JOINT RELEASE: ICYMI: Signed! Bill to Safeguard Colorado’s Gold-Standard Elections

DENVER, CO –  Legislation to uphold the integrity of Colorado’s gold-standard election system was signed into law yesterday. 

HB26-1113, sponsored by Senators Katie Wallace, D-Longmont, and Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Representatives Emily Sirota, D-Denver, and Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, makes necessary modifications and updates to Colorado’s election system. 

“Colorado’s elections are safe, transparent, and fair, and we have some of the highest voter participation in the nation as a result of robust access to voting in our state,” said Wallace. “This law makes important improvements to our elections, like extending the window to return a mail-in ballot, making it easier for college students to vote, and ensuring clerks have the clarity they need. It continues our long-held tradition of upholding free and fair elections in Colorado, while responding to President Trump’s illegal executive order threatening mail-in voting and other federal interference in our elections.”

“Colorado’s elections are the gold standard in part because we continuously update our laws to guard against new threats to our democracy,” said Sirota. “Coloradans deserve to cast their ballot without barriers, and this new law safeguards against federal interference in our elections and makes it easier to vote. Whether you’re voting in-person, using a drop box or mailing in your ballot, this law aims to make voting more accessible to every voter.”

“I’m proud to sponsor this law 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 law protects access to the ballot by extending voting windows, increasing access to 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.” 

“Elections are free, fair and accessible in Colorado,” said Willford. “This law makes important updates to Colorado’s elections to safeguard against federal attempts to force people to vote in person and interfere in Colorado’s vote-by-mail elections. In Colorado, we administer gold-standard elections that are safe and secure. Voters are counting on us to uphold and protect the integrity of our elections, and this law makes casting your ballot easier.”

HB26-1113 extends 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 legislation also protects 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 law increases the number of drop boxes at Colorado higher education institutions with at least 1,000 enrolled students. The law also improves the visibility of on-campus voting services and polling centers. To make voting more accessible to working Coloradans, HB26-1113 will 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 requires 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 law restricts 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 also expands the definition of “disaster” in state law to include an occurrence or threat of an inability to carry out elections, and allows 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.