Will Denver news stations investigate allegations of vote-suppression phone calls aimed at Latinos?

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

During 6 p.m. newscasts on Election Day, KUSA 9News and KCNC CBS4 made no mention of reports that Democrats allegedly received complaints from some Latino voters who said they were told by phone they could not vote.

In a November 7 online article, Fort Collins Coloradoan reporter Kevin Darst stated that, according to Democrats, "[s]ome Latino voters in the 4th Congressional District reported getting calls telling them they could not vote today." But in their 6 p.m. broadcasts, neither KUSA 9News nor KCNC CBS4 mentioned the alleged phone calls.

In addition to citing comments from representatives of U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) and 4th Congressional District Democratic candidate Angie Paccione (Fort Collins), the Coloradoan cited a November 7 article from the Washington, D.C., newspaper Roll Call. According to Roll Call:

In automated and live calls, Democrats allege, Latinos have been told that their ethnicity makes them ineligible to vote in today's elections. The calls also threatened that Latinos would be arrested at polling places if they did attempt to vote, party sources said.

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According to Coloradans who have received the calls -- which date back at least two weeks -- both the robo-calls and the live callers ask for voter's party affiliations. Those who identify themselves either as Democrats or as unknown or independent were then warned that they were not eligible to vote and that they would risk arrest at the polls if they attempted to vote.

Oralia Ramirez, a 24-year-old resident of Gilcrest, Colo., said she received one of the automated calls, which began with a menu of party affiliations. When she pressed three for “you don't know,” she was transferred to a person who asked her who she was voting for today and what her party affiliation was. When Sanchez responded that she was unsure, “He asked, 'Are you Hispanic, Latino, black?' ” and when she said she was a Latina, the caller said " 'Oh so you are Hispanic. You're Hispanic, so you can't vote. You aren't even registered to vote, so don't waste your time. Just by looking in my records you can't vote.' Then I just hung up."

Salazar said the campaign has received at least one other complaint from a voter, who received a similar phone call two weeks ago in which a caller threatened the voter with arrest if he attempted to vote.

Both Roll Call and the Coloradoan noted that a spokesman for Paccione's opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (Fort Morgan), denied any connection to the alleged phone calls.

Despite the Coloradoan's report, KUSA 9News and KCNC CBS4 made no mention of the alleged phone calls during their 6 p.m. newscasts on November 7. KMGH Channel 7 does not have a 6 p.m. newscast.