Members of the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County met on April 23 for their annual meeting. The theme was “Safeguarding Gold Standard Elections.” Amanda Gonzalez, Jeffco’s Clerk and Recorder was the keynote speaker. Her speech offered more information on the elections for the year.
Here are five interesting facts that came out of the meeting that Jefferson County voters should know.
1. The Jeffco League of Women Voters is a group of volunteers.
Everyone in the room volunteers their time for not only the meetings but also observing legislative processes important to voting, according to the LWV president Christina Manthey.
“We do this through volunteering for the league observer corps program if each of us chooses to attend a governing body meeting regularly,” Manthey said.
2. The league is bipartisan and contains male members.
A few of the women were there with their husbands, who were also part of the membership.
LWV secretary Jane Cates told a story about two members who had a fierce debate during a meeting. The members were from different sides of an issue that the members were trying to find consensus on. She described the debate and the uproar in the room.
“Then, I was shocked when the members left the meeting,” Cates said. “One of the two women who were openly, verbally sparring just moments ago, turned to the other, her sparring partner, and asked, ‘Where are we going to lunch today?’”
Despite their opposing views, the members all come together in the interest of protecting voter integrity, Cates said.
3. The league does not have a program for 2024.
According to the league’s Jeffco Action chair, Deb Gard, the group will not have a program for the year, in order to concentrate on elections for the year.
“Our job this year is to safeguard our elections,” Gard said. She went on to explain that the focus is on safeguarding the vote. This includes “educating voters in Jefferson County concerning the accuracy and fairness of our elections is essential, especially this year when the quality and status of elections is being questioned everywhere.”
“Any other programming for this year would be a moot point,” Gard continued. “We must loudly and forcefully defend and protect the gold standard elections in Colorado in Jeffco.”
4.Jeffco Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez testified in the Colorado legislature against “vexatious requester” laws.
Gonzalez gave the keynote speech at the LWV meeting. During the speech, she shared a few legislative issues that her office has been working on.
For example, HB-24-1296 Modifications to Colorado Open Records Act is a law meant to “lessen the burdens of responding to records requests for custodians of records under the “Colorado Open Records Act”, according to the Colorado General Assembly website. Gonzalez went to the legislature to testify against the act.
“We are your government and those of your records,” Gonzalez explained to the league. “And yes, does it take time to pull them? Sure, it does. That’s OK. I really believe in transparent government. I think you should have access to all that you don’t think that we should get in your way.”
The act has been changed to remove language that Gonzalez said would impede the transparency of her office.
5. Gonzalez also talked about her desire to spread the news about voting rights to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Coloradans.
“I ran for office because I want to make sure that every eligible voter votes and has their ballot accurately counted. Which is why I’m working really hard on Senate Bill 72,” Gonzalez said. SB24-072 Voting for Confined Eligible Electors would allow people in jail on misdemeanors or awaiting trial the means to exercise their right to vote.
“Right now, the only time that you lose your right to vote, because of involvement with the criminal justice system, is if you are currently serving a term of confinement for a felony conviction. That’s it,” she explained.
These bills are slated to be considered by the Colorado Legislature before the current session ends.
After Gonzalez’s speech, Manthey reiterated the need to add more league members to their ranks. Membership is open to anyone in Jefferson County. For more information on the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County and to join, visit LWVJeffco.org.