The 2018 elections are critical, and we encourage everyone to vote. We do not endorse candidates, but we do take positions on initiatives that impact civil rights and civil liberties.
Click here to download your 2018 Voter Guide.
This year, ACLU of Colorado has taken the following positions on statewide ballot initiatives:

Vote YES on Amendment A to remove slavery from the Colorado constitution: The Colorado constitution currently reads, "There shall never be in this state either slavery or involuntary servitude except as a punishment for a crime." In other words, slavery is still legal in Colorado. A "yes" vote on Amendment A will remove this language once and for all, and show that slavery is not a Colorado value. Read more from our executive director on Amendment A.

Vote YES on Amendment V to lower the minimum age for representation in the state legislature: Amendment V lowers the minimum age for state representatives and state senators from 25 to 21 years old. Young people deserve a seat at the table not only as advocates and voters but as decision makers. Read more about Amendment V from one of our volunteers, Emma Davis.

Vote YES on Amendments Y&Z to create fairer districts and end gerrymandering: Truly representative democracy demands fair districts that reflect "one person, one vote." Amendments Y&Z put in place an independent commission to oversee congressional and state redistricting. Amendment Y applies to congressional redistricting and Amendment Z applies to state legislative redistricting.

Finally, the state attorney general election is often overlooked, but the AG’s office is critical for upholding civil liberties and defending our state from federal overreach. To learn more about the main candidates and their views, check out VoteYourAGcolorado.org.
For information on when, where and how to vote visit justvotecolorado.org.
If you’d like to get involved with our Get Out the Vote efforts, including phone banks, text banks, and 3 walk days, contact [email protected].
Be an ACLU Voter and vote like your rights depend on it.

Click here to download your Voter Guide.

By Emma Davis Youth Volunteer, ACLU of Colorado October 15, 2018

Since the 2016 election, I have been active in the ACLU of Colorado. I've lobbied, phone-banked, spoken at events and been to countless protests. During the legislative session, I am constantly visiting state legislators, talking to aides and working to convince our representatives to vote “yes” or “no” on certain bills. But I'm still just a teenager. Right now, my opportunities are limited, but someday, I hope to become a state lawmaker. I want to represent the people of Colorado, and think it is incredibly important to have young and fresh perspectives in our legislature.
Unfortunately, as of now, it will be a while before I get to do that. Currently, the Colorado  Constitution says that to become a state legislator, you must be at least 25 years of age. This restricts the age of our representatives and discourages young people from getting involved in politics. It cuts off new perspectives and fresh ideas from being introduced at our state Capitol. We need to fix this.
Amendment V provides a way to solve this problem. Earlier this year, state legislators proposed a bill that would amend the state constitution, lowering the age from twenty-five to twenty-one. It was then placed on the state ballot for the upcoming November election. We are one of only seven states in the U.S. with a minimum age of more than twenty-one for members of the legislature. We need to follow the examples of other states that recognize how important it is to give young adults a voice in their state assemblies. Alabama passed an amendment in 2016 that removed age restrictions on government officials. In Alabama's 2014 general election, adults aged 18-29 represented only 12% of the vote. In the 2017  Alabama Special U.S. Senate Election, 23% of young adults turned out to vote. Perhaps this dramatic rise in young voter turnout could be related to youth feeling like they not only have a voice at the voting booth but feel more intimately tied to the whole political process.  With more opportunities to get involved in state politics, teens and young adults are more likely to vote and to become politically active. If Colorado adopts Amendment V, it will bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to the Capitol.
Broadening the perspectives and ideas on the Colorado legislature is an extremely important issue that needs to be dealt with. According to Ballotpedia, in 2015 our representatives were, on average, fifty-five years old, or nearly ten years older than the average Colorado adult. This is not an accurate representation of our population. With new and younger senators and representatives, there would be an increase in youth political participation and a chance to give young adults a voice in the most important issues our state is facing.
Opponents of Amendment V say that young adults under the age of twenty-five lack the maturity to make legislation. Critics think that young adults don't have enough “life experience.” However, according to Colorado State Representative James Coleman, “If you can go fight in the military and you have to make critical decisions in the field of battle, then [lawmaking] is not hard...Serving in the military is hard. Getting shot at is hard.”
Decisions that our legislators make will have lasting impacts on young people and future generations.  Young adults should have a seat at the table when our state government considers legislation pertaining to education, civil rights, data privacy, our state's environmental concerns, and many more pressing issues.
Passage of Amendment V in Colorado is a way to invest in our state's future by bringing the voice of young adults into many vital conversations. Let's allow younger perspectives to be heard in Colorado. Let's vote “yes” on Amendment V.

https://soundcloud.com/thepurplestatereport/27-ag-candidate-phil-weiser

This November Colorado will vote in an especially critical election with wide implications for civil rights and civil liberties. While the governor and congressional races often garner the most attention the Attorney General race is often overlooked. The Attorney General is the people's lawyer and a legal advocate for all Coloradans. The AG is responsible for protecting our state from overreach by the federal government and is the most powerful elected official when it comes to standing up to the Trump administration.

We invited both major party candidates to the Purple State Report to discuss their positions on a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties issues. Today we present our interview with the Democratic candidate for Attorney General Phil Weiser conducted by Public Policy Director Denise Maes and Policy Council Rebecca Wallace.

George Brauchler has thus far declined our invitation but we hope he will join us for a future episode. As a reminder, the ACLU is a nonpartisan organization and does not endorse candidates but we do present both candidates views so voters make an informed decision.

For more information on the candidates running for Attorney General go to: https://voteyouragcolorado.org/

The Purple State Report is brought to you by the ACLU of Colorado. Our show was produced by Vanessa Michel and John Krieger with original theme music by Pablo Novelas. Additional music by The Chantays If you have feedback or suggestions for future episodes email us at [email protected].