The sponsor of a 2012 ban on the use of secret ballots by public bodies in Colorado wants to introduce a bill this session making it clear that any citizen has legal standing to challenge violations of the law.
A judge in Jefferson County has thrown out a citizen’s lawsuit against Arvada for using secret ballots to fill a vacant council seat, ruling that he lacks legal standing to sue the city for violating that aspect of Colorado’s Open Meetings Law.
Was the Arvada City Council aware of a 2012 state statute that outlaws the use of secret ballots to make decisions when it voted four times Jan. 10, on anonymous folded sheets of paper, to eliminate candidates for a vacant council seat?
