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A Colorado
non-profit organization
advocating for animals
in the political arena
Information about CHVL and this site Political (and other**) resources
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* these menu options, with descriptions
 ** The "Resources and links" page lists a variety of types of groups, not only political, that help animals.
Note: In 2005, Political Voice for Animals (PVA) changed its name to Colorado Humane Voters League (CHVL). The PVA name will continue to appear on some earlier pages (e.g., earlier newsletters, election pages, and scorecard pages).
Government 101

Rather than "re-invent the wheel" we will post links to sites that discuss the legislative process. Sometimes an organization changes the URLs or structure of its web site. If you have suggestions for corrections for our links in this section, please send us an "e-note" at webmaster@coloradohumanevoters.org.

Also, under "Notes" below is some information that CHVL has gleaned that is not mentioned on the web sites listed.

Links - state legislation Links - federal legislation Districts Notes
Links ~ Colorado state legislation (Colorado General Assembly (state legislature))

Links ~ federal legislation (Congress)

Districts

  • Federal
    In the U.S. Congress, each state has two U.S. Senators. They represent the state at large. Each state is divided into congressional districts. Each congressional district has a different U.S. Representative (sometimes referred to as a "congressman" or "congresswoman").

    There are 435 congressional districts in the country. The district boundaries (lines) are supposed to be drawn so that districts reflect the population distribution proportionally. After every 10-year census, the lines are re-drawn to adjust for population changes. After the 2000 census, Colorado gained one congressional district because of a large population increase in the state, so we now have seven congressional districts. You may or may not be in the same district that you were in before.

  • State
    The state of Colorado is divided into 35 senate districts and 65 house districts. There are no at-large positions in the state legislature.

    The district boundaries (lines) are supposed to be drawn so that districts reflect the population proportionally. After every 10-year census, the lines are re-drawn to adjust for population changes. After the 2000 census, state senate and house disctrict lines were re-drawn. You may or may not be in the same district that you were in before.

  • County
    The state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Each county has a board of county commissioners. The county is divided into county commission districts.

  • Municipal
    Municipal governments generally include mayor and city council. City council positions may be at-large positions, positions for specific districts, or a combination of the two.

  • Other districts
    The state is also divided into school districts. In addition, there are numerous "special districts". You may or may not be in a special district. Special districts are set up for specific funding purposes or local services.

  • What districts are you in?
    You can find out all of your district numbers from your county clerk's office. To find out which districts you are in, to find out how to register to vote, or to confirm that your voter registration record has the correct information, call your county clerk's office. This office should be listed under "County" in the "Government" section of your telephone directory. Some county clerk offices have a separate voter information number listed. The Secretary of State's web site provides a list of county clerk offices at http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/countyclerk.html.

    You can also find out your congressional district, state senate district, and state house district numbers on-line, on the Project Vote Smart web site.
    1. Go to http://www.vote-smart.org and select "Candidates Issues and Much More", or go directly to http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml.
    2. In the "FIND YOUR CANDIDATES AND ELECTED OFFICIALS" section at the left side of the display, enter your nine-digit ZIP Code and select "GO".


Notes

  • In the state legislature, the committee assignment for a bill is not required to be reasonable or logical. If the majority party leadership wants a bill to fail without a floor vote by the entire house in question (Senate or House of Representatives), the bill will probably be assigned to a committee that is likely to kill the bill. In fact, in the state House of Representatives, the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee is often referred to as "the kill committee".

  • In the U.S. Congress, majority party leaders may keep a bill from coming to a floor vote. In the Senate, if a bill is in the "fast track" process, a senator can hold the bill hostage by putting a "secret hold" on it. Even the senator's constituents are not allowed to know who has put a secret hold on a bill.

  • Shortcut: To get to the web site of a specific state legislator whose district number you know, in the "URL" field in your browser use the appropriate one of the following addresses and replace the "XX" with the district number. (Use a leading 0 for one-digit numbers.)

    • http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/senate/members/senXX.htm
    • http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/house/members/houXX.htm
    For example, to go to the web page for the state senator for Senate District 1, go to
    http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/senate/members/sen01.htm.
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