Read a PDF of our statement here.

Today, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law the Colorado Voting Rights Act (COVRA), protecting Coloradans from discrimination at the ballot box and safeguarding their freedom to vote. The COVRA will, among other things, enshrine powerful new state-level protections to combat voter suppression and vote dilution, expand language access by requiring multilingual ballots, and establish a centralized public database for election data.

As America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice, LDF makes it a priority to support passage of State Voting Rights Acts (State VRAs) across the country. Colorado joins a growing list of states adopting State VRAs that LDF has advocated for, including New York (2022), Connecticut (2023), and Minnesota (2024). A State VRA has now passed every year since 2018, with the exception of the pandemic year 2020.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the passage of the Colorado Voting Rights Act and to see Colorado setting an example for other states to follow,” said Janai S. Nelson, LDF President and Director-Counsel. “Through enacting the COVRA, Governor Polis and the Colorado legislature have made clear that they are committed to defending voters from discrimination. As we work to defend Black communities from unlawful voter suppression and intimidation at a moment of great peril for our democracy, LDF and our allies need every possible legal tool, and we are encouraged that Coloradans will benefit from the COVRA’s critical protections.”

“Colorado took a historic step in enshrining robust protections against discriminatory voting practices and policies,” said Michael Pernick, Policy  Counsel for LDF. “As we continue to see relentless attacks on voting rights at the federal level, we are grateful to Colorado’s leaders for taking bold and crucial steps to protect the right to vote.”

Specifically, the COVRA will, among other things: 

  • Enshrine robust protections for more than 150,000 eligible Black voters in Colorado and other voters of color against racial vote dilution and voter suppression;
  • Break down language barriers by requiring multilingual ballots in communities serving voters with limited English proficiency;
  • Establish a public statewide database for election and demographic data to foster transparent, evidence-based practices in election administration; and
  • Provide new protections for LGBTQ+ voters, voters with disabilities, and eligible voters confined to county jails.

As we witness continuous attacks against our foundational right to vote, it’s more important than ever that we enshrine these protections for all voters into law. Learn more about State Voting Rights Acts across the country and LDF’s efforts to support them here. 

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957 — although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.

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