Author name: Jen Schumann

“Drawing the line”: School boards warn HB25-1312 oversteps on parental rights, brings policy chaos

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More than 70 school board members and education leaders have signed a letter urging lawmakers to reject HB25-1312, also known as the Kelly Loving Act.

Andrea Haitz, president of the District 51 Board of Education, warned that the bill “risks placing schools in an even more precarious legal position, especially when parents disagree on matters like gender identity or preferred names.”

Jason Jorgenson, secretary of the District 11 Board of Education and a lead organizer of the opposition letter, said HB25-1312 “risks encouraging youth to pursue a path of gender transition without appropriate parental involvement.”

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Clock runs out on social media bill: lawmakers shield themselves and Polis from historic override

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Without casting a single “no” vote, Colorado lawmakers on April 28 killed a bipartisan attempt to override Governor Jared Polis’ veto of a social media regulation bill. Just days earlier, the Senate had voted 29–6 to override the veto of Senate Bill 25-086, marking the state’s first successful chamber override of a policy bill in more than a decade. 

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Court sides with new Colorado GOP Chair, blocks committee tied to former leadership

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A district judge in El Paso County has rejected an attempt by the Colorado Republican Party’s Investigative Committee—an entity formed under former chair Dave Williams—to intervene in a lawsuit that the party’s current leadership has moved to dismiss.

In a ruling filed April 23, District Court Judge Amanda J. Philipps found that the Investigative Committee lacks standing and legal authority to join or intervene in the ongoing civil case, saying the group was assigned “limited tasks” and does not possess independent power to act on behalf of the Colorado Republican State Central Committee (CRC).

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Colorado law limits what voters can verify—and critics say that needs to change

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Mesa County’s Ballot Verifier tool has been praised for giving residents unprecedented access to redacted ballot images and cast vote records. But for some longtime election integrity advocates, it’s only part of the solution.

“This is a great step forward,” said Ed Arnos, a Mesa County resident and former lottery systems designer. “But it doesn’t verify the most important part—how the ballots were actually read.”

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From critics to champions: How a ballot transparency tool won over Idaho voters—and inspired Mesa County

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When Ada County launched a ballot audit tool built by a small independent company, no one knew what to expect. But what followed surprised even the clerk who helped shape it. 

Election skeptics became supporters, recount demands dropped and voters started tracking their own ballots—sometimes using nothing more than a $2 bill.

What began as a simple idea sketched on napkins between an Idaho election official and a civic-minded data entrepreneur would grow into a public-facing ballot verification platform now used by counties in multiple states, including Mesa County, Colorado.

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Mesa County launches Ballot Verifier, giving voters unprecedented access to ballots

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Mesa County launched a first-of-its-kind ballot transparency tool last month, allowing residents to view redacted ballot images and corresponding cast vote records online—without filing a CORA request. Supporters say it could reshape public trust in elections. Others say it doesn’t go far enough.

But one thing is certain: Mesa County is at the heart of a national battle over election integrity, and the Ballot Verifier came to fruition out of demand — and the innovation of an election stats company that wanted to answer to it.

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Not political theater: Montrose federal intervention request grounded in Constitutional oath

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What does it mean to defend the Constitution? Two commissioners say this is what it looks like. On April 16, the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners voted 2–1 to send a formal Request for Federal Intervention to former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Rep. Crank’s BLOC Act gains Mesa County’s support: “Align federal funds with public safety”

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Mesa County commissioners want federal dollars tied to immigration enforcement—and they’re backing Rep. Jeff Crank’s bill to make it happen.

During their April 15 administrative hearing, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a letter backing a federal immigration bill that would strip transportation funding from sanctuary jurisdictions that fail to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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