The League of Women Voters of Colorado (LWVCO) has announced its 2026 virtual Democracy Speaker Series, featuring experts from law, arts, journalism, and organizing. The sessions aim to empower citizens with knowledge on shaping a more resilient civic landscape. 

The cost of each session is $10 for League members and $20 for non-members. You must log in to the LWVCO website to receive the member rate.

Session 1: Understanding Power – Checks, Balances and Accountability
Thursday, January 15, 2026
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Join us for a dynamic conversation exploring how power is shaped, checked, and challenged in a healthy democracy. This panel brings together leaders from law, government oversight, and the arts to examine how institutions and individuals hold authority to account.

• Justice Richard Gabriel, Colorado Supreme Court
Justice Gabriel offers a front-row view of how judicial decisions uphold constitutional principles, protect individual rights, and serve as a critical check within our system of separated powers.

• Donald K. Sherman, Executive Director & Chief Counsel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
A national expert on government ethics, corruption, and accountability, Sherman brings deep insight into how watchdog organizations confront abuses of power and defend democratic norms at the federal level.

• Ravi Zupa, Artist & Cultural Commentator
Through provocative, cross-disciplinary work, Zupa explores themes of authority, resistance, and civic responsibility. His artistic perspective adds a crucial dimension to how culture can reveal — and rebalance — power.

Together, they will examine how legal, civic, and creative forces shape our shared understanding of power in a democracy — and what it means to safeguard it.

Register Here

Session 2: Threatened Democracy - Risks, Pressures and Safeguards
Thursday, January 22, 2026
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

This session examines the pressures, vulnerabilities, and shifting conditions that put democratic systems at risk. Join us for a timely conversation on political violence, public trust, governance challenges, and the institutional safeguards that help uphold a functioning democracy.

• Shannon Hiller, Executive Director, Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University
Hiller brings deep expertise on political violence trends, democratic stress indicators, and community-level strategies to mitigate conflict and polarization.

• Bonnie Stabile, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Associate Dean, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
A respected scholar of public policy, governance, and gender equity, Stabile offers insight into how institutional pressures, weakened guardrails, and declining trust strain democratic norms.

Register Here

Session 3: Where Power Lives – Journalism, Transparency & Community Voice
Thursday, January 29, 2026
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

This session looks at where civic power truly resides: in institutions, communities, and the stories that shape our public understanding. Hear from leaders in independent media, local journalism, and transparency advocacy as they unpack how information, narrative, and access drive democratic participation.

• Stacy Feldman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Boulder Reporting Lab
Feldman brings a deep commitment to accountability journalism and local news ecosystems, highlighting how trusted reporting influences public understanding and community decision-making.

• Chris Fresquez, Publisher, The Weekly Issue El Semanario
Representing independent community media, Fresquez speaks to the power of culturally grounded journalism, the community he serves, and the importance of “speaking your language” in shaping civic identity.

• Jeff Roberts, Executive Director, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Roberts offers a transparency and open-government perspective, examining how public access to information reinforces institutional accountability and strengthens civic power.

Register Here

LWVCO Speaker Series Town Hall: Democracy Resilience Workshop – Connection & Collective Insight
Thursday, February 12, 2026
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Our statewide Town Hall invites Coloradans into an open conversation about democratic resilience and what strengthens it, what threatens it, and how communities can respond together. Rather than formal presentations, this session centers community experience, cross-issue insight, and shared problem-solving.

Chairs and members from LWVCO’s ten Task Forces will help guide this conversation, drawing from their work in voting rights, climate, news access, gun violence prevention, health equity, reproductive freedom, housing, education, and justice. Participants will explore what democratic resilience requires across Colorado’s diverse communities and how collective action can build a stronger civic landscape.

Together, we will elevate community wisdom and identify strategies for meeting the moment and protecting democracy where it lives: with the people.

Register Here

Session 4: The Future of Democracy: Systems, Movement, & Cultural Forces
Thursday, February 19, 2026
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a forward-looking conversation about the systems, movements, and cultural forces shaping the future of democracy in Colorado and beyond. This closing session brings together organizers, civic leaders, and narrative strategists to explore what tomorrow’s democratic landscape may require.

• Niedi Dominguez, Founding Executive Director, Organized Power In Numbers
A nationally respected labor and community organizer, Dominguez will speak to movement-building, economic justice, and how long-term civic participation is cultivated and sustained.

• Portia Prescott, Founder & Managing Member, Prescott Solutions; Former Regional President, Colorado NAACP
Prescott offers a civil rights and equity perspective, highlighting how representation, community leadership, and grassroots advocacy will shape democracy’s next chapter.

• Rita M. Rufino Valente-Quinn, Ph.D., Producing Executive Director, Motus Theater
Valente-Quinn brings an artistic and narrative lens, exploring how performance, storytelling, and lived experience influence public understanding, empathy, and democratic engagement.

Register Here