Bente Birkeland
Position: Staff reporter

Colorado’s having a congressional vacancy election. How does that work?

Ronald Reagan was president and Michael Jackson’s song “Billie Jean” was at the top of the charts the last time Colorado held a special election for a vacant Congressional seat. The year was...

Trans rights bills advance in Colorado House

The Colorado House initially approved two bills related to transgender rights Friday afternoon. The bills still need a final vote before they go to the Senate. One of the measures aims to ma...

After getting dinged for lack of transparency, state lawmakers setting up new rules for themselves

Legislative leaders say they’re trying to clarify the line between informal conversations and official business.

Guns would be banned in variety of places in Colorado under new Democratic bill

Colorado gun owners would be barred from carrying firearms in a wide array of public places in the state, under a Democratic bill recently introduced at the state Capitol. Senate Bill 131 wo...

Trump eligibility case has brought new pressures and threats to Colorado’s election workers

As the U.S. Supreme prepares to consider the Colorado case that could disqualify former President Donald Trump from holding office again, the state’s elections officials are watching especia...

Colorado Democrats change House rules, making it harder to stall bill debates

Colorado House Democrats are changing legislative rules to try to tamp down on a delay tactic the minority party uses to slow down the work of the chamber. They want to ensure that when a la...

If artificial intelligence is going to get involved in elections, Colorado lawmakers want voters to know

Colorado could be the next state to set guardrails on how artificial intelligence is used in political campaigns and election communications, as the world adapts to new technologies that can...

As lawmakers return to work, cost of living, challenges of governing are top of mind

The Colorado Capitol will be bustling today for the start of the state’s annual legislative session. Lawmakers convene under the backdrop of high national political tensions, international c...

Funeral home scandals prompt new calls for regulation in Colorado

‘It is clear that the public is harmed by the general lack of regulation’

Colorado counties take steps to safeguard elections processes in the face of misinformation and threats

Under pressure from the forces of election misinformation and increased intimidation of election workers, clerks in Colorado’s two largest counties – Denver and El Paso – are rethinking how ...

Gun rights advocates have lost Colorado’s elections – but they may win the legal war

Just a decade ago, gun control debates at the state Capitol have come with high drama – long days of passionate testimony and loud protests. But this year, as the statehouse's majority Democ...

Colorado clerks hope they’ve turned a corner on election disinformation

At their annual conference, election officials vow to win over doubters