The LWVD Newsletter
March 2026 | March Briefing
What is Being Done to Address the Rise of Lethality in Domestic Violence in Colorado?
Tuesday, March 17
5:00 for Snacks and Conversation
5:30 p.m. Program Begins
In person - Montivew Blvd Presbyterian Church
The good news is that Colorado experienced a 13.3% decrease in violent crime in 2025. Homicides in Denver fell by nearly 48% (to 37 cases); property crime dropped by over 17% and motor vehicle theft by 34%.
Of great concern, however, is that during this same time period, domestic violence has remained a critical issue, accounting for 25.3% of aggravated assaults and 14.9% of homicides statewide. Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 24% increase in domestic violence fatalities. The 72 fatalities include the victims of domestic violence, but also other people involved like children, law enforcement and perpetrators. The number of Colorado children dying in family violence incidents has also risen. In Denver alone, contrasting to our overall decline in crime, domestic violence reports continue to climb – to a 46% increase since 2019.
A bipartisan-sponsored bill has been introduced in the 2026 legislative session. HB26-1009, the “Colorado Mandatory Lethality Assessment Act,” which would require all law enforcement personnel to conduct a protocol of questions in a domestic violence incident and to immediately connect the victim to specialized services.
LWVD has asked several experts in the field of domestic violence to address these disturbing statistics, what might be done to reverse the trends, including the newly-introduced bill, and what is the state of resources for survivors of domestic violence locally. Our speakers are Natasha Adler, Program Director at the Rose Andom Center, and Dr. Kaitlyn Simms, Assistant Director of Public Policy at the University of Denver. The Rose Andom Center opened ten years ago as Colorado’s first family justice center in collaboration with community-based organizations and city government agencies to serve individuals and families impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault in accessing comprehensive services and safety from abuse. Dr. Simms studies policies and programs that serve survivors of domestic violence, creating a registry of domestic violence shelter programs in the US. We are also hoping to have a representative from the Denver District Attorney’s Family Violence Unit join our panel on March 17.
Susan Stark, Co-Director of Program and Advocacy | We Continue to Oppose Voter Suppression
through Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) Bills
Congress continues to introduce bills that would require voters to present documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) to register and/or vote. In the 119th Congress, three major pieces of legislation have been introduced to require DPOC to vote, including:
Collectively, we are referring to these pieces of legislation as the “SAVE Act suite of bills.”
It is already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. The Heritage Foundation, considered a conservative think tank, provides a database of election fraud from 1982 to 2025. Only 99 instances of "alien" voting in US elections have been found (Source: Election Fraud Map). The SAVE Act suite of bills appears simply to create new barriers to voting.
League is concerned that the proposed bills suggest that there is significant voter fraud, which is not factual. Our Colorado-administered elections are already considered safe and secure, with insignificant numbers of non-citizens attempting to vote. For more information, see the LWVCO white paper “Colorado's Gold Standard Elections” and the Cato Institute report of February 5, 2026.
Many communities of eligible voters would be unnecessarily burdened by the requirements of the SAVE Act suite of bills. Among them are:
- Military voters, who would be required to present documentation every time they re-register to vote when their family moves.
- Families who have been impacted by natural disasters and lost important documentation, who would be required to jump through hoops to replace these documents while also going through the traumatic process of rebuilding their lives.
- Married women and other Americans who have changed their names, who would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote.
- People of color. Compared to white US citizens, citizens of color are three times more likely to lack documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship or face difficulties accessing them. For example, while approximately half of all American adults possess a passport, two-thirds of Black Americans do not.
Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. The SAVE Act suite of bills would create more barriers to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents.
Take Action: Contact your representatives, particularly your senators, to let them know you are opposed to the SAVE America Act or other bills that could constitute voter suppression. Even if you are confident that your Senators will vote the right way on this, they need to hear from all of us. If you have never contacted your representatives before, this is the time to do it! And then, urge friends outside Colorado to do the same!
Tell Congress No
Sarah O. McCarthy, Co-Director of Program and Advocacy
| Local Program Planning: A Review of LWV Denver Local Program Positions
Our positions: Over the years, LWV Denver has adopted positions on local issues after study and consensus by our members. They include positions on:
- government,
- planning and zoning,
- cable television,
- law enforcement and the court system,
- juvenile justice,
- affordable housing,
- education,
- human resource programs, and
- health care.
Position Review: These positions need to be reviewed periodically to make sure they still reflect the views of our members. This was last done on 2021-22 through a series of VOTER articles. These program positions are the basis of our advocacy on local issues.
Local Program Planning: This is the opportunity to review our positions and make requests for an update of a position or the removal of a position thought to be out-of-date. Members can also propose a new study or the adoption of a concurrence with another League’s position. (Bylaws Art. X, Sec. 3). Any suggestions need to be received by the board 60 days before the Annual Meeting scheduled for May 16 and adopted at that meeting.
Please review the Denver Program Positions for summary statements of our positions, and Denver Local Program 2015, pages 10-21 for complete details on each position. Then send your proposal for a new study or a review or deletion of a current position to janetimhofflwv@gmail.com no later than March 15.
Janet Imhoff, Board Secretary and Program/Advocacy Committee Member | Water-wise
Denver League members and guests joined our January Briefing on Water Management, introducing and exploring the nuances of Denver’s complex water resource issues while recognizing the many diverse stakeholders who rely on the Colorado and other rivers for Denver residents’ water consumption and food production. Denver Water staffers, Bea Stratton and Andy Hill, described some of Denver’s challenges. One is that 80% of Colorado’s water sources come from the western slope, yet 80% of Colorado’s population lives east of the Continental Divide. Denver’s water source is equally from the Colorado River Basin and the South Platte River Basin, 50% from each.
We were reminded that a 1922 water compact agreement among Colorado River Upper and Lower Basin users (seven states) is due to expire this fall. After 104 years, it is apparent that changes are necessary that reflect current conditions. For example, the 1922 agreement allocates Colorado River water to only 22 Tribal Nations. Now 30 are rightfully federally recognized in the Colorado River Basin, in addition to the seven states and Mexico who share the available water. Unbelievably, there are still communities within this region who do not have access to clean, reliable drinking water.
According to Colorado’s Commissioner on the Upper Colorado River Commission, “The Colorado River is not broken, but we are. The river is doing exactly what rivers do when you take too much from them for too long.” Besides praying for more precipitation in Colorado this spring, keep an eye out for the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s call for public comments on how to update the 1922 Colorado River Basin Compact. Rather than viewing our rivers as a resource or entitlement, let’s help craft a new agreement that appreciates the vital role our rivers play in sustaining ecosystems and cultures.
Denver Water provides water to 25% of the state’s population using 2% of its water. This is a good sign of efficiency, but more needs to be accomplished.
Denver Water is encouraging Denvervites to transition their non-functional turf grass to a functional ColoradoScape - a water-wise, climate-resilient form of landscaping that provides many benefits to our communities like water savings, soil improvement, wildlife and pollinator support, and diversity. This is a part of their conservation effort to reduce non-functional turf by 30%. Differentiating between functional and non-functional is simple. Functional turfgrass provides benefits to communities - think parks, sports fields, and grassy recreation areas for families and dogs. Non-functional areas are primarily only being stood on to be mowed - think large swaths of grass in medians and along roadways.
 Photo credit: Resource Central
Non-functional turf are lawns that “only see the underside of a lawn mower,” such as parking strips. Instead of installing rocks or cacti (zero-scape instead of xeriscape), the goal to plant drought-tolerant, climate resilient landscaping while also protecting our tree canopy. Functional turf grass (recreational uses and lawns used by children, adults, or pets) is not eliminated. For an example of the combined use of functional and non-functional turf, take a walk through Washington Park’s formal gardens along South Downing Street that have been replanted with native and other drought tolerant plantings.
Multiple incentives and services are available to encourage Denver Water users to reach this non-functional turf goal, such as $750 discount for turf removal, or $25 off Resource Central Garden-in-a-Box kits, or free “Slow the Flow” irrigation audits. To assist users, a free "Do It Yourself (DIY) Landscape Transformation Guide" is ready for downloading from their website. For HOA, commercial or community projects, Denver Water’s Landscape Transformation Assistance program provides funding if you have an area of non-functional turfgrass you want to transition to a water-wise ColoradoScape .
Sarah O. McCarthy, Co-Director of Program and Advocacy
| Recent LWVUS Actions on Immigration
Urged the Senate to vote no on additional funding for ICE ahead of their DHS appropriations vote
Posted, promoted, and continued to update an action alert with multiple demands of Congress related to federal immigration enforcement
Authored a blog on what’s happening with ICE/CBP and with a host of Know Your Rights guides to review and disseminate
Joined a letter to Congress with over 200 other national organizations urging the protection of sensitive locations during immigration enforcement
LWVUS has also posted a Civic Action Toolkit for local Leagues to respond to this moment
| "Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally"
Source: Reuters | Voter Service in Action
Attend a Caucus! - March 3, 2026
If you belong to a political party, be sure to attend your Caucus. In Denver, they will be held on Tuesday, March 3. Start time for the Republicans will be 7:00 p.m. and for Democrats 6:30 p.m. Check online with your political party to find the locations of the various precinct Caucus meetings.
Registering Voters in Denver
‘Tis the season for voter registration! If you have an idea for a registration event, please contact Mariam Bouricius at mttejeda@gmail.com. Also, contact Mariam if you’d like to take virtual Circulator training in March:
- March 4 at 9:00 a.m.
- March 11 at 3:00 p.m.
- March 18 at 3:00 p.m.
- March 25 at 8:00 p.m.
Elections 2026
Know that the offices of both the Colorado Secretary of State and the Denver Clerk and Recorder are tracking potential federal government actions related to elections this year. At this point, their advice is to vote soon after you receive your ballot and return it early using a drop box. The primary election is on June 30 and ballots will be mailed to voters in early June. There is lots of good information on the Denver Elections Website. Please consider becoming an Election Judge and get paid for your efforts!
Educating Young Voters
In case you missed the virtual briefing, you can watch it here! Youth Council members Jackson Kaunda (Mullen High School) and Skylar Gold (Thomas Jefferson High School), assisted Voter Service committee member Sam Robinson in providing an overview of the "Educating Young Voters" program that we are taking to high schools this year. The program includes a slideshow, speaker notes, and a mock election exercise. The presenter, whether student, teacher, or League volunteer, can use the interactive slideshow which covers - Why Vote, Who Can Vote, and How to Vote. If you have a connection with a Denver high school civics or history teacher, please let Sam Robinson know at samrobgoog@gmail.com.
Lisa Haddox and Mariam Bouricius, Voter Service Co-Chairs | Update from the Kick-Off in September
In September, Josh Mantell from Bell Policy Center presented the idea of a graduated income tax as a solution to Colorado's revenue problems. You can review Josh's slides here. They have successfully moved through the Title Board process and can now begin the petition process. You can find the results for Proposed Initiative #195 here: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/results/2025-2026/195Results.html. Follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/protectcofuture.
| LWVCO Action with Independence Institute
To Add Constitutional Right to Access Public Meetings and Records in Colorado
Colorado voters could be asked this year to amend the state’s constitution to include the right to know the goings-on of state and local governments through public meetings and open records. A ballot initiative filed Friday, February 13, by the conservative Independence Institute and the League of Women Voters of Colorado would codify that value in Article II of the constitution by establishing the “fundamental constitutional right of all persons to know the affairs of all levels of state and local government that guarantees access to public proceedings and public records.”
More info at:
Ballot initiative would add constitutional right to access public meetings and records in Colorado
Proposed ballot initiative would add ‘a fundamental right to know’ to Colorado’s constitutional bill | Wondering How to be More Involved with League?
We appreciate all members' support through dues, but if you are looking for more, here are some suggestions:
- Read the monthly VOTER newsletter and Weekly Updates from us (sent by email through ClubExpress). Previous emails can be found here.
- Attend Briefings (Leaguese for presentations to educate our members and the public with insights on timely issues) - monthly from September through May.
- Join a Unit (Leaguese for small discussion groups that discuss briefings and evaluate League program)
- Respond to Action Alerts sent by LWVD, LWVCO and LWVUS by contacting our elected leaders
- Join a LWVD Committee or join a LWVCO Task Force
| Celebrate International Women's Day with LWVCO and Zonta
Saturday, March 7, 5:00 p.m.
110 16th Street Mall
Looking for a League social event? As we did last year, the League of Women Voters of Denver is partnering with LWVCO and Zonta Club of Denver for a Happy Hour to celebrate International Women's Day. It starts with snacks, wine and conversation in the spacious lounge of the LWVCO office overlooking the State Capitol Building and the mountains. This year Leslie Summey, Chair of the County Commissioners of Arapahoe County, will speak about her involvement in politics as a woman. She is the first African American to be elected to serve as a commissioner in Arapahoe County. Following her remarks we will mingle and network as the two organizations share a commitment to women and children.
At 6:30 p.m., we will walk the few blocks to the City and County Building to watch it light up in purple (the primary, iconic color symbolizing justice, dignity, and loyalty to the cause of women's equality).
Come enjoy a free, fun, stress-free event to celebrate a day honoring women and gender equity. Reservations are required to make admission easier. Please use this link to register: https://lwvd.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=550279&item_id=2900768.
We hope you can make it and relax a bit in this stressful time.
Jeanette Scotland, Director of Organization
| We Need Your Volunteer Hours!
These are important for getting grants at the local and national level. You can use the form to enter any hours you have spent on League activities.
Volunteer Hours Form
| Welcome New and Returning Members
Micki Amick, mickiamick@gmail.com, 80207
Anna Chapek, aschapek@gmail.com, 80204
Lynne Eikemo, lynneeikemo@gmail.com, 80224
Lesley Martin, lesleymartin57@gmail.com, 80210
Lori Penney, loribarrpenney@gmail.com, 80227
Padma Rajendran, padma.rajendran84@gmail.com, 80014
Jillian Rex, jillian.rex@icloud.com, 80020
Frances Roeder, bettyroeder@aol.com, 80238
Marie Schaffner, schaff1940@gmail.com, 80304
| LWV Denver Units
A great place for meaningful conversations
Units are small groups that meet after briefings to discuss the topic further and whatever else is on the minds of the attendees. This is a great way to be more involved in League and to make lasting relationships. All are welcome!
Cheesman Unit
Meets the fourth Tuesday of the month
Next Meeting: Will meet on Tuesday, March 24, at 9:30 a.m. at 766 Milwaukee Street, Denver 80206
Leader: Bobbie Heisterkamp (303-333-6818)
Cherrington Unit
Meets the third Thursday of the month
Next Meeting: Will meet Thursday, March 19 at 1:00 p.m.at Marcia Verba's
Leader: Peg Oldham (720-220-3988)
Highland/Woodbury
Meets the third Wednesday of each month
Next Meeting: Will meet Wednesday, March 18 at 1:00 p.m. at Sassafras American Eatery, 32nd and Perry
Contact Sally Augden (303-455-5800) or Joan Friend (303-596-1022) for more details
Observatory
Next Meeting: Will meet on Tuesday, March 24 at 4:00 p.m. in the Common Room of the Seasons Apartments, 3498 E. Ellsworth Ave.
Leader: Diane Young (303-886-3365)
| VOTER Articles Welcome!
We welcome articles from all members. We traditionally publish the VOTER on the fourth Thursday and the deadline to submit articles is the Friday before.
| VOTER |
Article Deadline |
Voter Publication Date |
| April |
Friday, March 20 |
Thursday, March 26 |
| May |
Friday, April 17 |
Thursday, April 23 |
Please send your articles or ideas about articles to pzelarney@yahoo.com. | When You Renew Your Membership
Consider a Donation at the Same Time
If it's time to renew your membership, you can easily do it online here:
Join or Renew Here
Please consider contributing to the Denver League when you renew. The whole process is quite simple.
Members, please consider forwarding this VOTER and encourage your friends and neighbors to join!
Join or Renew Here
| Rather Read the VOTER on Paper?
Click this link for a printable pdf version of the newsletter:
Printable LWVD VOTER | | 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571 | | | |