I often remark that our democracy is a team sport, not a spectator sport. That’s why we are now in court challenging the Weld County Commission’s violation of Colorado’s anti-gerrymandering law. In Colorado, we are committed to fair elections and an opportunity for everyone to be represented. To defend that principle, and Colorado law, we are urging the court to strike down the Weld County redistricting map—one that was crafted without sufficient transparency and without adequate public involvement, in violation of Colorado law.
Colorado law calls for a fair redistricting process—protecting against discrimination, providing for transparency, and ensuring the opportunity for all Coloradans to be heard and represented. In Colorado, voters get to pick their elected representatives rather than having elected representatives pick their voters. That’s why unfairly drawn county commission districts are against the law. Under Amendments Y and Z, Colorado voters put in place a national model for how we draw district boundaries for our members of Congress, state representatives, and state senators. And the General Assembly instituted similar requirements for how county commission districts are drawn.
When El Paso County drew its county commission districts, for example, it followed the law and allowed robust participation from its citizens. That included hosting public hearings, sharing proposed maps, and allowing opportunities for sufficient public participation. But Weld County, as this article explains, failed to follow those steps and drew districts that undermined the ability of those living in Greeley (including its significant Latino population) to be represented fairly.
