Voters, know your rights

Todd Brocesky places an “I voted” sticker on his shirt on Super Tuesday in Denver, March 5, 2024. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline)

Voters have rights. They should understand what they are.

The primary role of an American citizen is exercising sovereign authority over affairs of the state. This means speaking out to ensure government responsiveness, associating with other citizens with like interests, and, above all, voting.

But now, less than a week before Election Day, it’s clear that the right to vote faces challenges like never before.

Legal and legislative efforts by opponents of democracy in Colorado and throughout the country have eroded voting rights. More alarmingly, voter intimidation is already a factor in the election.

Earlier this month a man was arrested in Del Norte on suspicion of illegal electioneering after he refused to stop telling voters to cast their ballot for former President Donald Trump, the GOP candidate for president. Heidi Ganahl, the losing 2022 Republican candidate for Colorado governor, who is an election denier, in recent weeks has recruited so-called drop box observers to “engage in the process” and “provide oversight” to voting, though observers are presumably hostile to the whole idea of drop boxes, since Ganahl has publicly expressed doubt about their security. The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday felt it necessary to highlight its efforts to protect voters’ access to the polls. Phil Weiser, the Colorado attorney general, deemed the threat of voter intimidation to be substantial enough that this month he issued an advisory warning Coloradans to watch for it.

Here is what voters should know. Intimidation is illegal under state law. It is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to 364 days imprisonment, or both. Any voter who is a victim of intimidation should contact their county clerk or local law enforcement.

Other things to keep in mind: It’s illegal in Colorado to have a gun within 100 feet of a drop box or polling location. Even campaigning within 100 feet of those sites is illegal. No voter ever has to reveal how they voted.

The secretary of state publishes a booklet that details voter rights. The pro-democracy group Colorado Common Cause offers a program, Just Vote Colorado Election Protection, that helps Americans vote without confusion or intimidation. The program has a hotline and a website in English and Spanish. The hotline in English is 866-687-8683; in Spanish it’s 888-839-8682.

This is all about casting your ballot to make your voice heard. Colorado Newsline has produced many resources to help voters make informed decisions. Here are some of them:

• Our election hub is a good place to start.
• This page features lots of information, including links to help you vote and track your ballot.
• Our Voter Guide has what you need to know about congressional races and statewide ballot measures.
• Q&As with congressional candidates
• Q&As with statehouse candidates
• Our series on Voting Basics, which we published in Spanish as informacion basica
• Our Voter Voices series on the issues Coloradans said are most important 

Your rights as a voter are valuable only if you vote. The stakes of the 2024 election could hardly be higher. The presidential candidates offer starkly different visions for the country’s future, and the results in statewide races and ballot questions could have profound effects for the lives of every Coloradan.

Journalists from Newsline and affiliated outlets in Washington, D.C., and around the country will offer comprehensive coverage of news on Tuesday. We invite you to tell us about your experience. We want to hear from you as you submit your ballot and exercise your fundamental rights as a voter.