August 19, 2011 10:53 PM UTC

Colorado Democrats Team Up To Slam Coffman on Bilingual Ballots

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• by: Colorado Pols

A press release from the Colorado Democratic Party hammers Rep. Mike Coffman’s proposal this week to eliminate a section of the 1973 Voting Rights Act providing for ballots in languages other than English–with the whole Democratic delegation and state party chairman Rick Palacio taking a swing. Remember when we called this a horrifyingly bad idea for anyone with statewide aspirations, like Rep. Coffman has in 2014 against Sen. Mark Udall?

Democrats agree. And they see no reason to wait.

Rep. Mike Coffman announced plans to attempt to repeal parts of the Voting Rights Act that provide bilingual ballots to citizens with limited English proficiency, just one day after his predecessor, former Rep. Tom Tancredo, created a “super PAC” to further his anti-immigrant agenda. In response, Colorado’s Democratic Members of Congress, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, and Rep. Jared Polis, joined Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio to condemn Congressman Coffman’s actions.

Rep. Diana DeGette denounced the plan and offered the following comments: “This proposal is nothing more than an attempt to disenfranchise millions of hard working  American citizens.  At a time when we should be encouraging Americans of all backgrounds to engage in the political process, the last thing we need to craft are even more barriers to electoral participation.”

Rep. Ed Perlmutter added his disapproval and remarked, “I’m deeply concerned about this effort to deny certain ballots to citizens of our state who are eligible to vote. Every citizen of our country has a right to vote and we should encourage rather than discourage participation in our democracy. This amounts to a modern day Jim Crow literacy test.” [Pols emphasis]

Rep. Jared Polis expressed his concern, saying “I am very disappointed by Congressman Tom Tancredo and Congressman Mike Coffman’s most recent attack on our state’s Hispanic community. The Hispanic community is an important part of our state and our democracy I am very upset to see our state Republican leaders actively trying to stifle their voice and influence. ”

Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio echoed the sentiments of Reps. DeGette, Perlmutter, and Polis, adding “Congressman Coffman’s plan is a direct assault on our Hispanic community and an attempt to keep certain American Citizens from voting. All Americans deserve to have access to basic information about the choices they make in the voting booth.”

Beyond the problem this represents for Rep. Coffman’s future statewide aspirations, as we discussed in detail earlier this week, this controversial proposal could set back relations between Colorado Latinos and the Republican Party in general even further–already in trouble after the party’s embrace of Arizona-style anti-immigrant grandstands at the state legislative level.

Coffman’s proposal is particularly bad because it targets fully legal and eligible voters guaranteed by federal law to have access to ballots in their native language where the community is sizable enough to warrant it. It’s not intended to “deter” illegal votes–only to suppress participation by legal voters based on assumptions about what their proficiency in English “should be.” It’s the kind of thing that typifies what former Colorado GOP chairman Bob Martinez said over and over about Republicans pointlessly alienating Latinos.

Meaning that it’s something every Democrat should be talking about (see above).