COLORADO CONVERSATIONS 2002

Notes from Small Group Discussions
March 28, 2002

1. Is the Voting Rights Act obsolete?
   • Eliminate structural barriers in redistricting to empower minority voting.
   • One person, one vote
   • People need to know about it and understand it.
   • Real issues are the underlying principle
   • URA, 1965 - Bilingual: 1972, has it been implemented? Bilingual - yes.
   • The Voting Rights Act has been used in redistricting fights where race is by district division.
   • The Voting Rights Act is not obsolete.
   • There should be legislation that brings groups to the table.
   • Our democracy should always assume we have the right to vote.
   • Supreme Court's interpretation of the Act is the best example of the outcome: "You can't maximize voting strength by race as the only criteria." This case damaged the Act.
   • There is not enforcement of the Act: Case in point, Florida 2000 Presidential Election.
   • Parts of the Act are obsolete - there is tension between community interests and not diluting minority political power.
   • Maybe dilution is o.k. if you get more competitive districts across a broad area (e.g. 7th Congressional District).
   • Gerrymandering - can't use race as a sole factor, but you can consider political purposes.
   • The party needs to reach out to those groups.
   • Be careful not to ignore the diversity within groups.
   • The Voting Rights Act is a floor trying to get to the most gregarious cases.
   • The Voting Rights Act is still needed.
   1. San Luis Valley: diluted district, represented by Anglos.
   2. Florida example: more analysis of how it is being circumvented. Still haven't addressed spin gaming.
   • Depends on the purpose
   1. Partisan reasons
   2. Minority power
      • Group people with common cause
      • Areas so multicultural that you can't give one group a representative.
      • Might be counter productive
      • Watered down
   • Gerrymandered in the past, so every time we redistrict we start with a base that may have been bad decisions to begin with.
   • Perhaps redistricting should not be done by the local elected officials - ultimate conflict of interest.
2. In demographically changing communities in the Denver region, particularly those changing from African American or native born White, to immigrant, either Latino or Asian, how should we manage a commensurate change in political representation?
• Issue focus vs. contrived based. On the obvious factors of race, gender and party lines etc.
• It is practical or reasonable to think that we can talk people into being educated voters based on issues vs. race, gender or party.
• Is it better to be colorblind or not? Representation in a diverse culture is important.
• Access: Push people to vote, someone needs to take on the leadership role for access.
• Getting people to vote
• Perception
• How do we manage?
1. Precincts are the core and it needs to start locally.
2. Go to the schools and get the children involved then they can bring in the parents, especially in immigrant communities.
• It is not a given that changing demographics will lead to changing representation.
• Not sure how or if it should be managed.
• Defining common ground and common goals to work towards.
• Need community leaders to reject "wedge messages".
• Statistic - In the last 10 years Latinos in 6 counties in the metro areas grew by 89%. 59% lived in the metro area.
• Are there other models for representation?
1. Proportional representation (e.g. Boulder - Mobile Home Community)
2. Choice voting
3. Instant Run-off election model
• Developing a system that empowers everyone.
• Politics is relationships. We need to learn to develop relationships beyond our own groups.
• It is up to the candidates first to cross over into other communities (bridging capitol).
• Look at the staff of those elected - are they reflecting the community?
• Look at the political culture created - are the officials trying to represent everyone?
• What are the opportunities to be heard (e.g. language barriers) for people who are on the margins? Can a wide variety of people participate in the political process?
• People from communities need to voice their issues. This creates rising stars that may run for office. More of a bubble up grassroots approach.
• Hold current officials accountable.
• Maybe there is a proliferation of civic society that will help Right now we are bothering about things that don't matter.
• Change white overflow.
• Suburban communities: Lakewood is 12% - 17%.
• Powerful indicators in culture of management.
1. Political representation - ethnic
2. Needs and issues
• How to recognize non-citizens' power and rights in the political process?
1. Getting Latinos into community groups to encourage Latino immigrants toward citizenship.
• Outreach
1. RTD is reaching out to the Latino community
• Time
• Process does need to be managed. Responsibility of the candidate.
• Start relationship building from the start (social capitol)
• Transition involves growing pains
• Sense of loss - need to help people readapt and not win/lose in power shift.
• Look beyond my group/my leader to the issues.
• Trustees of public good vs. representatives of specific groups.
• Preparation of everyone
• Encourage participation
• Lack of leadership among precinct committee members in Denver.
• Party systems are broken.
• Very difficult to change - race plays a significant role in elections
• Responsibility of candidates to foster this management between ethnic groups.
3. Redistricting often puts Democratic Latinos and African Americans at odds with Democratic Whites. How does this play out in the Denver metro area? Why? Is this inevitable?
• Much of it is ego - people want to win and claim to be the best candidate.
• Constituency groups are exclusive, so access into those groups is often by race
• Not enough outreach by those groups to bridge before it gets to election time.
• Actual maps drawn dilute groups - constituents do not really know what's happening.
• Politics of immediacy drives relationships.
• May need to focus on coalitions and organizations outside of the political process.
• Latinos will argue for no marginal districts. They wanted a Latino district.
• Marginal or more diverse district (representative of all parties, ethnic groups etc.) give more competition to the election process, thus more participation.
• Where are political parties to do outreach within different communities - tell people what you stand for.
• District 1 - Dagette/Martinez:
1. Party only
2. Communities were largely Anglo.
• Democratic whites in Denver are inclusive.
  
4. The 2001 mayoral elections suggest strong evidence that racially polarized voting continues to exist in America's largest cities. How has racially polarized voting played out in Denver? Are such voting patterns inevitable? How do we manage to govern after such polarized elections?
• In Denver, interest groups are more powerful than minority groups.
1. AA is pretty well organized.
2. Lakewood - Arab Americans
• Campaign conduct tends to be personal attacks.
• Denver's experience has not been racially polarized, maybe because of smaller numbers. Race does come up though, but other issues do dominate.
• Elected officials also need to reach out to groups who do not endorse them before the elections.
• Those that do not reach out - more polarized politics.
• Denver's mayoral race will splinter into groups - "Webb machines" may not hold together.
• Do not know.
• This may be the first time we really see it.
• Candidates will drive any possible problems.
• Past evidence of Denver mayoral race not polarized.
• With diverse candidates on the ballot for next year…
• Pressure to vote for your own? Who will break out?
• Candidate driven - diversity among staff.
5. In Denver, how do we move from voting around race and ethnicity to organizing around issues? Is this code for delaying minority electoral empowerment?
• Have we ever addressed issues head on? If they are not brought up in the campaign, maybe a sign of the inevitable.
• Perhaps people do not know what exactly an elected official does.
• Need to raise awareness of certain issues, maybe the media can do this, then connect the dots or present as a city issue.
• Unusual election alignments:
1. Maves: Union based, low Hispanics.
2. Tate: Reached out to Hispanics.
• Race shapes discussions.
• Until a group's comfort level is reached - may not reach to vote across ethnic lines.
• First of Denver politics is related to where you live - one of the most segregated cities.
• Intriguing, but not block-voting racially.
• Gentrification in Denver - moving into Lakewood.
1. Lakewood issue: Aurora, Lakewood, and Adams County
• Candidates should appoint key staffers of diverse ethnicity to start. Then focus on issues important to the elections.
• Minority and civic groups form coalitions - need to call candidates to stay away from race.
• Code of conduct - sign a pledge.
• Media should be involved to hold feet to the fire.
• Growth process.
• Issue may not be big enough at this point.
6. Has the 2001 redistricting in Denver helped or thwarted African American, Latino and Asian American political empowerment?
   • Congressional
   1. In Denver, done along party lines.
   2. 7th Congressional District likely to be an all Anglo race.
   • We wonder because we are not familiar with the process to comment.

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