Bill to Safeguard Colorado’s Gold Standard Elections Moves Forward

DENVER, CO –The Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee today passed legislation to uphold the integrity of Colorado’s gold standard election system. 

HB26-1113, sponsored by Senators Katie Wallace, D-Longmont, and Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, would make necessary modifications and updates to Colorado’s election system. 

“This bill was in process long before President Trump’s illegal executive order threatening mail-in voting – but recent events make it all the more urgent,” said Wallace. “Colorado’s elections are safe, secure, and accurate, and we have some of the highest voter participation in the nation. This bill makes needed improvements, like extending the window to return a mail-in ballot, making it easier for young people to vote, and safeguarding against federal interference. It continues our long-held tradition of upholding free and fair elections in Colorado.”

“I’m proud to sponsor this legislation to further strengthen Colorado’s elections,” said Weissman. “The right of states to administer their own elections is crystal clear in the United States Constitution. This bill protects access to the ballot by extending voting windows, increasing drop boxes, and enacting protections against nefarious interference. The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy, and we’re doing everything we can to shore that up in Colorado.” 

HB26-1113 would extend voting windows by prohibiting polling centers from closing early and allowing them to stay open longer to accommodate voters if the polling center runs out of supplies, such as ballots. The bill would also protect against interference and attacks on the United States Postal Service by mailing ballots earlier, so there is more time to vote and return ballots if there are mail delays. 

Drop boxes make it easier for voters to return their ballots, and this bill would increase the number of drop boxes at Colorado higher education institutions with at least 1,000 enrolled students. The bill would also improve the visibility of on-campus voting services and polling centers. To make voting more accessible to working Coloradans, HB26-1113 would allow for more flexibility and approval of leave requests that pertain to voting. Additionally, if a vacancy occurs before a U.S. Senator can fulfill their term, HB26-1113 would require that vacancies be filled by a candidate in the same political party as their predecessor to respect electoral outcomes and encourage continuity. 

President Trump recently issued an Executive Order attempting to restrict voter eligibility and mail voting. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has joined a multistate coalition suing the Trump Administration to stop this attempt at interfering with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections.

To respond to these threats, the bill would restrict the transfer of Coloradans’ voter data to any third party, including the federal government, without a court order or directive from the Secretary of State. It would also expand the definition of “disaster” in state law to include an occurrence or threat of an inability to carry out elections, and allow Colorado’s governor to convene an election emergency advisory group to respond in such cases.

Colorado has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country. Over the years, Colorado Democrats have worked to safeguard Colorado’s gold standard election system. Last year, Colorado Democrats passed the Colorado Voting Rights Act to codify stronger voter protections and expand access to voting information for historically excluded communities. Colorado Democrats also passed the Freedom from Intimidation in Elections Act last year to expand protections against intimidation, threats or coercion against voters and election officials. 

This builds upon previous legislation to safeguard free and fair elections, including two laws from 2022 to prevent armed voter intimidation and insider election security threats and a 2021 law to improve ballot access for Coloradans with disabilities.

HB26-1113 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration. Track its progress HERE.