The LWVD Newsletter
March 2025 | March Briefing
Tuesday, March 4 at 5:30-7:00 p.m.
By Zoom
It’s in the headlines daily: Ethical questions about some Justices. Yet another court Case filed to act as a bulwark to defend democracy from the threat of autocracy. Are we facing a Constitutional crisis between the executive and judicial branches of government?
As we are bombarded with such news, how much do we actually remember from that high school civics class about the Third Branch of the US government? Have we thought of it as that dependable institution that chugged along in the background doing its job to uphold our constitutional democracy? Well, the Dobbs decision overturning fifty years of settled law protecting the right to abortion may have suddenly opened the eyes of those of us who aren’t lawyers. And what about the Presidential immunity decision? What just happened? And more importantly, how did it happen?
Some Denver Leaguers were asking themselves these questions when the LWVUS announced last spring that it would do a study of the Federal Court System in preparation for a new LWV National Position (see link below). The LWVUS holds a Principle that governmental powers “should be exercised within the constitutional framework of a balance among the three branches of government.” However, after polling all the 700+ local Leagues, LWVUS found that as a major civic organization whose mantra is “Making Democracy Work,” we had Positions on the Executive Branch and Congress, but none on the Judicial Branch.
We know that LWVUS is providing us with excellent materials for the consensus discussions prior to taking a new national position, but might Leaguers benefit from a crash course on the federal court system to give us a context from which to make our decisions? A small group of Denver Leaguers put on our research hats to do a briefing on the federal courts. We are calling this briefing “Your Federal Court System 101.”
Our briefing will include:
- The origins as conceived of by the Founders in Article III
- Early history of the federal courts
- What the court system looks like today – The District, Circuit/Appeals and the Supreme Courts
- An overview of the evolution of today’s Supreme Court
- Problems with and proposed reforms to improve the functioning of the courts
All this in one handy dandy briefing! Our goal is to provide a civics-style educational context for Colorado Leaguers to be better able to engage in the consensus discussions addressing LWVUS’s new National Position on the federal court system. Open to the public as well as Leaguers, please join us!
After we get this important background information about the Federal Judiciary, we will look at the National material (2024-2025 Federal Judiciary Study Process, Committee, and Resources) and discuss the new proposed position on the Judiciary at one of the two in-person member meetings and one virtual listed below. Being a part of an important new position is exciting. Let's all get involved.
Thursday, March 27, 5:30 p.m.
OR
Saturday, March 29, 10:00 a.m.
OR
Tuesday, April 1, 5:30 p.m. |
Consensus Discussion: National Position on Federal Judiciary |
McCollum Room - Montview Blvd Presbyterian Church
McCollum Room - Montview Blvd Presbyterian Church
Zoom |
Sue Stark, Director of Program
| 
More details here.
| THE LEAGUE’S OATH TO DEMOCRACY
"We do solemnly swear that we will empower voters and defend our democracy..."
In light of the current political climate, LWVUS created its own Oath to Democracy. See the full text here. | Religious Freedom Study Consensus
On Tuesday, February 11, Jeff Oster from Gunnison, on behalf of a State League Study Group, gave a members-only briefing on the proposal to include a LWVCO Position on The First Amendment to the Constitution's stated-right to religious freedom. This briefing was offered both online and in person enabling us to have a recording of it on our LWVD website. You can also find the study materials and the consensus questions posed by this study group on the LWVCO website through the link below. If you were unable to attend the briefing, please review these resources.
Jeff offered considerable information refuting the mistaken belief that the United States was established as a "Christian" nation. He noted that the separation of church and state, which has been a bedrock of our policies and laws is being challenged by such efforts as book bans, requiring bibles and prayer in classrooms and seeks to impose religious beliefs on LGBTQI rights and reproductive healthcare. Far-right, Nationalist-leaning groups often couch their demands in religious beliefs.
LWVCO is asking all Local Leagues to conduct a process of obtaining input from members about whether to support adding a Position. We have the month of March to determine our process to do this. Please look for future updates from the Program Committee.
Susan Stark, Director of Program
Study Paper
| PROPOSED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM POSITION STATEMENT
"The League Women Voters of Colorado stands for the separation of church and state and religious freedom founded upon religious pluralism and individual conscience, free of social or political influence by any religious body. These fundamental civil rights are threatened by religious nationalism.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution reads, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.' The League of Women Voters of Colorado believes that the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment are cornerstones of our democracy.” | 
Congress is about to vote on the
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) bill that requires all eligible voters to provide citizenship documentation to register to vote even though under current US law, it is already illegal for non-citizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. Under this proposed law, every single American citizen would have to show very specific documents, like a passport or an original birth certificate, in person, when registering to vote and anytime they update their voter registration.
This act strikes at the heart of the work that the League of Women Voters holds dear – maintaining and improving voter access. Many citizens do not have easy access to their birth certificate or have a passport. Many married women, who have taken their spouse’s last name, do not have the type of required document that matches their legal name.
Your colleagues on the LWVDenver Voter Service Committee urge you to take action NOW as this bill is due to come up for a House vote soon. Tell your representatives in Congress to vote NO and also challenge them to speak with their colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, who are planning to vote in favor and urge them to vote no.
Here’s how:
Representative Diana DeGette – 202-225-4431 (most likely your representative if you live in Denver)
Senator Michael Bennet – 202-224-5852
Senator John Hickenlooper – 202-224-5941
You may think you don't need to contact them if they will reliably vote against the SAVE Act, but they are better able to vote and defend their position if they have heard from a large number of their constituents.
You can also use this Action Alert link from LWVUS to send a message to our elected officials.
Tip: Sending an electronic message is good, however calling is usually more effective. Do both!
Reference materials:
SAVE Act and Voter Eligibility Talking Points
"Letter to the Editor" Template
Lisa Haddox, Co-Chair Voter Service | Join Us for Circulator Training: Help Register Voters in Denver!
The League of Women Voters of Denver champions democracy by ensuring every eligible citizen has the opportunity to vote. One of the most impactful ways we do this is through voter registration drives—helping Denverites, as well as Coloradans across the state, get registered and ready to participate in elections.
To make our voter registration efforts as effective and legally compliant as possible, we are offering Circulator Training sessions for League members. These sessions will provide the knowledge and skills needed to conduct voter registration drives in Colorado with confidence and accuracy.
We encourage all members to attend one of our upcoming training sessions:
- March 13 at 3:00 p.m.
- March 14 at 3:00 p.m.
- March 20 at 3:00 p.m.
- March 21 at 3:00 p.m.
Why Circulator Training is Essential and Required
Voter registration is a fundamental part of democracy, ensuring that every eligible voter in Colorado has the opportunity to participate in elections. However, registering voters requires a thorough understanding of state election laws and best practices to ensure all applications are completed correctly and submitted properly.
Our Circulator Training will cover:
✅ Colorado’s voter registration rules and requirements
✅ The legal responsibilities of circulators
✅ Best practices for engaging with potential voters
✅ How to ensure voter registration forms are complete and valid
Your Role in Empowering Voters
By participating in this training, you will become part of a dedicated team working to expand voter access in Colorado. As a trained circulator, you’ll play a key role in registering new voters, ensuring that more citizens are prepared to cast their ballots in upcoming elections.
Sign Up Today!
We need trained and motivated League members to help make our voter registration efforts successful. If you’re ready to take action, sign up for a Circulator Training session today!
For more information or to sign up for a training please contact Mariam Bouricius at mttejeda@gmail.com. Let’s work together to empower voters and defend democracy—one registration at a time!
| School Board Election in the Fall - Consider Running?
Voter Service member Renee Ruderman called Denver Elections Division to get information in preparation for the school board elections in the fall. She found out that as of now, there are no candidates. The Elections Division does have a guide with information for school board candidates. Know someone that would be a good school board member? Considering it yourself? Now is the time!
| February Briefing Recap
What We Learned is Up at the National Western Center
We were pleased to welcome CEO Brad Buchanan from the National Western Center as our primary speaker for our briefing on the center Tuesday, February 18. We also heard a brief interview with Councilperson Darrell Watson, who represents Globeville and Elyria-Swansea, the neighborhoods surrounding the center. The event was recorded, and I strongly encourage you to watch if you were unable to attend. The extent of the center is not known to enough people in Denver, and it is an extremely important asset for the present and the future.
Surrounded by western symbols, CEO Buchanan spoke to us from his cattle ranch in Strasburg, Colorado, a town 45 miles east of Denver on I70. He spoke strongly of the importance of connecting the rural/urban divide and keeping alive the western history of our city and state. He personally straddles that divide and wishes more of us would understand and appreciate how our food is grown and meat produced. On the other hand, he wishes rural Colorado would learn and appreciate more about the advantages available in a city. The National Western Center hopes to meet those needs through the National Western Stock Show and the CSU Spur on the NWC campus: three buildings, which are extensions of Colorado State University, entitled VIDA for pet and animal health, TERRA for food, and HYDRA for the precious water we so desperately need in the west. These striking buildings are open to the public on the second Saturday of each month.
Although the campus was originally supported by a tourism tax in 2015, a bond issue in 2021 to further expand the campus was defeated, although supported by the League. CEO Buchanan was understanding about that defeat. They hadn’t done enough to prove they would meet their mission. Too many plans had not been completed on what will be a 250-acre campus.
Of major importance in this project are the surrounding neighborhoods, claiming zip code 80216 the most polluted zip code in North America. These neighborhoods of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea have historically been neglected, which is why we wanted to interview Councilperson Watson to see if the center has been a positive or negative force in those neighborhoods. Although he is hopeful that the center will be a positive force and he is working to help make that so, he said we have failed those neighborhoods so many times, and they don’t trust anymore, if they ever did. Buchanan acknowledged that many households who had known this as their neighborhood for generations had to relocate due to the development. The center has been a triangle which separated these neighborhoods from the center and from each other. That is changing as the center, with federal assistance, has been building bridges across the old train tracks and the Platte River, giving them access to the center and each other. These bridges are a huge step. Buchanan spoke strongly about what they hope will be positive impacts from the center for those neighborhoods.
Buchanan’s presentation and slides show all that has been accomplished and what is yet to be built, including a 200-room hotel. There is a new facility used for concerts and smaller conventions, as well as neighborhood meetings by groups all over the city, such as the UCHealth Fair for Women. 950 jobs have been created with emphasis on the adjacent neighborhoods. They are using sewer lines which contain primarily hot water to supply carbon-free energy, the largest such system in North America.
A major entity is the Community Investment Fund, providing major funding for the neighborhoods, run by the neighborhoods, also presented positively by Councilperson Watson. In 2024, the payback to the community was $90,000, and it is expected that this will be $150,000 in 2025.
Although I encouraged this topic for a briefing and set up the speakers, I want to thank Sue Stark for handling the briefing, including the interview, and thanks to Pearlanne Zelarney for handling the questions in Chat and getting the briefing recordings up on the web so quickly (see the recording on our YouTube Channel here). Although the number of people who attended this briefing was small, the response was positive. I encourage you to check it out. Lots of good things are happening up there.
Marty Sloven
Program Committee
| January Briefing Recap
Looking Ahead: 2025 State Legislative Session
Overview: Both the House and the Senate have a majority of Democrats:
HOUSE – 43 Democrats + 22 Republicans = 65
SENATE – 23 Democrats + 12 Republicans = 35
BUDGET 2024-5 is $43.6 Billion:
12.5 Billion (Medicaid); 12.6 Billion (Cash from fees, etc.); 15.6 Billion (General Fund) and 2.9 Billion (Misc.)
TABOR surplus has been growing (see chart).
Income tax temporary reduction used to pay the refund (2024 4.25%, 2025 4.31% and 2026 4.27%).
There will be a $670 Million budget shortfall in 2025, so bills introduced this year needing new funding will probably fail. Changes to federal tax code will have a big effect on Colorado.
Bills to Watch:
SB25-001 – Colorado Voting Rights Act
LWVCO helped put this together. Lobby Day for this bill is Monday, March 3rd
- Improve ability of communities of color to challenge unfair district maps
- Improve access to voting on tribal reservations
- More support for individuals with disabilities, more information posted
- Improve language access, counties with at least 2000 speakers of a different language would publish a multi-lingual ballot
- Improve election-related data collection at the precinct level to help Colorado’s independent redistricting commissions
- Vacancy committee reform – in 2024 party insiders chose 30% of people who filled vacant seats, with many appointees able to retain their seats in the next election (incumbency advantage). Change this system
Three bills the LWVCO Legislative Action Committee (35 members) is supporting were mentioned at the briefing:
SB25-008 – Adjust Necessary Document Program – providing required documents without charge to persons who need them to function in our community (instead of providing vouchers to pay for them)
SB25-020 – Tenant and Landlord Law Enforcement
HB25-1004 – Eliminate Price Coordination Between Landlords
Housing bills to be introduced:
Tax credit for long term senior homeowners extended to senior renters
Regulate HOA foreclosures which took advantage of homeowners with minor infractions
Bobbie Heisterkamp, Treasurer | Update
2025 Legislative Proposals from the
Colorado's American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee
As we mentioned last month, as part of continued ally-ship with our indigenous neighbors, we are coordinating with LWV of Colorado’s Legislative Liaison, Andrea Wilkins, to follow legislative initiatives that would benefit this population. The three legislative proposals listed below were from Colorado’s American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee. This Committee was formed toward the end of the Legislature’s 2024 session to make policy suggestions and propose bills the begin to meet the needs of the indigenous community.
Here are updates on the three bills we are following:
- HB 25-1057: American Indian Affairs Interim Committee (Concerning the creation of the American Indian affairs interim committee.)
- 01/27/2025 - Sent to Appropriations 01/27/2025, unamended
- SB25-009:
Recognition of Tribal Court Orders (Concerning recognition of certain Tribal court orders.)
- 01/8/2025 - Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary
- SB25-053:
Protect Wild Bison (Concerning the classification of bison as wildlife unless classified as livestock and protection from hunting.)
- 01/15/2025 - Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Agriculture & Natural Resources
We will follow these bills and look for other ways to improve the lives of Native American Coloradans.
Susan Stark, Director of Program | Board Highlights
Monday, February 10, 2025
- At present, LWVD has received $7,555.00 from the Annual Fundraising Letter and $1,100.00 in memory of Jane Wasson.
- We welcomed Mary Jefferson as a new member of our board. Mary will be working with Cassie Bishop, planning to become Membership Chair in May.
- Continued to hear information about how membership in the future will be handled by LWVUS through the new membership portal
- Reviewed our DEI statement, to be sure we fully welcome everyone into our membership
- Cassie promoted Drinks & Dialogue for February 13 on the topic of Make Your Voice Heard.
- Director of Program Sue Stark reviewed the calendar for March when we have two important consensuses to discuss, one a State issue and one a National issue
Marty Sloven, Secretary | Keep Track of Your Volunteer Hours!
Holley Murphy, LWVD member and LWVUS staff member, created a form that any member can use to record volunteer time. LWVUS needs this information and it is also important for us when applying for grants. Please use the form to enter any hours you spend at any cadence you'd like. Maybe once a month or after every event?
Volunteer Hours Form
| In Memoriam
We recently learned of the death of Minna Buck on January 21, 2025 at the age of 96. Minna moved to Denver in 2015 to be close to family and was already a 50-year League member from upstate New York. She attended League events when she could and purchased amaryllis bulbs as gifts. Her obituary described her as "a woman of valor," devoted to "family, community, helping the vulnerable, and the pursuit of justice." A Leaguer, indeed.
We are saddened to learn of the death of Terry Kelly, husband of long-time member and League leader Alice Kelly. Terry was also a League member much of his life and always supportive of our work. We appreciate that the family included the Denver League as one of the charities to consider in donating in Terry's memory.
Please join us for a celebration of life for Beverly Bridges, a long-time League of Women Voters member. We will gather at Evans Chapel on the DU Campus on Saturday, March 15 at 11:30 a.m. An open house/reception will follow at Bev's home in University Park. For further details, please contact Susan Robertson (Bev's youngest daughter) at 303.815.7571 or Bridges.robertson@gmail.com.
| Welcome New Members
Catherine Berns, dragonsheepmom20013@yahoo.com
Deborah Bowditch, debjbross@me.com
Patricia Callahan, patriciacallahan@wispertel.net
Kate Compton, katelorzingcompton@gmail.com
Madeline Gore, madelinegore1@gmail.com
Victoria Haber, victoriahaber23@gmail.com
Mary Jefferson, m_a_jefferson@yahoo.com
Jody Georgeson, georgesonjody@gmail.com
Julie Meyers, julie.meyers.md@gmail.com
Nora Morgenstern, noralyster@gmail.com
Sally Ott, sallyott@hotmail.com
Sandra Vella, smvella@gmail.com
| LWV Denver Units
A great place for meaningful conversations
Units are small groups who meet after briefings to discuss the topic further and whatever else is on the minds of the attendees.
March schedule:
Cheesman Unit
Meets in person on the fourth Tuesday of the month
Next in-person meeting: Tuesday, March 25, 9:30 a.m. at Bobbie’s House
Leader: Bobbie Heisterkamp (303-333-6818)
Cherrington Unit
Normally meets in person the Thursday following the briefing
Next in-person meeting: Thursday, March 20, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at the home of Elsie Haley
Leader: Peg Oldham (720-220-3988)
Highland/Woodbury Unit
Meets in person the third Wednesday of the month
Next in-person meeting: March 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Sassafras Restaurant, 3927 W 32nd Ave. (80212)
Leaders: Sally Augden (303-455-5800) and Joan Friend (303-596-1022)
Observatory Unit
Meets the fourth Tuesday of the month on Zoom or in person
Next Meeting: March 25 in person at the Ross-University Hills Library (space has not yet been confirmed, so may change), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Contact Diane Young (303-886-3365) dioyoung@comcast for Zoom link.
| VOTER Articles Welcome!
We welcome articles from all members. We usually publish the VOTER on the fourth Thursday, so the deadline to submit articles is the Friday before.
| VOTER |
Article Deadline |
Voter Publication Date |
| April |
Friday, March 21 |
Thursday, March 27 |
| May |
Friday, April 18 |
Thursday, April 25 |
Please send your articles or ideas about articles to pzelarney@yahoo.com. | Rather Read the VOTER on Paper?
Click this link for a printable pdf version of the newsletter:
Printable LWVD VOTER
| | 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571 | | | |