skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, April 7, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. stock futures plunge ahead of Monday open as Trump tariff shock continues; AZ voting rights advocates oppose Trump's election order; OR hunger-fighting groups call USDA food program cuts 'cruel;' Debate over school vouchers in TX moves to House floor.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

White House economic plans dominate the headlines, but actions on elections and voting rules are sparking debate. Local groups voice concerns about the future of immigration, health care and nutrition.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The proposed dismantling of the Depart. of Education has rural schools scared, postal carriers say USPS changes will hurt rural communities most, fiber networks to improve internet may be supplanted by Musk's satellites, and it's time to PLAY BALL!

Weld County’s Latino community wins court case on gerrymandered maps

play audio
Play

Monday, March 11, 2024   

Weld County commissioners are headed back to the drawing board, after a county district court ruled that their voter district maps created after the 2020 Census violated state law and could not be used in any upcoming elections.

Beth Hendrix, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Colorado, said fair voter district maps ensure that communities of interest - including Latinos, who make up about 30% of Weld County's population - are able to be represented at all levels of government.

"The Weld County commissioners did not look at the Latino population as a community of interest," said Hendrix. "And by ignoring that, basically the maps they drew would have deleted the Latino vote for the next decade."

The League's Greeley-Weld County chapter, the Latino Coalition of Weld County, and others took the county to court - for not providing public notice of redistricting hearings, and for drawing maps in violation of State House Bill 21-1047.

The county argued that it was not subject to that law because it is a home rule municipality, which allows for more local control.

Both major political parties have used their dominant position to gerrymander voter districts in the past, drawing boundaries in a way that favors their candidates.

But Hendrix noted that Colorado voters decided to take the redistricting process out of the hands of elected officials.

"And into the hands of two independent commissions," said Hendrix, "made up of Republican, Democratic, and unaffiliated citizens."

For more than a century, the League of Women Voters has worked to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in American democracy.

Hendrix said the League's plans for the upcoming November presidential election include promoting the nonpartisan Vote411.org, a comprehensive voter information resource.

"There has been a mass exodus of poll workers, so we will be encouraging folks to volunteer to be poll workers," said Hendrix. "And we will be educating on any issues on the ballot."

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Senate Bill 766 would prohibit California car dealers from selling add-ons that fail to benefit the buyer, such as service contracts that are invalid because the car was damaged in a prior crash or flood. (Nebojsa/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new bill to make car shopping more transparent goes before the California Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday. Senate Bill 766 would require …


Environment

play sound

Appalachian communities in Kentucky are poised to become manufacturing hubs for the wind energy industry, experts say. The region's workforce…

Social Issues

play sound

By Josh Israel for the Wisconsin Independent.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Wisconsin Indepen…


School vouchers, a program that would allow students to use public money to pay for private school tuition, has become a hot-button issue in Texas, pitting Republicans against one another. (KatMoy/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

After several weeks of public comment, bills addressing school finance in Texas will be presented to the House of Representatives. House Bill 2 is …

Environment

play sound

The Comanche 3 coal-fired power plant in Pueblo, Colo., is set to close in just six years -- and community leaders, regulators, and Xcel are …

Environment

play sound

Minnesota is considered a national leader for community solar opportunities but a successful state program expanding solar access would end in the nex…

Environment

play sound

Wyoming's practice of feeding elk over winters is a century old but the spread of disease has increased concerns. Now, the Greater Yellowstone …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021