After more than 1,000 Colorado Common Cause members took action for the Colorado Voting Rights Act, the bill successfully passed in the Senate yesterday morning with unanimous support from the Senate Democrats.

That’s a huge step. But this fight isn’t over—and what just happened in Washington last week makes our work even more urgent.

Donald Trump issued a sweeping executive order trying to take control of how states like Colorado run our elections. It’s unlawful. Congress has already set the rules for registering to vote in federal elections. Trump doesn’t get to rewrite them.

But this attack is part of a larger, dangerous trend.

Across the country, politicians are rolling back voting rights—closing polling places, targeting voters of color, and dismantling the very protections that made our democracy fairer.

Colorado can—and must—be a leader in this moment.

The Colorado Voting Rights Act would:

• Protect Coloradans’ right to vote in the face of attacks on the Voting Rights Act of 1965
• Prohibit discrimination in how elections are run and how communities are represented
• Create access to multi-lingual ballots in municipal elections for the first time
• Establish the nation’s first state-level protections for LGBTQ+ voters
• Protect the right to vote for eligible voters who are confined in county jails
• And more! (If you can believe it)

These protections aren’t theoretical. Voter discrimination still happens—often quietly, in local elections where rules are outdated and unfair. Communities of color continue to face persistent barriers to fair representation in local government, and this bill ensures Coloradans have strong tools to fight for our rights.

Colorado has transformed how we run elections—mail voting, early voting, automatic registration—and we’ve become a national model. Now it’s time to ensure that every part of our system lives up to our values.

This moment demands action. With Trump attacking from the top and national protections collapsing, it’s up to us to protect the right to vote here at home.

Here at Colorado Common Cause, our team is small but mighty. Andrew and I have been able to get this far thanks to the support of our coalition partners, the efforts of our dedicated volunteers, and critical contributions from our supporters.