COLORADO (KOAA) — House Bill 26-1113 (HB26-1113), also known as Modifications to Elections, has passed through the Colorado Capitol just a month before the Primary Election.
The bill extends voting windows, increases the number of mail-ballot drop boxes, and extends the 100-foot radius around polling centers to prevent political interference.
Now, polling centers are prohibited from closing early and may remain open longer to accommodate voters if the polling place runs out of supplies, such as ballots.
It also requires ballots to be mailed earlier, so there is additional time to vote and return ballots in the event of mail delays.
Higher education institutions with at least 1,000 enrolled students will have an increased number of ballot drop boxes and improve visibility of on-campus voting services and polling centers.
The bill also increases flexibility and approval of leave requests for voting, and changes the rules for vacant spots for a U.S. Senator's office.
The Colorado General Assembly Democrats and Colorado Secretary of State Gena Griswold state that President Trump's executive order restricting voter eligibility and mail-in voting interferes with a state's authority to administer elections.
Colorado Attorney General and Gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser has joined a multi-state coalition suing the administration to block the executive order.
After the passing of the bill, Griswold gave the following statement;
“It is more important than ever to fortify our elections from Trump’s federal interference."
“With this new law, we will send out ballots and open drop boxes earlier, strengthen the prohibition of voter interference, and prohibit any candidate seeking a third term of the Presidency from appearing on Colorado ballot.”
The sponsors of this bill were all Democratic, and changes to elections will be seen as early as this year's General Election.
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