Save the Date: Your First League Update!

First League member update session

November 10

6:30pm

(register here)

  

Co-Presidents Trish Warner and Julie Stackhouse invite every League member to our first-ever League Update, a quick session to catch you up on what we’ve accomplished together and what’s coming next.

On the agenda:

• The impact of our pre-election work. Voter Services Team Leader Heather Sulgrove and a member of the Unite and Rise team will share the results of the League’s pre-election efforts.

• What’s ahead for the League. Julie and Trish will brief you on other important developments affecting our organization.

We’ll keep it brisk — just 30 to 45 minutes.

Register here to save your spot on Zoom. We hope to see you there!

The First - Democracy At A Crossroads

First Amendment under modern threat

Monday, October 19

1:30 - 3:00pm | 6:30 - 8:00pm

Buell Public Media Center

2101 Arapahoe St
Denver, CO

America’s First Amendment is being tested like never before. Can it withstand the pressures of politics, dark money and artificial intelligence?

Co-hosted by NBC News’ Tom Costello and Colorado Public Radio’s Bazi Kanani, The First examines the unprecedented threats facing the First Amendment today while tracing its turbulent history - from Thomas Jefferson’s ideas about individual freedom and James Madison’s drafting of the Bill of Rights to the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Espionage Act and landmark Supreme Court cases that redefined Americans’ constitutional freedoms.

Join Rocky Mountain PBS and the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition on Monday, October 19, for a free screening of this timely documentary at the Buell Public Media Center.

Afternoon and evening screening times are available; please select your preferred screening when registering.

• Afternoon screening: Doors at 1:00 pm | Program from 1:30 - 3:00pm

• Evening screening: Doors at 6:00 pm | Program from 6:30 - 8:00pm

Each screening of The First includes the documentary followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A with filmmaker Brian Malone, NBC News’ Tom Costello and Colorado Public Radio’s Bazi Kanani.

Admission is free, but advance registration is required. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register for only one screening.

Light refreshments will be served at each screening. Paid parking is available in surface lots surrounding the Buell Public Media Center.

Special thanks to the Colorado Freeddom of Information Coalition.

Can't make the event? You can view The First on PBS here: https://www.rmpbs.org/shows/the-first-free-speech-at-the-crossroads

In League With Kindred Spirits Happy Hour

Solidarity happy hour before election

Monday, October 19

4:30 - 6:00pm

Sky Bear Brewery in Loveland

(register here)

Mix and mingle with fellow Leaguers at Sky Bear Brewery in Loveland on Monday, October 19, from 4:30 - 6:00pm. Nothing more relaxing than a solidarity happy hour in the midst of a lot of pre-election action! Join us!

Election Hero Day

Thanking Larimer County election heroes

Tuesday, October 20th, 2026

Share a word of thanks on October 20 to our Larimer County Election Heroes - poll workers, election officials and their office staff, and volunteers ensuring that our elections are safe, secure and accessible. Give them a shout-out on your social media. Remember to thank our League members working in Voter Services and members helping out in numerous ways in our communities during this election season! They are all doing the work to empower voters and defend democracy!

Civil Liberties & Rights Team Update

ALPR privacy events and advocacy

Wednesday, October 21

5:30 - 7:00pm

Loveland’s Chilson Center, Cherry Room

In the lead-up to the midterm elections, the Civil Liberties & Rights Team has been busy educating the public about the privacy implications of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and building a statewide coalition in support of legislation that would establish limits on the use of ALPR technology in Colorado.

On Wednesday, October 21, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Larimer County and the Institute for Justice (IJ) will host a community event reviewing IJ’s work with Colorado legislators and proposed ALPR legislation for the legislative session beginning in 2027. IJ is a nonprofit public-interest law firm that works on civil liberties issues across the United States, and ALPR regulation is one of its current priorities in Colorado.

We encourage League members to attend and to bring family and friends who are interested in learning more. The event will be held at Loveland’s Chilson Center in the Cherry Room.

On Monday, October 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m., the CL&R Team will continue its Privacy & Mass Surveillance community organizing series with the third installment of the program. This session will focus on crafting campaign messages that encourage public engagement and connecting those messages with the audiences most likely to benefit from the information.

This online event is organized by the League of Women Voters of Colorado. Get additional information and register here: https://lwvcolorado.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=314195&item_id=3089419

Colorado Citizen Observers Digest

Open meetings, civics, and school governance

Four recent posts from Colorado Citizen Observers cover proposed updates to open meeting laws, civic engagement, and school district governance. The items include policy modernization, rail civics input, and a board of education spotlight, with links provided for each.

• Six ways to modernize the Colorado Open Meetings Law — Takeaway: outlines practical ideas for updating Colorado’s open meetings framework. https://coloradocitizenobservers.substack.com/p/six-ways-to-modernize-the-colorado

• Weigh In For Civics - Front Range Passenger Rail — Takeaway: invites input on a Front Range passenger rail plan considerations. https://coloradocitizenobservers.substack.com/p/weigh-in-for-civics-7a3

• Thompson School District Board of Education — Takeaway: highlights coverage of the Thompson School District Board of Education. https://coloradocitizenobservers.substack.com/p/thompson-school-district-board-of-e6e

• Weigh In for Civics — Takeaway: promotes civic participation and input on civics topics. https://coloradocitizenobservers.substack.com/p/weigh-in-for-civics

Membership News

Welcoming our newest members

Welcome to our new members this month!

Susan Atwater

Barb Chirgwin

Linda Davidson

Charissa Dull

Chris Erd

Sherilyn Gourley

Angie Joseph

Abby Leblanc

Dianne Liggett

Kristi Matthews

Andrea O' Connell

Barbara Peyronnin

Karen Wilkin

Janet Yelochan