A passionate and energized crowd of diverse Coloradans circled and shouted to the Secretary of State’s office as they conducted a Rule Making hearing on July 23rd on 1700 Broadway in another attempt to disenfranchise Colorado people who did not vote in 2010. All ages and races battled the heat to make their voices heard. By passers, community leaders and hearing attendees who wanted more information, quickly picked up ”Let My People VOTE” t-shirts and proudly joined the march.
“Instead of doing the right thing, they want to change the rules of the game all together,” stated Paul Lopez, Denver City Council District 3.
Last year, Secretary of State Scott Gessler proposed that his office should not send ballots to those he deemed were "inactive voters" including Coloradans who did not vote in 2010 (this would disproportionately affect Black and Brown voters) – the court threw out Gessler’s case. “Let My People VOTE” is a statewide movement lead by African American and Latino congregations and organizations and Together Colorado to make sure that all African Americans and Latinos who are eligible to vote are registered and vote.
“Through the Let My People VOTE movement, African American congregations in Colorado are saying we will not be silenced, we will vote in record numbers and our votes will count,” stated Rev. Dawn Riley Duval, Shorter AME Church Minister of Social Justice and Together Colorado Community Organizer.
The rally followed a rigorous civic engagement effort recently where Let My People VOTE registered and re-registered just shy of 400 people who are eligible to vote in eight African American and Latino congregations across Colorado.