Every year, Boulder County Elections staff closely participates in the Colorado legislative process. In the months leading up to the legislative session (which takes place typically every January to May), our office provides ideas and recommendations to improve our election processes to our state legislators either directly and/or in combination with our fellow clerks through the statewide Colorado County Clerks Association (CCCA). Throughout the session, our office tracks legislation and provides feedback, recommended changes, and at times, testimony for and against bills when relevant and impactful. Boulder County Elections evaluates legislative changes and impacts through a lens of improving the voting experience and strengthening the election process or our collective statewide election security posture. Here is a highlight of some of the bills we tracked and participated in this 2022 legislative cycle.
2022 Boulder County Elections Legislative Highlights
| Residence of Voter Whose Home is Destroyed SB22-152 |
| Status: Signed into law April 13, 2022 |
| Summary of Legislation: The bill allows a person whose residence has been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by a natural disaster or by other means to maintain residency for purposes of voting at the address of the destroyed residence if the person intends to return to the residence once it is replaced or becomes habitable. |
| Action taken: Identified need and worked with bill sponsors on drafting legislation and getting it introduced. Testified multiple times in support of the bill. Supported bill alongside the Colorado County Clerks Association.
Why: After the devastating Marshall Fire, we realized that law needed to provide voters clear options following displacement from a natural disaster. This bill clarified the process in law and allows residents who have been displaced by this tragedy, and future tragedies, to vote in their home community, even if they are currently living in a different city and need to remain there for an extended period of time. |
| Internal Election Security Measures SB22-153 |
| Status: Signed into law June 2, 2022 |
| Summary of Legislation: Enhances the security of election systems and processes. This bill focuses on expediting certification requirements for election officials, ensuring that a person who commits an election offense is not allowed to conduct elections, increasing the use of cameras and access controls, and strengthening the penalties for election officials who break election law and violate their oath of office. |
| Action taken: Supported the bill alongside the Colorado County Clerks Association.
Why: This bill expedites education requirements for county staff that administer elections, increases election integrity by mandating camera coverage and stronger access controls for secure areas, and increases penalties for election administrators who violate their oath of office. Recent events have demonstrated the need to redouble efforts to guard against internal threats, and this new law helps us to do that by providing training and increased penalties for those who violate their oath of office. |
| Protections for Elections Officials HB22-1273 |
| Status: Signed into law June 2, 2022 |
| Summary of Legislation: This bill makes it unlawful for a person to threaten or intimidate an election official, prohibits a person from making the personal information of an election official available online, and clears a path for election workers to file requests to remove personal information from online records. |
| Action taken: Supported the bill alongside the Colorado County Clerks Association.
Why: This bill makes it a crime to threaten an election worker. Recent studies have shown that 1 in 3 election workers feel unsafe. The increase in verbal and physical threats to election workers continues to increase, and this law provides tools and pathways election workers can use to protect their publicly recorded information from being used by hostile actors. |
| Vote Without Fear Act HB22-1086 |
| Status: Signed into law March 30, 2022 |
| Summary of Legislation: Bans firearms around election spaces – including ballot processing and voting spaces (vote centers and ballot drop boxes). |
| Action taken: Supported the bill.
Why: Our office supported this legislation because voters and election workers deserve to vote and work in an environment without fear of violence. |
| Provide Security for Certain Elected Officials SB22-133 |
| Status: Signed into law June 8, 2022 |
| Summary of Legislation: Establishes security services that Colorado State Patrol must provide to state lawmakers and statewide constitutional officers (Secretary of State, Attorney General, and State Treasurer). Requires State Patrol to designate patrol officers to be available to provide protection services to constitutional officers upon request. |
| Action taken: Supported the bill alongside the Colorado County Clerks Association.
Why: Colorado State Patrol provides security to statewide elected officials (including the Secretary of State), and this bill allows statewide officials a streamlined appeal process if State Patrol declines to provide protection. This law is important now more than ever as the threats directed at election workers continue. |
Contact Us
Elections Division
303-413-7740
303-413-7728 (Fax)
vote@bouldercounty.gov
Boulder County Elections website
7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday-Thursday
Closed Fridays
Location
Boulder: 1750 33rd St. (main office)
Map and Directions Boulder Location
Longmont: 529 Coffman St.*
Map and Directions Longmont Location
Lafayette: 1755 S. Public Road*
Map and Directions Lafayette Location
* Longmont and Lafayette locations only offer paper voter registration forms
Mailing Address
1750 33rd St., Suite 200
Boulder, CO 80301
