For the first time in recent memory, state legislators did not unanimously certify the results of the November election that brought them to the Colorado Capitol. Six Republican representatives voted against the certification on Wednesday, January 8, arguing that the election results are untrustworthy because the Secretary of State's Office inadvertently leaked voting equipment passwords on its website last year.
The leaked passwords were one part of a multi-pronged security system that also requires in-person clearance and a second set of passwords to access the voting machines. State officials found no evidence that any equipment was compromised and two separate investigations concluded that the leak was accidental. But the six dissenting representatives remain unconvinced.
"The system is broken," Representative Ken DeGraaf said during the floor debate. "Publishing that data on an unsecured website highlights the lack of confidence that we can have in the system despite calling it the 'gold standard,' promulgating that lie."
DeGraaf voted against the certification, in addition to Republican Representatives Scott Bottoms, Brandi Bradley, Stephanie Luck, Ron Weinberg and Larry Suckla — the latter of whom was elected for his first term in November and, therefore, voted against the validity of his own appointment to the House.
House Speaker Pro Tem Andrew Boesenecker called the objection from his colleagues "unwarranted and certainly unprecedented," noting that county clerks have certified the election results, post-election audits have been conducted, and the results of individual races have not been contested.
"Opposition to this motion is, quite frankly, dangerous to our democracy," Boesenecker, a Democrat, said on the floor. "We've seen what happened when Congress went down this same path four years ago and elected officials refused to certify results. We cannot, we should not, go down that same road here in the state of Colorado. ... This chamber must stand against election denialism."
This abnormal outburst adds to a growing trend in the state House in which even the most mundane motions become partisan fights. In 2021, Republican representatives broke a decades-long tradition of both parties unanimously approving the House speaker, who is nominated by the majority party and then confirmed by the entire chamber.
Republicans continued the split voting on Wednesday for the third election in a row, nominating their own candidate, Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, to face off against Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Democrat who has held the post since 2023. Pugliese was doomed to lose: Forty-three members of the House are Democrats and only 22 are Republicans.
"When the Republicans take the House again, we'd expect the Democrats to do the same thing," Bottoms said to laughs from other legislators. "I wasn't joking," he responded. DeGraaf's speech in support of Pugliese included condemnation of "groomers targeting children for mutilation and sterilization," "the fetal harvesting industry that makes Colorado a tourist destination for feticide" and accusations that Governor Jared Polis is a totalitarian leader.
McCluskie ultimately won her re-election as speaker in a 41-22 vote split along party lines, with one legislator absent and one seat vacant. During the last leadership election, only eight Republicans voted against McCluskie in favor of their own candidate, not the whole caucus.
The Senate leadership vote and election certification each passed unanimously without discussion on Wednesday.
The discord of opening day is likely a sign of the strife to come this session, and there will be plenty of hot-button issues outside of election certification. Here are five of the top fights to watch over the next 120 days at the State Capitol Building:
Trump and the Federal Government
The 2025 session will be framed by Colorado's status as a Democratic state grappling with a Republican federal government. Entering his second term as president, Donald Trump has promised to conduct mass deportations (particularly in Aurora). Advocates also fear he will bring federal restrictions on abortion access and gender-affirming care for transgender individuals.House Majority Leader Monica Duran said, "The Trump Administration threatens to undermine our rights and freedoms," and Colorado legislators will "fight back against attacks on abortion rights," "immigrant communities" and "health care coverage for Coloradans." Advocates have begun pushing for expanded protections, including strengthening Colorado's abortion access shield law and requiring insurance coverage for gender-affirming care.
Gun Control
The age-old debate on gun control will continue in the Colorado Capitol this session. Democrats have announced plans to introduce bills that would ban semi-automatic weapons that use detachable magazines, require law enforcement to destroy old guns instead of trading them in to be resold, raise the age to buy ammunition from eighteen to 21 and require ammunition to be sold behind the counter.Republican leaders have said they plan to fight the proposals "tooth and nail," though the bills may also receive pushback from Democrats: Far-reaching gun-control measures such as bans on assault weapons have failed in the legislature in recent years.
Labor Unions
Another bipartisan fight ahead: proposed legislation to repeal a requirement that unions in Colorado pass a second election before they can begin negotiating union dues and fees. Proponents say the 81-year-old rule is an unnecessary barrier to union organizing, as Colorado is the only state in the country with such a restriction. Business organizations have already started speaking against the bill, saying it would negatively impact business growth.Although Democratic legislators are backing the legislation, Governor Polis has expressed doubt in the proposal after he vetoed a pair of pro-labor bills last year. The bill is expected to be among the most divisive measures of the session.
Cost of Living
Both Speaker McCluskie and Senate President James Coleman named addressing the high cost of living in Colorado among their top priorities for the 2025 session. McCluskie specifically advocated for lowering the cost of housing and health insurance.Affordable-housing proposals that have arisen include lowering construction costs for developers of for-sale affordable homes and providing community grants for residents to purchase homes. Health insurance legislation is expected to include bills to ban drugmakers from limiting pharmacies' use of the federal 340B drug discount program and to broadly address issues such as low Medicaid reimbursement rates and high hospital fees.
Legislative Vacancies
Three state senators resigned in November — two mere weeks after they were re-elected to four-year terms — sparking a statewide debate on the Colorado legislature's use of small party insider committees to fill vacancies. That debate is expected to continue into the 2025 session.Democratic Representative Bob Marshall says he plans to reintroduce a failed bill from last year that aims to prohibit vacancy-appointed legislators from running for the same office in the next immediate election, essentially making them interim legislators. Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams says "democratizing" the vacancy process is one of his main legislative priorities for the year.
