After a voter advocacy group offered proof that county clerks and other election officials could identify how specific people voted — which would violate a citizen’s basic right to a secret ballot — Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler announced an “emergency rule” effective immediately that will prevent officials from…
Should House Speaker Frank McNulty work as a fry cook at a certain “hate chicken restaurant”? Fight Back Colorado, a group devoted to defeating lawmakers in November’s election who voted against a bill to legalize civil unions, wants to know. Though the group hasn’t announced which lawmakers it will target,…
No, we’re not making this up: In discussing Missouri Representative Todd Akin’s bizarre claim that “legitimate rape” victims seldom get pregnant, Colorado state Senator Shawn Mitchell used the phrase “explosive boners.” And then he may or may not have tried to make a joke about it, as you’ll see in…
Nearly 4,000 registered voters in Colorado received a letter this week from Secretary of State Scott Gessler asking that they prove their citizenship or otherwise remove themselves from voter rolls. Gessler, who says he is preventing fraud, identified these residents through the Division of Motor Vehicles — but watchdog groups…
As the local campaigns for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama compete to attract voters in this key swing state, the Colorado Republican Party is now dealing with its own internal battle, with one national delegate alleging that the state’s GOP chairman won an important committee seat in a botched election…
Secretary of State Scott Gessler wants to make it easier for political groups to remain secretive about their spending by rewriting election rules and weakening disclosure laws. That’s according to two watchdog groups, who praise a court ruling that blocks most of Gessler’s efforts. Denver District Court has struck down…
Editor’s note: This election cycle,Westword is exploring the public records of television stations for information about how candidates are spending money on ads in Denver. Seems that Jude Judy has bipartisan appeal in Denver. After reporting last week that Barack Obama’s campaign is pouring money into Denver television ads that…
Although a handful of students weren’t allowed to attend a speech by Mitt Romney running mate Paul Ryan yesterday, thousands of others crowded into Lakewood High School to hear Ryan speak. Here’s what ten of those attending said about why they were there…
Update:After we wrote about six different students who were banned from attending Congressman Paul Ryan’s speech in Lakewood yesterday, an anonymous source sent us a screenshot from one of their Facebook pages that mentions tomatoes and glitter bombs. The image seemingly contradicts claims by at least one of the students…
Had six non-Romney fans not be banned from attending, they would have learned that Congressman Paul Ryan is just a family man with a lot of love for the State of Colorado. That’s how the newly announced vice presidential candidate presented himself at the start of his speech at Lakewood…
Speaking one week after a former Denver resident shot six people dead in Wisconsin, and less than a month after James Holmes killed twelve and injured dozens more in Aurora, Denver police chief Robert White told Westword it’s time to make progress on gun control. We spoke with White over…
Colorado has become a virtual co-star on Rachel Maddow’s nightly MSNBC show. A week ago, she suggested that the Michael Bennet-Ken Buck 2010 senate race provided a road map for the Obama campaign. And last night, she used the state to frame her argument that Mitt Romney running mate Paul…
While the run-up to the 2012 election is stressful for most politicians, those lucky officials running in relatively safe districts have time for a little fun. Witness Representative Jared Polis, a Democrat representing Boulder and vicinity, who’s recently declared his love for the wonderfully eccentric website Boing Boing via photos…
Further underscoring the importance of Colorado as a key swing state in the presidential election, Paul Ryan, the newly named Republican vice presidential candidate, is holding events in metro Denver tonight and tomorrow — just two days after Mitt Romney announced his running mate. Ryan began his first solo day…
A Colorado voter advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Secretary of State and six county clerks, arguing that ballots in the current system are traceable — violating voters’ right to secret, anonymous ballots. This flaw, the group says, exposes Coloradans to voter intimidation and could discourage people…
Editor’s note: This election cycle,Westword is exploring the public records of television stations for information on how candidates are spending money on ads in Denver. Our latest dive into the political ad spending records at Denver television stations reveals that President Barack Obama’s team is looking to secure votes from…
Initiative 52, which would have allowed undocumented immigrants with an individual tax identification number, last year’s tax return and a form of government-issued ID from their country of origin to obtain driver’s licenses, will not be on November’s ballot. Supporters fell short of collecting the 86,105 required signatures by Monday’s…
If Barack Obama wins Colorado, he’ll win the election. That’s what the president said today in a campaign stop in Denver — and based on the focus of his speech, it’s clear that his campaign believes women’s issues are a key component of the battle to secure votes in this…
A week after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney brought his campaign to Jefferson County, President Barack Obama is making stops in Colorado, highlighting the importance of this key swing state. Today, thousands of supporters filed into the Auraria Event Center to hear Obama speak, which he’s scheduled to do moments…
When Colorado Senator Michael Bennet defeated Republican challenger Ken Buck in the 2010 U.S. Senate race, observers were surprised — but they also saw in Bennet’s approach a potential template that might be applied elsewhere. Last night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow outlined the concept, pointing out in a segment on view…
Political groups in Colorado have more freedom to pour money into campaigns without disclosing their finances thanks to Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who has overstepped his bounds and rewritten election rules. At least that’s the charge of Colorado Ethics Watch and Colorado Common Cause, which have filed a complaint…
Fight Back Colorado, a group devoted to defeating lawmakers in November’s election who voted against a bill to legalize civil unions, is soliciting input on exactly which lawmakers to target. The campaign has launched a survey called Send ‘Em Packin’ that asks supporters to pick their three least favorite lawmakers…
