident other states will follow—because voters like mail voting (74 percent in Colorado last November), while preserving in-person voting at a few early voting centers, and, eventually, saving millions of dollars for counties. [...]
Other clerks, though, said switching to mail will mean buying less equipment to operate and maintain for an ever-shrinking number of people who still vote in person. That could save millions of dollars in some county over a longer period of time. Denver expects to save a total of about $730,000 in next year’s general election alone, director of elections Amber McReyholds said.
The bill is one of 195 to be introduced in 45 states since last November's election that would expand voting rights. During that time, 31 states have introduced 80 bills that would limit voting rights.
