Colorado committee advances bill letting voters and election workers sue over intimidation

House members on the House State, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee moved House Bill 12 25 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation after several hours of testimony and two adopted amendments.

The bill, introduced by Representative Leslie Woodrow and co-prime Representative Velasco, allows a voter or election worker who has experienced intimidation in election activities to request a restraining order in state court and to seek money damages. "If a voter or election worker has experienced intimidation in election activities, they can request a restraining order in state court," Woodrow told the committee. The measure also creates a rebuttable presumption that a person carrying a visible firearm at the time of an incident has engaged in intimidation; a defendant could rebut that presumption in court, Woodrow said.

Why it matters: sponsors and supporting organizations said the measure fills a gap left by criminal statutes by giving victims a civil remedy and could help retain election administrators who have left their posts after threats. Ally Belknap of Colorado Common Cause urged the committee to "vote yes on this bill," saying election workers…