By Lindsey Toomer | reporter
“The problem this rule is claiming to solve is imaginary, and it's designed in a way that introduces errors and introduces barriers and solves nothing, which only makes me believe that the intent here is to create chaos within our voting systems and create chaos within our democracy.”
- Amanda Gonzalez, Jefferson County clerk
Volunteers at the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s office process ballots during the Colorado primary election on June 30, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Fraieli/Colorado Newsline)
By Lindsey Toomer
A U.S. Postal Service rule proposed as a result of a President Donald Trump’s executive order to limit voting by mail would upend the ability of Coloradans to easily access their ballots ahead of November’s general election. Colorado is a universal mail-in ballot state, and the vast majority of residents choose to vote by mail. Drastic changes to that system in the same year as a general election would be a massive logistical challenge, election experts say. While they don’t anticipate the executive order will survive legal challenges, election officials and voter advocates have considered how to respond if they do.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, seen touring 4 Noses Brewing Company in Denver in May 2025, benefited from a late infusion of financial support before the June 30 primary election. (Photo by Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
By Chase Woodruff
A centrist Colorado megadonor, a billionaire hedge fund manager and a national dark-money group were among those who funded two mystery super PACs that came to incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s aid late in last month’s primary election. The two PACs, Common Sense Action Fund and Our Future Colorado, spent just under $500,000 to support Hickenlooper’s reelection campaign as he faced a primary challenge from progressive state Sen. Julie Gonzales. Because of the timing of Federal Election Commission reporting deadlines, the source of the two groups’ funding wasn’t publicly disclosed until after Hickenlooper’s unexpectedly narrow victory over Gonzales in the June 30 election.
A woman is seen on skis in this undated photo at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs. (History Colorado-Denver, Colorado)
FIFTY FOR 150
By Quentin Young
Nowhere in the country does skiing like Colorado. Colorado is the site of many world-famous ski destinations, such as Vail, Aspen, Telluride and Breckenridge. The state is home to numerous Olympic skiers, such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn. Colorado’s leadership in the sport goes back more than 100 years. Howelsen Hill Ski Area, in Steamboat Springs, is commonly cited as the oldest ski resort in the country. It started operation in 1915.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Commentary: New ICE detention center poses critical test for Colorado | By Quentin Young
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