July 14 articles in The Gazette of Colorado Springs and the Greeley Tribune made no mention of controversial votes cast by local Republicans during the House of Representatives' debate over the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. A version of an Associated Press article printed in The Gazette did not inform readers that Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colorado Springs) had voted against the reauthorization. And a Medill News Service article published in the Tribune omitted the fact that Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Loveland), who represents Greeley, had voted in favor of an amendment that the Republican sponsor of the reauthorization bill called a “poison pill[].”

Originally passed in 1965, the Voting Rights Act outlawed racially discriminatory state voting laws. The act also banned specific practices such as the use of literacy tests for voting, contained enforcement provisions to prevent the use of poll taxes, and required areas of the country with a history of discriminatory voting practices to obtain "preclearance" from the Justice Department before altering their election laws. The act was subsequently amended to require non-English ballots in areas with sizable minorities of non-English speakers. On July 13, the House voted 390-33 to reauthorize the act. Hefley and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) were among the 33 who voted against reauthorization.

The Gazette's only mention on July 14 of the Voting Rights Act's reauthorization was in the Associated Press article, which noted that "[t]he 390-33 vote sent to the Senate a bill that represented a Republican appeal to minority voters who doubt the GOP's 'big-tent' image" and that "[a]ll of the 'no' votes came from Republicans, in defiance of their own leaders." The article made no mention of the votes of Colorado's delegation. Unlike The Gazette, The Denver Post -- which also printed the AP article -- inserted the fact that “Republican Reps. Joel Hefley of Colorado Springs and Tom Tancredo of Littleton were among the 33 lawmakers voting no.” A July 14 Rocky Mountain News article similarly reported that Hefley and Tancredo “were among only 33 lawmakers who voted against reauthorization of the landmark Voting Rights Act.”

In an article published July 16, the Post explained that “Hefley opposed the reauthorization because of a provision that requires certain voting districts in 16 states with a history of discrimination to clear any changes in voting arrangements with the Department of Justice” and that Tancredo did so “because of a provision requiring bilingual ballots in more than 450 voting districts.”

The News further reported in its July 14 article that all four House Republicans from Colorado -- Hefley, Musgrave, Tancredo, and Bob Beauprez of Arvada -- voted for a “failed amendment that would have stripped away a requirement for ballots to be printed in multiple languages in places with concentrated populations of people not proficient in English.” According to the AP article published in the Post and The Gazette, the controversial amendment, sponsored by Rep. Steve King (R-IA), was one of several measures that supporters of the bill described as " 'poison pills' designed to kill the renewal."

The Medill News Service article published July 14 in the Tribune specifically addressed how the King amendment could have affected Colorado's Spanish-speaking voters and noted that Weld County, where Greeley is located, “does not provide bilingual ballots.” But the article never mentioned that Musgrave -- who represents Greeley -- voted in favor of the amendment. Crowley County, in Musgrave's 4th Congressional District, is one of the 10 Colorado counties that require non-English ballots.

Unlike Hefley and Tancredo, Musgrave and Beauprez did eventually vote in favor of reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act.

From the July 14 AP article, as it appeared in The Gazette of Colorado Springs:

The House voted Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, rejecting efforts by Southern conservatives to relax federal oversight of their states in a debate haunted by the ghosts of the civil rights movement.

The 390-33 vote sent to the Senate a bill that represented a Republican appeal to minority voters who doubt the GOP's “big-tent” image.

All of the “no” votes came from Republicans, in defiance of their own leaders.

“The liberties and freedom embedded in the right to vote must remain sacred,” House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said in a statement. “Principles like these cannot wait for discrimination to rear its ugly head.”

Southern conservatives complained that the act punishes their states for racist voting histories they say they've overcome.

“By passing this rewrite of the Voting Rights Act, Congress is declaring from on high that states with voting problems 40 years ago can simply never be forgiven," said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., one of several lawmakers pressing for changes to the law to ease its requirements on Southern states.

From the July 14 AP article, as it appeared in The Denver Post:

The House voted Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, rejecting efforts by Southern conservatives to relax federal oversight of their states in a debate haunted by the ghosts of the civil rights movement.

The 390-33 vote sent to the Senate a bill that represented a Republican appeal to minority voters who doubt the GOP's “big-tent” image.

Republican Reps. Joel Hefley of Colorado Springs and Tom Tancredo of Littleton were among the 33 lawmakers voting no.

Southern conservatives complained that the act punishes their states for racist voting histories they say they've overcome.

“By passing this rewrite of the Voting Rights Act, Congress is declaring from on high that states with voting problems 40 years ago can simply never be forgiven,” said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., one of several lawmakers pressing for changes to the law to ease its requirements on Southern states.

From the July 14 Medill News Service article in the Greeley Tribune (Medill News Service is a wire service based in Chicago. Journalism graduate students at Northwestern University work for the service and write articles for “client newspapers.”):

Among four amendments defeated was one sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to eliminate the requirement that bilingual ballots and assistance be available at polling places with significant numbers of non-English speakers.

During debate, Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., called the amendment a “poison pill” designed as a roadblock to reauthorization.

Currently, the Department of Justice uses census population figures to identify jurisdictions in need of bilingual assistance. King wanted to let local authorities decide.

In Colorado, bilingual ballots are available in 10 counties, eight using Spanish and two using Native American tribal languages, Navajo and Ute. Weld County does not provide bilingual ballots.

According to the latest Census figures, Latinos make up 19 percent of Colorado's population.

In Denver, 33 percent of the city's voting-age population is Latino, according to Tina Romero, Spanish outreach coordinator for the Denver Election Commission.

“We have invested a lot of time and energy reaching out to the Spanish-speaking population,” Romero said, and reversing the bilingual ballot provision would be a travesty.