Election Season Is Here: Exercise Your Right To Vote!

As the saying goes, if you don't vote, you can't complain. And we know how civil libertarians love to complain. So get registered, get informed, and get voting. Registered voters should have already received their "Blue Book" voting guides, which explain all of the ballot initiatives.

Questions about voting? Check out our Voter Empowerment Card. It will help you answer most basic questions, like Am I registered? Do I need to show ID? How do I vote by mail? If you have more questions- keep reading.

If you think you're registered to vote but don't have your Blue Book yet, check your registration status here:

www.justvotecolorado.org. Just Vote Colorado is a non-partisan election protection organization dedicated to ensuring that every Colorado voter can cast a vote. They won't tell you who to vote for, just help you get it done.

We, however, can tell you that the ACLU Foundation of Colorado has taken positions on two of the six initiatives you'll find on this year's ballot. You should vote NO on Amendment 62 and Proposition 102. Here's why:

Amendment 62 is the so-called "Personhood" amendment, which would grant full legal rights to fertilized eggs. You may remember it from 2008 when 3 out of 4 Colorado voters rejected it. But religious zealots wouldn't be called zealots if they didn't keep trying to force their extreme beliefs on the rest of us, so it's back. Vote NO again, and go here for more information: www.voteno62.org.

You should also vote NO on Proposition 102, which is a blatant attempt by the bail bonds industry to trick voters into subsidizing their business. Currently in Colorado, defendants are able to qualify for release to a pretrial services program with an unsecured bond, meaning they are not required to put up cash, pay a bail bondsman or provide property for collateral. Proposition 102 would eliminate a judge’s discretion to release a defendant to a pretrial services program on an unsecured bond unless the charge is for a first offense that is a non-violent misdemeanor.  Experts on all sides of the issue agree this is a terrible idea. This means the ACLU, the Public Defender's office, and the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition are standing side-by-side with the cops, the sheriffs, the district attorneys and Colorado's Attorney General. If the cops and the ACLU agree that this is a bad idea, it's worth listening to what we have to say. Vote NO on Proposition 102. Learn more here: www.votenoto102.org.