TAKE ACTION NOW!

(We will list latest action items up top, but if you are new to this page, or to activism, scroll down to see what we’ve been up to.
There is useful information throughout. Thanks for stopping by!)

FEBRUARY 2023: Introduced on 1/24/23 —

Senator Schumer email: https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck

Schumer DC office: 202.224.6542

Schumer twitter @SenSchumer: https://twitter.com/SenSchumer

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JANUARY 2023: Even though it took FIFTEEN attempts, republicans in the US House elected Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, but he is still easily one of the weakest House Speakers in congressional history. The full extent of his many concessions to the extremist “Freedom” Caucus has not been felt yet, but it is hard to imagine that the US House will get anything proactive and progressive accomplished for the next 2 years, primarily because the extremist wing of the GOP has one objective: break the very government they campaigned to serve in. Democrats in the House will be tasked with preventing republicans from burning everything down — we’ll need to support Democrats in their defense of democracy, remind them and urge them to hold strong against MAGA extremism. Republicans must stop holding the American people hostage.

On the other hand, locally elected Democrats — our Governor, Secretary of State, AG, all of our Democratic state legislators, and our Boulder County Commissioners — will pass laws and propose democracy-based measures that will protect Colorado, Boulder County and Longmont. The laws we pass and the programs we adopt here in Colorado are often models for other states. These actions from our elected Democrats can also influence the direction of our country on a federal level, in fact address the areas where the extremist faction of SCOTUS has let us down (Passed and signed into law in Colorado last year: HB22-1279 Reproductive Health Equity Act). That’s why gearing up to secure even more robust Democratic US Senate majority, and taking back the US House in 2024 is an ongoing effort (through engagement, getting out the vote, and becoming educated about your ballot every election — and there is an election every year).
take action:
TRACK STATE LEGISLATION VIA CLEAN (Community Legislative Early Action Network. More about CLEAN, here). CLEAN zoom calls start Monday, January 23, at noon (the Colorado legislative session will end in May). To sign up for CLEAN updates, email, here, with “Sign Me Up for CLEAN” in the subject line.
EVERY MONTH LEADS TO YOUR BALLOT: This month, Area Coordinators are contacting Precinct Organizers and reminding them to RSVP to the Boulder County Democratic Party Re-Organization on February 11. Re-Org is where the county party elects or re-elects its officers (including Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer — BCDP Officer Candidate Forum will be on February 8), and conducts party business (bylaws changes, etc.). BCDP Re-Org 2023 webpage, here. For more information, go to bocodems.org
DO YOU KNOW YOUR DISTRICTS?: To find out, go to the Secretary of State’s website, click “find my registration”, at govotecolorado.gov , then click the “county and district information” tab. You will also see your precinct number.
LONGMONT CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS ARE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2023. Stay tuned to this website. LAD will post what seats are up, and will hold a Longmont City Council Candidate Forum, via zoom, in the weeks before the election. Sign up for LAD Blasts (updates, events, action items) by emailing us at longmontareadems@gmail.com with “Sign Me Up!” in the subject line. All of our previous blasts are also posted on our home page (center column) at longmontdems.org
LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS HAS MONTHLY MEETINGS, the first Wednesday of every month. Our next LAD Meeting is Wednesday, February 1, 6:30pm, via Zoom. “Can You Imagine Universal Healthcare in Colorado?” We send the link 2 times the day of the meeting. Email us at longmontareadems@gmail.com with “Send Me the Zoom Link” in the subject line.

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Help Georgia re-elect Senator Warnock
STATUS: SUCCESS!
Senator Warnock was re-elected in the December 6 runoff election in Georgia.

TAKE ACTION: there’s still time! The new US congress is sworn in on January 3
Take advantage of our majorities in the US House and Senate to URGE passage of FEDERAL LEGISLATION NOW!

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— PREPARING FOR THE MIDTERM, TUES, NOVEMBER 8 —

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REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS CALL TO ACTION:

 

COLORADO’S ROLE:
Because of democratic majorities in our Colorado state legislature — and HB22-1279, the Reproductive Health Equity Act — access to abortion, which is a HEALTHCARE DECISION, is protected in Colorado, FOR NOW.

WATCH: New Action to Protect Women from Other States Seeking Abortion Services in California With the 26 states where abortion is essentially illegal as of this moment, with 16 of those states bearing “trigger laws” dependent upon the SCOTUS decision, this means that there are 33.6 million women in the US right now, of child bearing age, whose rights, self determination and protection have ENDED. PLEASE WATCH, below, this press conference from Governor Newsom’s office in California (his remarks toward the end are a call to action), where he “signed AB 1666 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), which seeks to protect those in California from civil liability for providing, aiding, or receiving abortion care in the state. The measure comes as lawmakers in Missouri advance a proposal to allow private citizens to sue Missouri residents who have an abortion out of state, as well as their providers and anyone who assists them in seeking an abortion. Texas has enacted a six-week ban on abortion with a private right of action enabling individuals to sue abortion providers and others. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has introduced a federal bill to exclude employers from receiving tax breaks if they provide abortion access to their employees.” California will have the right to an abortion as part of their state constitution on the ballot this fall.

— REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE RESOURCES —

NARAL Pro Choice Colorado
COLOR: Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights
Cobalt Advocates
Planned Parenthood Abortion Access Tool
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains

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Everywhere you look is an opportunity to DEFEND DEMOCRACY!

The best way to to embolden democracy, is to ENGAGE WITHIN IT.
The health of any democracy is directly proportional to the amount of people-powered engagement.

— HOW TO START? —

Look up your Districts:
Know who represents YOU, or for that matter, who doesn’t.
DID YOU KNOW: that at any given time, you have 25+ elected folks who represent YOU?

LOOK UP YOUR DISTRICTS BY CHECKING YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION:

Go to the Secretary of State’s website at govotecolorado.com . Click, “Find my registration”, put in your name, birthdate and zipcode and your voter registration should come up (go ahead and make sure all the info is current, including your address and affiliation). Click the “County & District Info” tab, where you’ll see your long precinct number up top. The last 3 digits are your “unique precinct identifier”. The rest of the numbers are your district numbers, as explained in the “what does this number mean” link (the “o7” is the number for Boulder County).

(Colorado went through the redistricting process last year, and final district maps (state legislative and congressional) were approved by the Colorado Supreme Court in December. The new district info is now in the voter registration system on the Secretary of State’s website)

HERE’S A SAMPLE OF WHAT YOUR DISTRICT INFORMATION PAGE LOOKS LIKE (your own districts might be different):

The number underlined in red is your “long precinct number”.

HERE’S WHAT YOUR LONG PRECINCT NUMBER MEANS: (your own number might be different, but this is an example of one Longmont long precinct number, and what each series of digits refers to.) PLEASE NOTE: “State of Colorado” and “County Boulder County” signify that YOU ALSO HAVE representatives at the FEDERAL (2 US Senators), STATE (Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, & State Treasurer), and COUNTY (3 County Commissioners) levels that represent you, as a resident of Boulder County, Colorado, as well. Also note: you live in one County Commisioner district, but vote for every county commissioner that comes up on your ballot):

There is a widget showing all the Longmont Area District Maps on this website. Click this widget:

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 BESS LEVIN, Vanity Fair, writes: “So what now? This fight for a real democracy has been part of America since its founding. Nor is using the filibuster to block pro-democracy, pro-civil rights legislation anything new. After the Civil War, southern segregationists popularized and weaponized the filibuster to prevent the Senate from taking up democracy legislation. The 1964 Civil Rights bill overcame a weeks-long filibuster, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act faced its own filibuster threats as well. Those bills were decades in the making — the end successful result of decades of failed attempts.” READ the rest of Levin’s post, here.

READ: Opinion: Stop blaming the left for Biden’s problems, WaPo, 1/19/22, here. “In fact, in the entire history of his party, going all the way back to its founding in the early 19th century and the presidency of Andrew Jackson, no Democratic president has come into office with congressional majorities as small as Biden’s. Not one.”
READ: Why Biden Had No Other Choice on Voting Rights, The Atlantic, 1/19/22, here.

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— DEFENDING DEMOCRACY IS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY—

JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Rep. Bennie Thompson, MS-2, Chair
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, CA-19 • Rep. Elaine Luria, VA-2
Rep. Adam Schiff, CA-28 • Rep. Pete Aguilar, CA-31
Rep. Stephanie Murphy, FL-7 • Rep. Jamie Raskin, MD-8
Minority Members:
Rep. Liz Cheney, WY-0, Vice Chair
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, IL-16

Support PROCESS, and the Committee’s work!
SHARE what you learn on social media!
IF THE GUILTY ARE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE,
THEY WILL TRY TO DESTROY OUR DEMOCRACY AGAIN!

SENATOR MICHAEL BENNET: 202-224-5852 (DC)
303-455-7600 (Denver). Website, here.
SENATOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER: 202-224-5941 (DC)
303-244-1628 (Denver). Website, here.
OR USE RESISTBOT: text “resist” to 50409

all you need to know, below:
(links, background info, talking points to spread the word)

BUILD BACK BETTER —
From Indivisible: “As we are sure you remember, the House of Representatives stuck to their promises and passed Biden’s full Build Back Better agenda (BBB). Now the bill has made its way to the Senate, where we expect senators to come to an official vote as soon as possible. Biden’s full Build Back Better Agenda will make badly needed public investments across the economy, so we need to keep pushing for a vote to get past the last few hurdles (including pushback from our usuals: Sens. Manchin and Sinema).”

“The House just passed the Build Back Better Act (BBB) and now it is on its way to the Senate. Now it is time for the Senate to do its job and pass BBB this week. With just a few days left before recess, it is urgent that you call your senator and tell them how important it is that we pass an inclusive recovery bill that works for everyone ASAP.”

From Heather Cox Richardson: “The Build Back Better bill, also known as the Reconciliation bill because if it gets through the Senate it will have to do so through the reconciliation process, which cannot be filibustered, is a huge deal. It reorients our national investment away from a wealthy few and toward ordinary families, much as Lincoln insisted in 1859 that the country should not invest in elite enslavers, but rather in ordinary men, who would innovate as they worked to provide for their families.

“When the House passed the bill, Democrats recognized the extraordinary skill of House Speaker Pelosi in nailing together a coalition to get this measure to a positive vote, chanting: “Nancy, Nancy, Nancy.”

ALL ABOUT THE BUILD BACK BETTER FRAMEWORK, here.

FROM INDIVISIBLE, The Build Back Better Act, Explained, here.

And…just a few of the great things in the Build Back Better Act.
Feel free to download these jpegs!:

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UNRIGGING THE COURTS —
From Indivisible: “We can no longer rely on the Supreme Court to be fair arbiters of justice on this issue and many others, and it’s more urgent than ever that we unrig our courts…Fueled by dark money groups, Republicans have completely taken over the federal judiciary. For decades, Republicans have hijacked the federal judiciary, installing far-right extremist judges hell-bent on rolling back civil rights protections, reproductive justice, workers’ rights, LGBTQ equality, and more. As president, Donald Trump’s ramped up the GOP attack on our courts, with help from his chief enabler, Mitch McConnell. Together, Trump and McConnell successfully confirmed over 200 judges to the federal judiciary, including three Supreme Court justices. These judges are overwhelmingly white, male, and young. Many of them were rated “unqualified” to serve as judges. And although Trump has mercifully left office, his judges will be on the bench for the rest of their lives, working to overturn any progressive legislation passed throughout the country…”

To unrig our courts, we need to pass bold, structural reform in these four areas:

• Supreme Court expansion
• Expansion of the lower federal courts
• Term limits for Supreme Court justices
• Improved ethics and transparency requirements

READ: Unrigging the Courts and our Democracy, here.

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FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT and the JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT —

From Indivisible: “Sen. Schumer and other Democratic senators have agreed to move forward with democracy reform, even without Republican support for the bill. Call your senators and let them know you stand with Sen. Schumer, and you want them to adjust the filibuster now to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act before they leave town for the holidays.”

The Freedom to Vote Act, alongside the D.C. Statehood bill and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, are the cornerstones of the necessary reforms we need to unrig our democracy and make it work for all. The Freedom to Vote Act includes the following provisions:

• Voter empowerment and access
• Money in politics. A constitutional amendment is needed to overturn the chaos that Citizens United and related Supreme Court decisions unleashed into our campaign finance system…
• Redistricting and Fair Maps
• Preventing Election Subversion. After the 2020 election and subsequent efforts to overturn the results by state officials and other bad-faith actors, it was clear there needed to be more protections against election subversion.

H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, name for a man who risked his life for the right to vote, would re-establish the preclearance requirements that were thrown out in Shelby County, among other voter protections. It would also require preclearance on a nationwide scale for practices that disproportionately affect communities of color such as:

• Changing election practices in diverse areas
• Changing documents required to vote or to register to vote
• Reducing access based on language
• Reducing polling locations in diverse areas

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WOMENS’ HEALTH PROTECTION ACT —

From Indivisible: “The radical conservative supermajority installed by Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump is set on gutting Roe v. Wade and extinguishing the constitutional right to abortion. Democrats have the votes to pass this bill, if they muster the will. We can’t let them off the hook.”

The conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court just allowed Texas’s barbaric abortion ban to stand. The Texas law at issue would ban abortions after six weeks, which in effect is a near-total ban on abortion, since most people aren’t even aware that they are pregnant at that stage. Not only that, the law establishes what amounts to a vigilante system of justice, allowing private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone suspected of having an abortion after six weeks, abortion providers who perform abortions after six weeks, and even against cab drivers or friends who drive someone to an abortion appointment.

What would the Women’s Health Protection Act do?, here.

More sources on the Women’s Health Protection Act:
civilrights.org | actforwomen.org | congress.gov

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— FINAL UPDATE —

Colorado Supreme Court approves new congressional map drawn by redistricting commission,
Colorado Sun, 11/1/21
Colorado legislative maps get final approval from state Supreme Court, Colorado Sun, 11/15/21

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UPDATE, 10/12/21:
Colorado Supreme Court decides next step on congressional redistricting map, 9News, 10/12/21, here.

Final Approved Congressional Plan for CD2:
Now at the Colorado Supreme Court for Approval
CD2_Final_Approved_Plan

Third Staff Plan for HD13, Longmont:

2021 LONGMONT HD13

 

Third Staff Plan for SD17, Longmont:

2021 LONGMONT SD17

UPDATE, 9/4/21:

ATTEND: COLORADO COMMON CAUSE is hosting two special Congressional redistricting prep sessions to examine the Commission’s new map and discuss how it impacts your community. In these sessions you will receive the tools and information needed to testify during one of the special Congressional redistricting hearings or to get your neighbors involved. These hearings are our final chance to provide input on the Congressional maps. We must show up.
SIGN UP for Tuesday, September 7th at 3:00pm
— OR —
SIGN UP for Wednesday, September 8th at 7:00pm.

Remapping 2021 | Big decisions still left on the next round of Colorado’s congressional map, Colorado Sun, 8/30/21, here.

WHAT’S NEXT: Since Census data was released August 12, the Commission has been working on new congressional and state legislative maps. This means they are not only considering the latest census figures, they are also considering all of the comments submitted by the public.
WATCH for the next draft of the congressional maps to be posted online Sunday, September 5 (and presented to the congressional redistricting commission on Monday, Sept. 6.)
WATCH for the next draft of the state legislative maps to be posted online on Monday, September 13 (and presented to the legislative redistricting commission on Tuesday, Sept. 14.)

CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE, THANK YOU!

UPDATE, 8/5/21: The Census Bureau just announced that the redistricting data will be released on
Thursday, August 12.
“This is the data map drawers need to start drawing the next decade of district lines. This data drop will kick the redistricting process into high gear — but as Attorney General Holder said, it’s also the moment when map manipulators will put their plans to gerrymander into action too.”
— ALL ON THE LINE.org
SO THAT MEANS: The preliminary maps presently on the redistricting.colorado.gov website will change after August 12!

MANY THANKS to the over ONE HUNDRED folks who attended LADs FAIR MAPS Redistricting Webinar on August 4
(recording below)

You showed us how important engaging in the redistricting process is to all of you, and we hope we provided helpful information, and laid the groundwork so that you can advocate for your communities of interest. ALSO THANKS to  Jennifer Parenti of Colorado Common Cause who provided a quick overview of the redistricting process in Colorado, and answered many questions! Our thanks to the Boulder County Democratic Party, who promoted our event on Wednesday, handling the registration process, and the webinar technology.

VIEW the recording of LADs August 4, 2021 meeting,
an overview of redistricting,
with a presentation from Colorado Common Cause,
HERE.

AND WE ARE HAPPY that so many Longmont folks participated
in the August 10 public hearing, either in person or via remote testimony!

LISTEN: The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission Public Hearing, August 10, held in Longmont, audio, here. (hearing starts at 7 minutes in)

THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS CONTINUES!
PLEASE ENGAGE IN THE ONGOING PROCESS
— and continue to comment online, HERE.

More helpful information below (updated daily)!

Links to other presentations, resources and newsletters at the end of this section.

We won’t be telling you which maps to advocate for (we will however, provide questions and concerns to consider), BUT because this complicated yet important process affects YOU, your task as a democracy-minded person is to determine whether the criteria of fairness is met in the new district lines. The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission came about as a result of voters overwhelmingly voting in support of Amendments Y & Z in 2018, so it is now part of Colorado’s Constitution. A transparent process with lots of public input and oversight — that’s how important your participation is to Colorado’s future!

We suggest that you follow these tips to get you started:

 

You’ll be looking at and considering 3 maps: your congressional map, your state house district map and your state senate district map.

The Redistricting Commission suggests these questions to get you started in submitting a public comment (from the redistricting.colorado.gov website):

• What shared interests unite your community?
• What are your community’s public policy concerns?
• What geographic areas or features are important to your community?
• What else should the commissions know about your community?

(This is where you keep in mind the Commission’s definition of “communities of interest”. See below.)

If you live in Longmont, you presently reside in Congressional District 4, with Ken Buck as our representative. We know what it’s like to live in a gerrymandered district, and we’ve learned a lot in the last 10 years. The preliminary map shows Boulder County fully contained in CD2, including Longmont. But is it a good idea for us now to be part of CD2? Are Longmont’s “communities of interest” truly compatible with the rest of Boulder’s? (see the “communities of interest” slides, below) “Competitive districts” are also a consideration in drawing district lines. Would Longmont do well in a more competitive district like CD8?

If you’re not sure which current State House District you live in — HD11 (most of Longmont) or HD12 (South Longmont) — you can find all your districts on your voter registration page at govotecolorado.com — Click “Find my registration”, put in your information, and click the “County & District Information” to see all of your districts.

If you live in Longmont, you presently live in Senate District 17.

You’ll see side by side comparisons of your present Longmont Districts, alongside the preliminary maps from the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission, below. Of course, the preliminary maps will change once the Census data (released August 12) is utilized. But right now the preliminary maps look nothing like our present maps. We’re also including our local concerns that we brought up at the August 4 meeting. There is a complete collection of congressional and state district maps for 2001, 2011, the preliminary maps, pdfs to download and interactive links — so that you can zoom in and see exactly where lines are — at redistricting.colorado.gov (Click the “Maps” tab to access all maps available, including interactive links)

The Colorado Independent Redistricting Committee will hold public (in person) meetings throughout August. Public Hearing Schedule, here. You can attend meetings outside your district, and still comment/testify on your communities of interest within your district. You can also testify remotely during the public meeting.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT TESTIFYING IN PERSON AT THE PUBLIC MEETINGS:
To testify in person, sign up is first-come-first-served so sign up as early as possible. To testify remotely you MUST sign up in advance. If you decide to bring in a letter of testimony to the commissioners, bring 20 copies of your letter. All testimony sign up and info HERE.

Common Cause Colorado has worksheets to prepare you for testimony or to help formulate a letter to the redistricting commission, here.

FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY and ONLINE COMMENT: You must be very specific in your testimony about why you believe the district boundaries should or should not be drawn a certain way AND propose what you believe the boundaries should be. The more specific your testimony, the more impactful it will be.

You can COMMENT ONLINE until August 28, 2021. Refer to redistricting.colorado.gov (Click the “Public Engagement” tab and pull down for more options) for complete information and recommendations. You can supply an attached map to your online comment.

You can email us with questions at longmontareadems@gmail.com

PLEASE LOOK THROUGH THE SLIDES, MATERIALS, AND LINKS BELOW (we will update this space daily). We hope that this is good preparation for you form your own opinion, develop your own criteria for fairness, and determine the very best way to advocate for fair maps. The Commission is not only in place to hear from you, we need to show the Commission that we are watching and IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!

 

It is our firm belief that key phrases within the Commission’s “communities of interest” description, point to avenues of advocacy for fair lines in Longmont: “any group in Colorado that shares one or more substantial interests that may be the subject of federal [or state] legislative action.” Other shared policy concerns with communities that are in proximity to Longmont are: agricultural, industrial, environmental, and public health.

(HOVER OVER MAPS TO ACCESS MENU & NAVIGATE FULL SCREEN, DOWNLOAD,
ZOOM IN/OUT. CLICK FULL SCREEN ICON AGAIN TO GET BACK TO PAGE.)

PRESENT CD4 MAP:

CD4 2011

There is a 2010 stat sheet for CD4 with the pdf link for the above map on redistricting.colorado.gov

PRELIMINARY CONGRESSIONAL MAP:

Maps CD

PRELIMINARY CD2 MAP:

CD2_Prelim

For an interactive version of the above map — so you can zoom and see exactly where the lines are — go to redistricting.colorado.gov , click the “Maps” tab, pull down to “2021 Redistricting Maps” and click the “Interactive Map” link.

PRESENT LONGMONT HOUSE DISTRICT 11 MAP:

HD11 2011

Our current map, above, has Longmont mostly contained in one House District (HD11), with the rest of the district stretching west.

PRESENT SOUTH LONGMONT HOUSE DISTRICT 12 MAP:

HD12 2011full

The South part of Longmont is in HD12, above, with the rest of the district stretching south to encompass Niwot, Lafayette and Louisville — all of these communities in HD11 & HD12 together have compatible concerns as well as representation addressing specific concerns for each district. 

HD62 2021

The preliminary map for HD62, above, looks nothing like our present lines, stops at Pike Road, and excludes Niwot, Lafayette, Louisville, the Prospect neighborhood, the Creekside neighborhood, and the neighborhood south of Clover Basin. The question to ask is, did the Commission staff “start from scratch” here? Aren’t the expectations of residents within a district for ten years that is now going to drastically change, a consideration?

PRESENT STATE SENATE DISTRICT 17 MAP:

SD17 2011

As mentioned before, Longmont is presently contained in its own State Senate District 17, above. The district also includes Niwot, Lafayette, and Louisville.

SD32 2021

We posted some concerns about Boulder and Weld counties co-existing within the same district at our August 4 meeting:

There are varying opinions as to how much of Weld County’s property tax assessment is offset by Oil and Gas Revenue. Weld County’s budget is available online, here.

ALSO NOTE: Landmark oil and gas regulation was passed in our legislature because residents of our district and county (Boulder) demanded it. In fact, our state representative at the time sponsored SB19-181. Inherent in that law is local control, and protection against industrial entities jeopardizing the health and safety of residents. Weld County has different policy priorities.

We will continue to analyze the maps and would be glad to share any new map proposals you might provide. We will also post comment from other communities of interest in the Longmont area. Please read the editorials, below, from State Rep’s Herod and Bacon, and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.

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More redistricting resources & info —
(remember, lines are drawn for our congressional districts, AND our state house and senate legislative districts)
The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission website:
redistricting.colorado.gov where you’ll find schedules for upcoming commission meetings, public meetings, all the rules, laws, legal and ethical obligations of committee members, preliminary maps and FAQs. ALSO: you can comment online at any time, on the Commission’s website, here. Refrain from being “political” in your comment, stick to what meets your own criteria for fairness.

From redistricting.colorado.gov, “Legal Requirements tab” > “Commission Rules” > “download Legislative Commission Rules amended 070921.pdf” > (scroll down) “Section 2.2: Purpose 5. (2) (a): “As much as is reasonably possible, the commission’s plan must preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions*, such as counties, cities, and towns. To facilitate the efficient and effective provision of governmental services, with regard to any county, city, city and county, or town whose population is less than a district’s permitted population, the commission shall presume that such county, city, city and county, or town should be wholly contained within a district; except that a division of such county, city, city and county, or town is permitted where, based on a preponderance of the evidence in the record, a community of interest’s legislative issues are more essential to the fair and effective representation of residents of the district. When the commission divides a county, city, city and county, or town, it shall minimize the number of divisions of that county, city, city and county, or town.”
*Please note: “political subdivisions” does NOT refer to political affiliation. This refers to the lines that form “counties, cities and towns” These Commission rules are for state legislative districts. You can find the rules for the congressional districts, here.

Preliminary maps for congressional and state legislative districts from redistricting.colorado.gov, here.

The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission’s twitter feed is actually pretty informative as well, here: @CORedistricting

There are literally dozens of online mapping apps to choose from. Here’s a mapping tool hub, so you can compare.

538.com has created a sitelet called The Atlas of Redistricting. They used the “Dave’s Redistricting” app for their maps. As an exercise to see the difference between maps drawn for a specific outcome, under “GO TO:”, pull down to “Colorado”, and click their “Goals” buttons.

Also from 538: Hating Gerrymandering is Easy. Fixing It is Harder., here.

Redistricting info from League of Women Voters, here.

WATCH: Redistricting in Colorado: Impacts in Boulder County, League of Women Voters Boulder County, 8/5/21, here.

FOLLOW: The Colorado Sun’s coverage of redistricting, here.

OPINION: From Rep’s Herod and Bacon, here.

OPINION: From Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, here.

OPINION: Democratic former Speaker of the House, Dickie Lee Hullinghorst, Denver Post, 7/29/21, here.

NEWSLETTER: From State Representative Tracey Bernett (HD12),8/5/21, here.

READ: Remapping Colorado: Census data comes a few days early and the week ahead in redistricting, The Colorado Sun, 8/9/21, here.

SIGN UP: The Colorado Sun’s weekly redistricting newsletter, Remapping Colorado, here.

PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAPS: From Colorado Latino Leadership & Advocacy Research Organization (CLLARO), State House Map, here. State Senate Map, here.

— THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS OF REDISTRICTING.
YOUR VOICE COUNTS! —

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TAKE ACTION NOW ON THE BIG THREE:
For the People Act of 2021, DC Statehood, Bust the Filibuster!

Elected officials don’t do what their constituents want
unless those constituents make them do it.

Senate Republicans are just OBSTRUCTIONISTS, which will help UNIFY the Senate Democrats to ACT. Remember: In 1964, it took overcoming a 54-day filibuster to pass the Civil Rights Act in the Senate. The next year it took more than a month after the Voting Rights Act started full senate debate to get past the threat of a filibuster.
LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP: We need Schumer to publicly, loudly, forcefully recommit to getting democracy reform done before August recess. And we need President Biden using his full moral authority and bully pulpit power to drive the national conversation and urgency around the threats to our democracy.
LEADERSHIP FROM THE GRASSROOTS: Elected officials don’t do what their constituents want unless those constituents make them do it. PLEDGE TO TAKE ACTION, here.

 

The For the People Act of 2021: Passed the US House, March 3, 2021. Introduced to the US Senate (S. 1) March 17, 2021 This HISTORIC LEGISLATION will: make it easier to vote in federal elections; end congressional gerrymandering; overhaul & enforce federal campaign finance laws; increase safeguards against foreign interference; strengthen government ethics rules; implement Ethics Reform for Supreme Court, Executive Branch, and Congress; expanding lobbyist disclosure; FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) reform; recusal of Presidential Appointees; disclosure of Presidential tax returns. Most of these reforms would be implemented for the November 2022 general election!

FROM BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE: Annotated Guide to the For the People Act of 2021, here.

PLEASE CHECK peopleswhipcount.org OFTEN to apprise progress of support:

ALSO SIGN THIS PETITION, here.

ALL KINDS OF GRAPHICS TO SHARE on social media, here!

CONTACT President Biden via EMAIL, here. COMMENTS: 202-456-1111
EMAIL Senate Majority Leader Schumer, here.
CONTACT Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper. DEMAND THAT THEY SPEAK OUT RIGHT NOW to reiterate that the path forward depends on For the People, not hazy ideas about compromising with a party of insurrectionists.
Senator Michael Bennet: 202-224-5852 (DC)
303-455-7600 (Denver). Website here.
Senator John Hickenlooper (D): 202-224-5941 (DC)
303-244-1628 (Denver). Website here.
OR USE RESISTBOT: text “resist” to 50409

 

Always refer to it as the JIM CROW Filibuster!
READ: From Indivisible, So What the Hell Do We Do Now?, here.
READ: From Mike Litwin, Colorado Sun, If Democrats want voting reform, give Joe Manchin what he wants and make him deliver, here.

MORE REASONS TO BUST THE FILIBUSTER —
Passed by the US House on March 18, 2021, H.R. 6: American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, on to the US Senate next. More info, here.
Passed by the US House on March 18, 2021, H.R. 1603: Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, on to the US Senate next. More info, here.
READ: House passes two immigration bills that would establish path to citizenship for millions, CNBC, 3/19/21, here.
READ: Statement by President Biden on the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, 3/18/21, here.
CHECK peopleswhipcount.org OFTEN to see who wants to eliminate the filibuster (NOT just reform it). NEW: FILIBUSTER FRIDAYS! Post graphics on social media from here.
MORE SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS, here!

CONTACT President Biden via EMAIL, here. COMMENTS: 202-456-1111
EMAIL Senate Majority Leader Schumer, here.
CONTACT Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper. DEMAND THAT THEY SPEAK OUT RIGHT NOW to reiterate that the path forward depends on For the People, not hazy ideas about compromising with a party of insurrectionists.
Senator Michael Bennet: 202-224-5852 (DC)
303-455-7600 (Denver). Website here.
Senator John Hickenlooper (D): 202-224-5941 (DC)
303-244-1628 (Denver). Website here.
OR USE RESISTBOT: text “resist” to 50409

USE THIS IN YOUR MESSAGING TO BENNET & HICKENLOOPER! If EVEN AFTER COMPROMISE on the part of Democrats, the republicans CANNOT AND WILL NOT DO THE RIGHT THING in voting for the January 6th Commission — they’re NOT going to do the RIGHT THING for Americans — EVER!

WATCH — From CBS Sunday Morning, 7/4/21: “For the colonists who declared independence 245 years ago, “No taxation without representation” was a rallying cry. For residents of our nation’s capital, it still is. Correspondent Mo Rocca looks at the issue of statehood for Washington, D.C., and of the political divide that exists about giving a vote in Congress to the taxpaying citizens living there.” (click video below)

S 51: D.C. Statehood. Introduced in the US House January 4, 2021, Passed the House April 22, now in the Senate! D.C. Statehood is both a critical racial justice and democracy issue, up against a pernicious legacy. D.C. is a historically-Black city and Black people still make up just under 50% of the population. President Lincoln signed a bill that abolished slavery in D.C. — a full nine months before his national Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, so the District quickly became a popular place for recently-freed Black people and escaped slaves to go, find work, and settle. However, during Reconstruction, racist white politicians were loath to give recently-enfranchised Black men more political power, a trend that’s continued to this day. If D.C. is granted statehood, it would be the only state in the nation to have a plurality of Black residents. It would enfranchise over 700,000 people, who now lack equal voting rights compared to their neighbors across the country. Meaning, no voting representative in the House and no representation in the Senate at all. The current makeup of our Senate is biased towards white, rural areas. D.C. statehood would provide two new senators who would be vital to fixing our broken Senate. Despite overwhelming support in D.C. for statehood, the federal government has so far refused to grant full representation to D.C. residents.

CONTACT SENATORS BENNET & HICKENLOOPER! Both Bennet and Hickenlooper support DC Statehood. Specifically, DEMAND a congressional hearing, a congressional markup (process by which congressional committees and subcommittees debate, amend, and rewrite proposed legislation) and ELIMINATE THE FILIBUSTER so that we can PASS the D.C. statehood bill on the Senate floor! (more about the filibuster, below):
Senator Michael Bennet: 202-224-5852 (DC)
303-455-7600 (Denver). Website here.
Senator John Hickenlooper (D): 202-224-5941 (DC)
303-244-1628 (Denver). Website here.
OR USE RESISTBOT: text “resist” to 50409

SIGN THIS PETITION IN SUPPORT OF DC STATEHOOD, here.

CHECK peopleswhipcount.org OFTEN to see who’s supporting S 51! For instance, Murkowski (R-AK) is “open to it” (could she pull through for us this time?), Kelly, Sinema (D-AZ) are “unknown”, King (I-ME) is “unknown” and of course, Manchin (D-WV) is “opposed”.

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21 House republicans voted AGAINST giving Capitol police officers the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of their defending our US Capitol on Jan. 6. Here’s the list:

And their twitter addresses are:
@laurenboebert
@RepJohnRose
@RepAndyHarrisMD
@RepThomasMassie
@RepBobGood
@replouiegohmert
@RepBarryMoore
@RepRalphNorman
@RepRosendale
@mtgreenee
@RepChipRoy
@RepGosar
@RepAndyBiggsAZ
@WarrenDavidson
@RepScottPerry
@RepMattGaetz
@RepGregSteube
@Rep_Clyde
@CongressmanHice
@RepMaryMiller
@RepCloudTX

14 House republicans voted AGAINST making Juneteenth a federal holiday. They are:

Mo Brooks @RepMoBrooks | Andy Biggs @RepAndyBiggsAZ | Andrew Clyde @Rep_Clyde | Scott DesJarlais @DesJarlaisTN04 | Paul Gosar @RepGosar | Ronny Jackson @RonnyJacksonTX | Doug LaMalfa @RepLaMalfa | Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie | Tom McClintock @tommcclintock |Ralph Norman @RepRalphNorman | Mike Rogers @RepMikeRogersAL | Matt Rosendale @RepRosendale | Chip Roy @RepChipRoy | Tom Tiffany @TomTiffanyWI

35 Senate republicans voted AGAINST the Jan. 6 Commission. They are:

John Barrasso WY @SenJohnBarrasso | John Boozman AR @JohnBoozman | Shelley Moore Capito WV @SenCapito | John Cornyn TX @JohnCornyn | Tom Cotton TX @SenTomCotton | Kevin Cramer ND @SenKevinCramer | Mike Crapo IN @MikeCrapo | Ted Cruz TX @tedcruz | Steve Daines MT @SteveDaines | Joni Ernst IA @SenJoniErnst | Deb Fischer NE @SenatorFischer | Lindsey Graham NC @LindseyGrahamSC | Chuck Grassley IA @ChuckGrassley | Bill Hagerty TN @BillHagertyTN | Josh Hawley MO @HawleyMO | John Hoeven ND @SenJohnHoeven | Cindy Hyde-Smith MS @SenHydeSmith | Ron Johnson WI @SenRonJohnson | John Kennedy LA @SenJohnKennedy | James Lankford @SenatorLankford |
Mike Lee UT @SenMikeLee | Cynthia Lummis WY @SenLummis | Roger Marshall KS @RogerMarshallMD |
Mitch McConnell KY @LeaderMcConnell | Jerry Moran KS @JerryMoran | Rand Paul KY @RandPaul | Marco Rubio FL @marcorubio | Rick Scott FL @SenRickScott | Tim Scott SC @SenatorTimScott | Dan Sullivan AK @SenDanSullivan | John Thune SD @SenJohnThune | Thom Tillis NC @SenThomTillis | Tommy Tuberville AL @SenTuberville | Roger Wicker MS @SenatorWicker | Todd Young IN @SenToddYoung

ALSO: The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results, here.

SO WHAT DO WE DO? Follow all the DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS to these seats! Yes, we need to toss the filibuster, but we also have to INCREASE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITIES. Stay tuned…we’ll keep a running list on this page.

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— NEVER FORGET —

January 6, 2021 was an insurrection. Incited by trump. Enabled by republicans. Then on February 13, 43 republican Senators, fearing the wrath of trump more than the dismantling of our democracy, paved the way for another insurrection, or worse.
FURTHER, on May 28, Senate Republicans BLOCKED the
Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Independent Commission!

MOVING FORWARD: We will keep you apprised of proactive, pro-democracy actions. This will include supporting Democrats running against who amongst the 43 republican Senators are retiring or running again in 2022. Increasing our Democratic majority in the US House.  ALSO: Busting the filibuster, Passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, helping other states join the National Popular Vote Compact, and MORE.

JUSTICE & ACCOUNTABILITY: The list of complicit enablers is long, hypocrisy and political opportunism is rampant. (Starting with the 147 republicans who voted to sustain the objection(s) to the EC votes EVEN AFTER the coup on our nation’s capitol.) The FBI continues to arrest those who committed acts of insurrection, destruction and violent threats. Details of the extent of prior planning are revealed every day. As CNN reports, “Out of office and without the protections that the presidency afforded him, Trump is now facing multiple criminal investigations, civil state inquiries and defamation lawsuits by two women accusing him of sexual assault.” The “heaping list” of trump’s legal problems also include “investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results, losing corporate partnerships following Trump’s January 6 speech”…”Manhattan District Attorney’s office is looking into whether the Trump Organization violated state laws, such as insurance fraud, tax fraud or other schemes to defraud.”…”enforcement of a subpoena for eight years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns and related records”…”New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ office is conducting a civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization inflated the values of his assets in order to secure favorable loans and insurance coverage.”…”deposed Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, in October. James’ investigation is civil at this time but could become criminal.” Another suit “alleges the Trump Organization and Presidential Inaugural Committee abused more than $1 million in inauguration funds by “grossly overpaying” to use event space at Trump’s Washington, DC, hotel for his inauguration in 2017.” Defamation suits: “One was filed by E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist who accused him of rape, and another by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice” who claims the President sexually assaulted her in 2007. Both women say he defamed them by saying their claims were lies.” “The Zervos lawsuit, which was filed in 2017, has been on hold since last year. Trump’s lawyers had argued the US Constitution barred a sitting president from being sued in state court. Last week, Zervos’ lawyers filed a motion asking the appeals court to dismiss the appeal “as moot” and allow the lawsuit to move forward.”…Also, “whether Trump will be able to continue living full time at Mar-a-Lago.” Source: CNN, This is Trump’s heaping list of legal problems post-impeachment”, 2/14/2021

DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: Finally, the Problem Solvers are in control on the federal level. But ALL Democrats in majorities, or struggling to attain or maintain majorities — on all levels — need our support, our honesty, and our ideas. REMAIN UNIFIED.

THE GREAT REBUILDING: Supporting the bold new agenda of the Biden Harris administration, surviving and thriving after a pandemic, pursuing justice and prosecution, rectifying systemic racism, attacking voter suppression, abolishing the Electoral College, November 2020 turnout as a norm in every election, and devising Democracy Safeguards for generations to come.

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Bookmark this page:
whitehouse.gov
Updates from the Biden Harris administration, priorities, executive orders, plan details, press briefings, fact sheets, speeches, and more.

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CONGRESSIONAL CONTACTS:
Senator Michael Bennet(D): 202-224-5852 (DC)
303-455-7600 (Denver), website here.
Senator John Hickenlooper (D): 202-224-5941 (DC)
303-244-1628 (Denver), website here.
Representative Ken Buck (R–CD4): 202-225-4676 (DC)
970-702-2136 (Greeley), website here.

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND RESISTBOT (text “resist” to 50409)

Bill Bramhall ©2021 Tribune Content Agency

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Ongoing Action Items:

Don’t Despair.

Since November 9, 2016, there has been plenty to feel desperate about. But the best antidote is ACTION. And, we learned A LOT along the way.

It’s hard to believe that the 2019 municipal election was only a year ago — remember, municipal elections are held in odd years — so that means we will have another municipal election in 2021. Please stay tuned as we let you know what seats are open and who is running for them. Progressives on city council bode well for smart development projects, economic growth that is accessible to everyone, continued and improved sustainability for our city, improved inclusion for all of Longmont’s neighborhoods, with a clear eye on securing affordable housing, amongst other progressive values.

Many of you worked very hard to get out the 2020 vote, DESPITE the Pandemic — THANK YOU. Boulder County’s turnout was 85.2% in 2018, and it topped 90% for 2020!

We increased our democratic majorities in our state house and state senate in 2020. Previous majorities provided the engine for historic Colorado legislation like: Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity (passed amidst protests and during a pandemic!), Oil and Gas Health & Safety, ERPO (Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or the Red Flag Bill), Comprehensive Sex Ed, Banning Conversion Therapy, The 2019 Healthcare Cost Savings Act — just to name a few!

DON’T DESPAIR. Reject the “Democrats in Disarray” rhetoric that our false equivalency media likes to promote. 

CONTINUE TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN OUR DEMOCRACY — that only makes it stronger!

Please check back here.

We meet the first Wednesday of the month. The events widget to your right, will give you general info on upcoming meetings as details become available.  We promise to strive for the best and most effective information that inspires you to DO. We held regular candidate forums all through 2017 and 2018, with record attendance — giving folks an up-close look at the caliber of Democratic candidates stepping up to serve. With the field narrowed by the primary on June 26, we continue to see active engagement with relationships continuing to be built. We also conduct meetings to inform folks about specific issues, with dynamic experts and action items. You can see the slide presentations of previous meetings when you click our Resources widget.

We have regular email blasts that list local events, but also impromptu rallies in response to current issues, as well as when to contact our electeds in support or opposition to upcoming legislation. To sign up for our blasts, send an email to longmontareadems@gmail.com with “Sign Me Up!” in the subject line to sign up for our email blasts. To review our previous blasts (by date), you can check them out on our home page here.

LAD created CLEAN — Community Legislative Early Action Network — to participate in weekly conference calls with legislators and their aides, train folks how to track bills in our state legislature, how to testify for or against bills at committee, etc. To find out more about CLEAN, click the widget to the right. Also check out the CLEAN Training Presentation and Member Handbook.

Ask to join Longmont Area Democrats on facebook  (it’s a closed group, to keep out the crazies), or follow us on twitter @LongmontDems

And always, if you have any political questions at all, email us at longmontareadems@gmail.com