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Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on Wednesday that bans anyone in Colorado from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, unless their property falls within that buffer.

The Vote Without Fear Act was a priority election bill for Democrats in charge of the state legislature. Supporters say the law is needed to prevent the harassment of voters and poll workers, arguing that the current intimidation law can be difficult to enforce.

It passed with no Republican backers, who argued it infringed on 2nd Amendment rights.

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez attended the bill signing ceremony at the state capitol and recalled an incident that occurred on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. Two men came to the countys administrative office in Littleton.

Came in with cameras, filming voters, open carrying, and just trying to intimidate voters. Andthen they moved to the front of the building where every voter had to pass them to get to the voting center, she said.

Lopez said people complained and the election judges were really shook up.

Even though the police were called and our attorneys were involved, there was nothing we could do at that point because they weren't violating any laws. Now it's going to be law and they won't be able to do this ever again, Lopez said.

Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Bacon is one of the main sponsors of House Bill 1086. She said voter intimidation has a long legacy in the U.S, especially against communities of color. She said its part of her own familys history when they lived in Jackson Mississippi.

I want to thank the NAACP. We have been fighting for this for a century in this country to be able to vote without fear, she said.

Opponents argued that since Colorado is an open-carry state (with a few exceptions), the bill infringes on Second Amendment rights, and could make people who openly carry a firearm feel less secure.

House Bill 1273 would make it a misdemeanor to threaten or intimidate state and local election workers for doing their jobs. Its still awaiting its first committee hearing. It also would make it illegal to publish the personal information of election workers a practice known as doxxing and allow those workers and their immediate family members to remove their private information from open records requests. And it would increase the penalties for threats and intimidation.

Senate Bill 153 is in response to the security breach in Mesa county. Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters and her Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley are facing multiple indictments for election tampering and misconduct. A federal investigation is ongoing.

It would add new security requirements for counties, requiring constant video surveillance of election equipment, stricter rules about who can access equipment and increase penalties for potential security breaches in an effort to try to prevent insider security threats. The bill cleared the Senate with Democratic support and one Republican yes vote.

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New Colorado law bans people from openly carrying firearms near voting locations - Colorado Public Radio

April 2 is my Alive Day.

When military and veterans talk about their Alive Day, its typically a commemoration of the day that they survived death in combat.

My Alive Day marks the date that I was not killed by a mass shooter.

Eight years ago, a soldier at Fort Hood embarked on a shooting spree that resulted in the murder of three service member and injuries to many others. While the shooter and the three men he killed were all in military uniforms, this was not an act of war. Rather, this was another chapter in the growing saga of gun violence in America.

I knew two of the murdered soldiers well. I was working alongside Sgt. Timothy Owens on the day of the shooting; he was a dedicated team leader in my platoon. Sgt. First Class Daniel Ferguson was a hard-working, professional soldier with whom I had the pleasure of working in a past assignment. I did not have the privilege of knowing Staff Sgt. Carlos Alberto Lazaney-Rodriguez.

As a veteran, I am often thanked for my service. Yet, I dont consider my service to be complete. I am no longer in active service, but I am still compelled by a duty to protect my fellow Americans this time, from the ongoing epidemic of gun violence.

We know how to handle guns in the military. We follow the three pillars of military gun culture: training, safety and accountability. Every soldier knows to keep their weapon locked and unloaded until its ready for use, with strict accountability for every firearm, including regular checks by staff duty officers. The military takes these steps to reduce the number of soldiers killed or wounded on duty.

Civilian America is vastly different.

Dozens of states have no law requiring gun owners to safely secure their guns or even a law requiring a background check on all gun sales, including those arranged online making it easier for convicted criminals and domestic abusers to get their hands on guns. The shooter eight years ago bought his gun off-base, from the very same store that five years prior another shooter bought a weapon from, used in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. Instead of strengthening our gun laws, in Texas last year, politicians went even further, passing permitless carry which allows anyone to carry a handgun in public without a permit, which required a background check and safety training.

This lack of oversight does not make us more free as a society, it makes us less safe. Just a few months into this year, there have already been at least 51 unintentional shootings by children with guns, resulting in 17 deaths, and roughly 70 percent of veteran suicides are by gun.

If you are one of the many Americans who greet veterans with a hearty, Thank you for your service, what actions will you take to honor the lives of our brothers lost at Fort Hood?

We need common-sense gun laws, like universal background checks on all gun sales. If you are a gun owner, practice and promote a culture of weapons safety, including secure gun storage. We cant stay quiet when dangerous laws like permitless carry put us at risk.

None of these steps threaten the rights laid out in the Second Amendment rights that I believe in and served to protect. In fact, in states where these gun safety laws are already in effect, they are helping to save lives. The data is irrefutable: States with weaker gun laws have higher rates of firearm-related homicides and suicides.

There is no magic cure for gun violence, but common-sense gun laws save lives.

We owe it to our loved ones to create a society where people feel safe from this epidemic that is harming our fellow Americans every day. I owe it to Timothy, Daniel and my country to work for a significant reduction in all forms of gun violence.

Johnston is an Army veteran who served as a platoon leader during the 2014 mass shooting on Fort Hood. The views expressed in this article are his alone, and do not reflect the United States military or Department of Defense.

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Opinion: I survived the Fort Hood mass shooting. Now I work to stop gun violence. - Houston Chronicle

The race for the Congressional District 9 seat is underway. U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson faces three challengers in the Republican primary, while a state senator is the only Democratrunning.

Hudson is serving his fifth term in the U.S. House. He currently represents North Carolina's 8th Congressional District,but is running for reelection in the 9th Congressional District after the districts were redrawn based on population data from the 2020 Census.

Hudson's primary issues include agriculture, coronavirus, defense and national security, economy and jobs, education, energy, environment, health care, immigration, preventing gun violence, the Second Amendment, Social Security, veterans and his voting record, according to his website.

Elections:FTCC, Observer and Greater Fayetteville Chamber to host City Council candidate forums

Hudson likes to call himself "Fort Bragg's congressman." He serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and as the Republican Conference Secretary, according to the website. He was named the 12th most conservative member of the House by National Journal, it said.

Hudsongrew up in Charlotte andgraduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the website said. He and his family live in Concord, it said.

Bucardo is a California native who was raised in North Carolina.

The primary issues for her campaign are education, anti-critical race theory, pro-life, pro-guns, the foster care system, immigration, clean water and clear air, and ensuring election integrity, according to Bucardo's campaign website.

Rios is a veteran who is running to represent Congressional District 9.

Rios served in the 82nd Airborne Division and rose to the rank of sergeantbefore the end of his service in 1977.

News:Environmental groups upset with DEQ draft permit; Chemours responds to Cumberland lawsuit

Rioswants to run to give his constituents the means of controlling how he should vote on the various bills and committee matters, according to his campaign website.

Andriani is running for Congressional District 9 for four main reasons "to protect our God-given liberties and maintain our status as a nation of law;" to support efforts that are pro-life, protect gun ownership, school choice, female sports, strong borders and energy independence; to stop government interference with the freedom to make medical decisions for ourselves and our families; and to end all "tyrannical COVID restrictions imposed on We the People," according to Andriani's campaign website.

Some of the primary issues of Andriani's campaign are what he calls medical tyranny, education, economic policy, social policy, defense policy, energy policy, immigration and border security, the website said.

North Carolina Sen. Ben Clark has served five terms representing North Carolina Senate District 21 and is the only Democrat running for the Congressional District 9 seat.

Clark's campaignslogan is "Familly First Agenda." He saidwhen families are strong, the nation is strong.

In an email, Clark said he will go to Congress with a six-point "Family First Agenda." The agenda includes establishing a $15 per-hour minimum wage; makingaffordable health care accessible to every American; providing a quality education for each child; providing support for small businesses; caring for the environment; and protecting democracy.

Clark has a background in education. After earning his Master's in Business Administrationat Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, he taught high school science in Marylandand North Carolina.

"As a retired Air Force Lt. Col. having served five terms in the North Carolina Senate presenting the citizens of Cumberland and Hoke in Senate District 21, I have worked successfully with my colleagues to secure historic levels of resources for the district and to address the pressing concerns of our community," he said.

Staff writerAkira Kyles can be reachedatakyles@gannett.com.

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Meet the candidates running for the Congressional District 9 seat - The Fayetteville Observer

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) Pennsylvania Republicans have worked very hard to be a thorn in the side of Gov. Tom Wolf, and with him on his way out of Harrisburg, there are many who think they can do better than the two-term Democrat.

The Republican primary is packed, and there is no clear frontrunner this early in the race. Most but not all of them are hewing fairly close to former President Donald Trump. And the Pennsylvania Republican Party thus far has declined to endorse anyone.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the lone Democratic candidate launched his formal campaign late last year.

The primary election will determine who will go up against him in the Nov. 8 general election. To help voters prepare, we have broken down the nine contending Republicans below.

May 2: Deadline to register to vote

May 10: Deadline to request a mail-in or absentee ballot

May 16: Military and overseas absentee ballots must be sent no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 16, to be received by the county Board of Elections by May 24.

Tuesday, May 17: Primary Election Day

Polls are open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Your county Board of Elections must receive your mail-in and civilian absentee ballots by 8 p.m. on May 17.

The general election is on Nov. 8.

Josh ShapiroRunning unopposed in the Democratic primary, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is all but assured the nomination. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported that efforts to recruit a challenger to the political left of Shapiro had failed.

Shapiro served in the Pennsylvania House, flipping a red district blue to represent Montgomery County, Pennsylvanias third-largest county, from 2005 to 2011. When he was elected as chair of the Board of Commissioners in Montgomery County, he was the first Democrat to do so since the Civil War. He served from 2011 to 2017.

Shapiro was elected attorney general of Pennsylvania in 2016. In his first term, his office exposed a long-running cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and he focused on arresting drug dealers and getting illegal guns off the street.

When Donald Trump lost his re-election bid in 2020, he turned to the courts dozens of times, trying to overturn the results. Shapiro argued all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure the result of the safe, fair and secure election was certified.

Key issues: Opioid epidemic Protections for seniors Student loan relief Criminal justice reform

Key endorsements: Gov. Tom Wolf Former Gov. Ed Rendell U.S. Sen. Bob Casey U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright, Madeleine Dean, Dwight Evans, Susan Wild, Jessica Benham, Danilo Burgos, Michael B. Carroll, State Sen. Jay Costa State Reps. Austin Davis, Dave Delloso, Marty Flynn, Dan Frankel, Pat Harkins, Vincent Hughes, Tim Kearney, Patty Kim, Malcolm Kenyatta, Emily Kinkead, Joanna McClinton, Robert Merski, Gerald Mullery, Eddie Day Pashinski, Brian Sims, Sharif Street, Anthony H. Williams, Mike Zabel, Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner Mayors of Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Pittsburgh More than a dozen labor unions throughout the state NARAL Pro-Choice America Planned Parenthood Action Fund Democratic Governors Association Democratic Jewish Outreach PA Pennsylvania Democratic Party Penn State College Democrats Tony Luke Jr., founder of the cheesesteak chain Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church Marc Zumoff, former play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers

Lou BarlettaLou Barletta is a former Republican member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania's 11th District, from 2011 to 2019. He lost to Democrat Bob Casey in the 2018 U.S. Senate race.

After college, Barletta tried out unsuccessfully for the Cincinnati Reds, then in the '80s, he started up a road-marking company, which he sold in 2000.

His political career began in his hometown of Hazleton, Pa., where he served as a member of city council and three terms as mayor. As mayor, he gained national attention in 2006 when he signed a high-profile immigration ordinance struck down the following year that fined landlords for providing housing to undocumented immigrants.

Barletta endorsed Donald Trump's presidential campaign after previously endorsing Rick Santorum in 2012 and 2015. He was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

Key issues: Rebuilding the coronavirus-damaged economy Support of coal, oil, and natural gas Opposition to reform of police funding Election integrity Transportation infrastructure High-quality public schools; school choice Curbing state spending Pro-life Second amendment

Key endorsements: Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist under Donald TrumpBill Stepien, former White House director of political affairs under Donald Trump Pennsylvania Right to Life Oil & Gas Workers Association Luzerne County Republican Committee Conservative radio host Rose Tennent Sportsmen for Trump Advisory board member Bob Foulkrod Author and Conservative Commentator Rabbi Aryeh Spero Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson State Reps. David Millard, Barb Gleim, Sue Helm, Jack Rader, Jonathan Fritz At least 27 commissioners, sheriffs and district attorneys from counties across the state At least 40 mayors, supervisors and council members from cities, boroughs and townships

Jake CormanOn his web site, Jake Corman, a state senator representing the 34th District since 1998, sets the tone of his campaign by saying the American dream is in danger of becoming a socialist nightmare.

As a conservative member of the state Senate, Jake Corman was critical of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs use of emergency declarations during the coronavirus pandemic. He worked with the Republican-led Legislature to strip Wolf and future governors of those emergency powers.

Despite a conspicuous lack of any evidence of widespread voter fraud, Corman has been at the center of a push for an audit of Pennsylvanias 2020 election results. Corman is also behind a campaign to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Corman hired former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway in January as a pollster and special adviser. He is one of a few candidates running TV ads. But recently, his campaign has hit a rough spot, according to the Inquirer, which reported that half a dozen high-level staffers have left, fueling concerns that he has been unable to come out as a front-runner in a crowded primary.

Key issues: Reform of emergency powers Election integrity Rebuilding the economy Support of coal, oil, and natural gas Opposition to reform of police funding Manufacturing High-quality public schools; school choice

Key endorsements:Kellyanne Conway, former senior counselor to President Donald Trump

Joe GaleIn 2015, at the age of 26, Joe Gale ran unendorsed for the minority seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. He won and became the youngest Montgomery County commissioner in history.

In 2016, he was the first elected official in Pennsylvania to endorse Trump for President, expressing a kinship as "a genuine conservative outsider" and disrupter.

Since then, the second-term commissioner has become well known for disruption. At the height of the protests and riots sparked by the murder of George Floyd, he called Black Lives Matter a left-wing hate group on county letterhead, earning himself a censure from his fellow commissioners.

Gale said at the time he was being bullied for exercising his First Amendment rights. Then, weeks later, he was sued for violating the First Amendment rights of his constituents by blocking people who wrote negative comments on his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and deleting their comments.

According to an agreement in federal court, Gale was required to restore access to the people he blocked, he was forbidden from blocking any other users on those accounts, and he was not allowed to delete or edit any future comments posted on his pages. Gale called it a bad ruling and expressed sympathy with then-President Donald Trump, who he said was "screwed by federal courts on this very same issue."

Gale filed briefly to run for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in the 2018 election but was found to not meet the office's age requirement.

Key issues: Election integrity, specifically an end to mail-in voting Opposition to COVID-19 restrictions Pro-life Support of Second Amendment Small business protections Support of natural gas fracking the the pipelines used to carry it Reducing the gasoline tax

Key endorsements:KYW Newsradio was unable to verify any key endorsements for Joe Gale.

Charlie GerowA high-profile Republican political consultant, Charlie Gerow has a history in Harrisburg and has been involved in state and national campaigns for decades. He runs a communications and marketing firm near the Capitol, and he has years of appearances on Central Pennsylvania public affairs shows as a political commentator under his belt.

He began his career of political activism working for former President Ronald Reagan.

Key issues: Allowing voters to sponsor ballot initiatives Allowing voters to recall a governor Pro-life School choice Supports Pennsylvania energy production.

Key endorsements: Pa. Congressman Glenn Thompson Michael Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan Newt Gingrich American Conservative Union Conservative Political Action Conference Former Congressman Bob Walker State Rep. Jerry Knowles Former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich

Melissa HartAn attorney, born in Pittsburgh, Melissa Hart got her start in politics, in 1990 when she was 28 years old, as the first Republican woman elected to a full term in the state Senate. She chaired the finance committee in the state Senate.

She served the suburbs of western Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007 the first Republican woman from the commonwealth elected to federal office.

Now she is the only woman running for governor in a crowded Republican field.

After losing re-election to a Democratic challenger in 2007, she says she returned to her legal work in Pittsburgh rather than turning [her] reputation over to D.C. special interests. For the last 14 years, she has worked in a small law office; she serves on the board of a small-business lender, where she says the entrepreneurs realizing their dreams is where the real Pennsylvania shines through.

Key issues: Cutting corporate taxes Easing business regulations Support education that prepares students for the job market Expanding opportunity zones in struggling towns Rolling back Pennsylvanias gas tax School choice Property tax relief Pro-life Transparency in state government Election integrity

Key endorsements:KYW Newsradio was unable to verify any key endorsements for Melissa Hart.

Doug MastrianoA nearly-30-year veteran of the U.S. Army, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, representing Franklin County, unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. He won a special election for the 33rd senatorial district in 2019. Since then, Mastriano has courted national prominence by pushing former President Donald Trump's conspiracy theories and lies about election fraud to overturn certified results.

He says Trump asked him to run for governor, saying that he would support Mastrianos campaign. Mastriano attended the Jan. 6, 2021, Trump rally in Washington, D.C., and even helped organize bus rides for supporters to join him there, but he denies any participation in the deadly insurrection that day.

Mastriano has a big public beef with fellow gubernatorial candidate Pa. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, accusing him and other GOP leadership of stonewalling efforts to investigate the 2020 general and 2021 primary elections. In response, Corman stripped Mastriano of a committee chairman assignment and barred him from the closed-door Republican caucus meetings in which lawmakers discuss positions on bills and strategy.

Speaking of election fraud, the Jan. 6 Committee subpoenaed Mastriano in their investigation into a plot that would have sent fake electors to cast their electoral votes for former President Donald Trump in states that President Joe Biden won.

Key issues: Pro-life Lower taxes Support for Second Amendment Religious freedom School choice

Key endorsements: Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former national security advisor for Donald Trump Jenna Ellis, legal advisor to former President Donald Trump

Bill McSwainServing as the Trump-appointed federal prosecutor in the Philadelphia region, Bill McSwain resigned as U.S. Attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania just before President Joe Bidens inauguration.

McSwain often clashed with District Attorney Larry Krasner over matters of criminal justice reform and with Mayor Jim Kenney, accusing both of being soft on crime. His run for governor is his first campaign for public office, but he is no stranger to political ambition, having spent public money on billboards in Philadelphia, Allentown and Lancaster touting his tough stance on gun crime.

McSwain blocked the opening of a supervised injection site in South Philadelphia, a controversial plan that would have made the city the first in the country to do so. And he pursued federal charges against Black Lives Matter protesters who clashed with police in the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd.

The 2020 election and pandemic response are likely to be major talking points for McSwain. He has repeatedly criticized Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And In a letter made public, he told Trump that then-Attorney General Bill Barr had advised him not to investigate the claims of voter fraud and irregularities which, by then, had been widely discredited. Barr bristled at the characterization, saying McSwain was just trying to court Trump's endorsement.

Key issues: Reducing taxes Lowering gas prices Reducing burdens on corporations Unleashing Pennsylvanias energy resources Election integrity Protecting the Second Amendment Opioid crisis Opposing critical race theory

Key endorsements:KYW Newsradio was unable to verify any key endorsements for Bill McSwain.

Dave WhiteDave White, a third-generation union steamfitter who runs a plumbing and HVAC company in suburban Philadelphia, has previously served on the Delaware County Council. He lost a re-election bid in 2017.

He is expected to use his blue-collar bona fides and labor union connections to differentiate himself among his Republican opponents. White says Pennsylvania needs a businessman to fix its problems and that many of his opponents have had their chance.

Key issues: Pro-life Broad protection of the Second Amendment Expanding vocational education School choice Banning critical race theory

Key endorsements: State Sen. Dan Laughlin

Nche ZamaThe second of six children, Dr. Nche Zama immigrated to the United States from Cameroon on a student visa. He says he had $20 in his pocket at the time and was homeless for a while.

Now recognized as one of the best heart surgeons in the country, Lehigh Valley-based Zama is portraying himself as an outsider candidate.

Zama counts education as one of his core values, and he has financially supported more than two-dozen nieces and nephews through college. On a mission for a humanitarian organization he founded, he performed the first heart surgery on a kid in his native country.

He says Pennsylvania has been sick, that Harrisburg is too broken to heal, and that he has the compassion to bring a similar focus to fix the state's economy, and education and health care systems.

Key issues: Fighting political polarization Making Pennsylvania an education leader Reducing state business regulations Supporting minority-owned businesses and small businesses Reversing health care inequities revealed by pandemic

Key endorsements:KYW Newsradio was unable to verify any key endorsements for Nche Zama.

Originally posted here:
A voter guide to the 2022 Pa. governor race - KYW

Speech restrictions are un-American

In Ohio and across the nation, state legislatures and school districts are banning books, limiting what can be taught in public schools and state universities, restricting the types of events that public librariescan host, and even saying that certain words can't be uttered in certain settings.

The people who are doing this are the same ones that yammer about Second Amendment rights while trampling the First Amendment.

This is what Nazis did; it is what Vladimir Putin does; it is not what we do in the United States ofAmerica.

Jim Kroeger, Fairlawn

After watching President Joe Bidens March 26 speech in Poland, I am reminded of lyrics from the U2 song Crumbs from your Table: where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die. To allow thousands of Ukrainians to die because they are not a part of NATO, thus on the wrong side of the street, is so immoral. To say that Bidens speech ranks up there with those given in Europe by John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan is a joke; those great men did not cower to tyrants. May God have mercy on those in charge who think sanctions alone are the answer.

Randy Ley, Tallmadge

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Letters to the editor: Book bans, teaching restrictions in public schools are un-American - Akron Beacon Journal