(The Center Square) - The Colorado Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee narrowly passed legislation aimed at expanding voter turnout Thursday, even as a bill in the U.S. Senate considers limiting voter registration.
House Bill 1113, the Modifications to Elections bill, had already passed the state House when the Senate committee took it up late Thursday morning. The proposal by state Democrats would expand voting periods and increase university voting access, among other access-focused changes.
“We want people voting at high percentages,” said bill co-sponsor Sen. Mike Weissman, a Democrat representing the 28th Senate district, at the committee hearing. “That is the hallmark of a healthy, functioning system.”
The Senate committee passed HB 1113 by a vote of 3-2 along party lines, sending it to the Senate Appropriations committee.
Colorado House Democrats previously passed the bill 41-22 in early March, with the Republican minority widely opposing the measure.
“To say that we have the gold standard and that our elections are secure, I would disagree with that greatly,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, a Republican representing the 9th district, in opposition of the bill during Thursday's hearing. Wilson added later, “To equate success with accessibility and our security takes a hit – I cannot support this bill.”
The biggest change from the bill involves ballot drop box and mailing periods. Ballot drop boxes would accept mail ballots for an extra week in advance of elections – from today’s 15 days to 22 days. Ballots could be mailed to voters 29 days in advance of an election, rather than 22.
The Colorado bill comes after the U.S. House passed a bill aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting by placing greater restrictions on voter registration. The U.S. Senate is currently considering the bill, the SAVE America Act, which would ban online and mail-in voter registration. Both options are available to Colorado voters.
Colorado is one of eight U.S. states considered a universal mail-in voting state where all eligible voters automatically receive a ballot in the mail, according to Ballotpedia. Other universal mail-in states include Utah, Nevada and California. Colorado also had the sixth highest voter turnout in 2024 at 73.1%, according to World Population Review.
“At a time when confidence in our elections is being undermined for political gain, Colorado is choosing to lead with certainty, stability, and integrity,” said Sen. Katie Wallace, the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee chair and bill co-sponsor at the hearing. Wallace is a Democrat representing the 17th district.
The bill largely provided a flurry of updates to voting laws, but also proposed a handful of new measures aimed at expanding access.
Formerly incarcerated people in transitional housing, such as halfway houses, or on parole would newly be allowed to vote under HB 1113.
University students in Colorado would also see increased access to voting. The bill would require colleges and universities to alert students via email 15 days in advance of elections and again the day before an election. Universities with just 1,000 students would be required to have a ballot drop box, down from 2,000.
“This ensures that students have better access to the information they need to vote as the election approaches,” said Kiyana Newell, policy director for New Era Colorado, a youth-voting rights political action group.
HB 1113 would expand eligible worker’s right to two hours' absence for voting on election day to any two hours when voter service and polling centers are open.
