Summary
Colorado is located in the Western region of the USA with Denver as its capital. Jared Polis (D) is Governor.
The Colorado legislature, founded in 1912, has 35 Senate members and 65 House members.
OnAir Post: Colorado onAir
News
The base content in each post in this Colorado onAir Hub has been updated as of 12/20/23. In addition to the eight posts on the home page, in depth posts on each US House member and posts on Colorado government and elections have been started. These posts have been shared with the US onAir Hub and will updated in the US onAir automatically when they are updated in this hub.
If your university or nonpartisan organization (such as a government focused research center, citizen engagement program or a League of Women Voters chapter) is interested in assisting the US onAir network to help curate new issue posts or other posts on this Hub and moderate the forums in each post, contact Ben Murphy at Ben.Murphy@onair.cc.
We are also supporting college students to start an onAir chapter on the their campus to coordinate the curation and moderation of posts especially on state and local representatives and government.
About
The Colorado onAir Hub is managed by students supporting Coloradans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.
- Colorado onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy. This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts. Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites. Key content on this Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
- Colorado students will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content. As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.
Find out more about Who Represents Me in Colorado
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Democracy promoting Nonprofits
League of Women Voters of Colorado -Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.
In Colorado, the League of Women Voters (LWVCO) was organized in 1928. Throughout its history, members have researched, studied, discussed, and reached consensus on many controversial issues. The League in Colorado has had an impact in many areas of government. Some of our notable achievements include:
Colorado Common Cause- Strengthening Democracy
Colorado Common Cause is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization fighting for open, honest and accountable government. We believe that government should reflect the people it serves – and that we’re better off when people from all walks of life participate in self-governance. Only then can we produce equitable outcomes that mirror our diverse communities and shared values
Free news sources
Colorado Newsline
Colorado Newsline is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent source of online news. It launched in July 2020. It provides fair and accurate reporting on politics, policy and other stories of interest to Colorado readers. Newsline is based in Denver, and coverage of activities at the Capitol are central to its mission, but its reporters are devoted to providing reliable information about the environment, health care, education, the economy, the justice system, the functioning of state government, and other topics that concern readers in all parts of the state, from Lamar to Dinosaur, from Durango to Sterling. All Newsline content is free to view.
Rocky Mountain PBS
Over a million Coloradans turn to Rocky Mountain PBS to discover provocative and inspiring local, national and international programming; find diverse viewpoints; score front row center seats to world-class performances; and experience lifelong learning opportunities every month.
Rocky Mountain Public Media is the parent company of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop.
Web Links
State Representatives
Governor Jared Polis
Current Position: Governor since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: US Representative for CO-02 from 2009 – 2019
Polis served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 2001 to 2007, and five terms as the United States representative from Colorado’s 2nd congressional district from 2009 to 2019. A libertarian Democrat, he was the only Democratic member of the Liberty Caucus.
Polis is the founder of the Jared Polis Foundation. The foundation issues annual Teacher Recognition Awards and donates computers to schools and nonprofit organizations. Polis has also founded one charter school (the New America School) and co-founded another (the Academy of Urban Learning).
OnAir Post: Jared Polis – CO
US Representatives
Senator Michael Bennet
Current Position: US Senator since 2009
Affiliation: Democrat
Other positions: Chair, Subcommittee Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resource
A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed to the seat when Senator Ken Salazar became Secretary of the Interior. Bennet previously worked as a managing director for the Anschutz Investment Company, chief of staff to Denver mayor (and his future Senate colleague) John Hickenlooper, and superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
OnAir Post: Michael Bennet – CO
Senator John Hickenlooper
Denver Post 2019
Current Position: US Senator since 2021
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Governor from 2010 – 2018; Mayor, Denver from 2003 – 2010
Other positions: Chair, Subcommittee on Space and Science
After a career as a petroleum geologist, in 1988 he co-founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company, one of the first brewpubs in the U.S. Hickenlooper was elected the 43rd mayor of Denver in 2003, serving two terms. In 2005, TIME named him one of America’s five best big-city mayors.
As governor, he introduced universal background checks and banned high-capacity magazines in the wake of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting.
OnAir Post: John Hickenlooper – CO
Diana DeGette CO-01
Current Position: US Representative of CO-01 since 1997
Affiliation: Democrat
Other positions: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation – Committee on Energy and Commerce
District: all of the City and County of Denver, and the Denver enclaves of Glendale and Holly Hills.
Upcoming Election:
Quote:
We have just reintroduced our bill to ban high-capacity gun magazines. There’s no reason why any civilian needs a gun magazine that holds more than 10 rounds. This legislation will save lives and Congress needs to act immediately. April 14, 2021
OnAir Post: Diana DeGette CO-01
Joe Neguse CO-02
Current Position: US Representative of CO-02 since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Other positions: Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands subcommittee
District: northwestern suburbs of Denver including Boulder and Fort Collins. The district also includes the mountain towns of Vail, Granby, Steamboat Springs, and Idaho Springs.
Upcoming Election:
Quote:
Voting rights can’t wait. The Senate must pass the For the People Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — and exempt legislation on constitutional rights from the filibuster to make it happen. Let’s make the #JohnLewisRule a reality. Aug. 1, 2021
OnAir Post: Joe Neguse CO-02
Lauren Boebert CO-03
C
urrent Position: US Representative of CO-02 since 2021
Affiliation: Republican
Other positions: Co-Chair of the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus
Vice-Chair, Congressional Western Caucus
District: takes in most of the rural Western Slope in the state’s western third portion, with a tendril in the south taking in some of the southern portions of the Eastern Plains. It includes the cities of Grand Junction, Durango, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Ignacio, and Pueblo.
Upcoming Election:
Quote:
Here are my thoughts on mask mandates politicians and bureaucrats are making for school children. If you agree, please join me at LaurenForFreedom.com.
OnAir Post: Lauren Boebert CO-03
Ken Buck C0-04
Current Position: US Representative of CO-04 since 2015
Affiliation: Republican
Other positions: Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee
District: most of the rural Eastern Plains as well as the larger Colorado Front Range cities of Loveland, Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, and Parker.
Upcoming Election:
Quote:
I continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong as Communist China continues its efforts to infiltrate and ultimately control their government, as well as their way of life. Sept. 20, 2021
OnAir Post: Ken Buck C0-04
Doug Lamborn C0-05
Current Position: US Representative of CO-05 since 2007
Affiliation: Republican
Other positions: Senior member, House Committee on Natural Resources
District: Colorado Springs and its suburbs including Cimarron Hills and Fort Carson.
Upcoming Election:
Quote:
“I will also continue to work to reduce unnecessary regulations that prohibit prosperity and protect recreational access on our public lands, which are essential for our outdoor Colorado lifestyle.”
OnAir Post: Doug Lamborn C0-05
Jason Crow CO-06
Current Position: US Representative of CO-02 since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
District: much of the eastern part of the Denver metropolitan area, including all of Aurora, as well as portions of the southern (Centennial and Littleton) and northern metro area (Brighton and Henderson).
Upcoming Election:
Crow is a former Army Ranger.[6] He served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment. After service, Crow became partner with the Holland and Hart Law Firm.
Quote:
The Great War & Modern Memory @ps9714 – Sep 16 Rep. Jason Crow: Trump Is a Public Safety Threat to America.
OnAir Post: Jason Crow CO-06
Brittany Pettersen CO-07
Current Position: US Representative of CO-07 since 2023
Affiliation: Democrat
District: western parts of the Denver metropolitan area, including Golden, Lakewood, Arvada and Broomfield, along with the central Colorado counties of Jefferson, Park, Teller, Lake, Chaffee, Fremont, and Custer.
Upcoming Election:
Brittany Louise Pettersen previously served as a member of the Colorado Senate from the 22nd district from 2019 to 2023, and in the Colorado House of Representatives, representing the 28th district from 2013 to 2019.
OnAir Post: Brittany Pettersen CO-07
Yadira Caraveo C0-08
Current Position: US Representative for District 8
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Pediatrician
District: encompassing sections of Adams County, Larimer County, and Weld County. The largest population centers are Brighton, Commerce City, Greeley, Johnstown, Northglenn, and Thornton.
Upcoming Election:
Yadira D. Caraveo is Colorado’s first Latina member of Congress. Caraveo represented the 31st district in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023.
OnAir Post: Yadira Caraveo C0-08
More Information
Wikipedia
The Government of Colorado is organized into three branches: the executive branch of the Governor, the legislative branch of the General Assembly, and the judicial branch of the Supreme Court and lower courts. This government was created by the Constitution of the State of Colorado, and allows for direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, recall and ratification.
Executive
Statewide elected officials
The five statewide elected officers are:
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The Lieutenant Governor is elected on a ticket with the Governor. All statewide elected officers serve four-year terms.
Other elected executive branch officials
There are also elected members of the Colorado State Board of Education, and the Regents of the University of Colorado are elected from districts coterminous with Colorado’s congressional districts or at large. As a result, the Governor does not have direct management authority over either the Department of Education or any of the state’s institutions of higher education.
Principal departments of the executive branch
The executive branch is otherwise composed of the principal departments:[1]
- Department of Agriculture (CDA)
The State Capitol Annex in Denver - Department of Corrections (CDOC)
- Department of Early Childhood (CDEC)
- Department of Education (CDE)
- Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF)
- Department of Higher Education (CDHE)
- Department of Human Services (CDHS)
- Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE)
- Department of Law (DOL)
- Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)
- Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA)
- Department of Natural Resources (CDNR)
One Civic Center Plaza in Denver - Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA)
- Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
- Department of Public Safety (CDPS)
- Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA)
- Department of Revenue (DOR)
- Department of State (DOS)
- Department of Transportation (CDOT)
- Department of the Treasury (CDT)
Regulations are published in the Colorado Register and codified in the Code of Colorado Regulations (CCR).
Legislature
The legislative body of Colorado is the Colorado General Assembly made up of two houses, the House of Representatives and the Colorado Senate. Members of the House are elected for two year terms from single-member, equal population districts. Approximately half of the members of the state senate are elected each two years to four year terms from single-member, equal population districts. The House of Representatives has 65 members and the Senate has 35 for a total of 100 legislators in Colorado.[citation needed] The session laws are published in the Session Laws of Colorado.[2] The laws of a general and permanent nature are codified in the Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.).[2]
Direct democracy
In addition to providing for voting,[3][4] the people of Colorado have reserved to themselves the:
- initiative of laws,[5]
- referendum of other legislative acts,[5] and
- recall of office holders.[6]
Judiciary
The judiciary of Colorado is defined by Article VI of the Colorado Constitution as well as the law of Colorado. The administration of the state judicial system is the responsibility of the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court as its executive head, and is assisted by several other commissions. Colorado courts include the:
- Colorado Supreme Court,
- Colorado Court of Appeals,
- Colorado district courts,
- Colorado county courts,
- Colorado water courts,
- Colorado municipal courts.
All of the courts above, other than municipal courts and Denver’s county court, are part of the state court system. In Denver, county and municipal courts are integrated and are not part of the state court system for administrative purposes, and the Denver Probate Court and the Denver Juvenile Court have jurisdiction over probate and juvenile matters, respectively. Outside Denver, these matters are within the jurisdiction of the district courts.
Most crimes in Colorado are prosecuted by a district attorney. One district attorney is elected for each of the state’s 22 judicial districts in a partisan election. The state attorney general also has power to prosecute certain crimes, and in rare circumstances a special prosecutor may be appointed to prosecute a crime on a case by case basis. Municipal ordinance violations are prosecuted by city attorneys.
Local government
Colorado is divided into 64 counties, two of which (Pitkin and Weld) are home rule. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships. Two of these counties, the City and County of Denver and the City and County of Broomfield, have consolidated city and county governments.
The 273 Colorado municipalities operate under one of five types of municipal governing authority:[7]
- 2 consolidated city and county governments (Broomfield and Denver)
- 102 cities and towns that are home rule municipalities
- 11 statutory cities
- 157 statutory towns
- 1 territorial charter municipality (Georgetown)
A municipality may extend into multiple counties. There are no township governments in Colorado, but there are more than 4,000 special districts. See Active Colorado Local Governments.
Other political subdivisions include the University of Colorado Hospital Authority, which provides patient care through UCHealth (University of Colorado Health), and the Denver Health And Hospital Authority (Denver Health), which operates a hospital south of downtown Denver among other facilities.
Other governments
There are two federally recognized tribes in Colorado: the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.[8] There are no other known state-recognized tribes.
See also
- Elections in Colorado
- Law of Colorado
- Politics of Colorado
- Bibliography of Colorado
- Geography of Colorado
- History of Colorado
- Index of Colorado-related articles
- List of Colorado-related lists
- Outline of Colorado
References
- ^ Constitution of Colorado, article IV, § 22; C.R.S. § 24-1-110.
- ^ a b Hamilton, Andrea L. (August 2008). “Conducting Colorado Legislative History Research” (PDF). The Colorado Lawyer. 37 (8): 113–115. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-04.
- ^ Constitution of Colorado, article II, section 5
- ^ Constitution of Colorado, article VII
- ^ a b Constitution of Colorado, article V, section 1
- ^ Constitution of Colorado, article XXI
- ^ https://dola.colorado.gov/lgis/lgType.jsf
- ^ “Tribes”. Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
External links
- State of Colorado
- State of Colorado recipient profile on USAspending.gov
