by OnSight | Sep 2016 | Campaign, Elections, Let Colorado Vote, Press and Media, video
Ad to run on digital platforms, in TV markets across Colorado
DENVER — Today, Let Colorado Vote, the campaign dedicated to building consensus for policies to increase voter access and participation, launched its first advertisement of the election season.
“Can we play?” highlights the unfairness of Colorado’s current election systems that limit participation and choice and urges voters to make our elections better by Voting Yes on Propositions 107 & 108.
“Thanks to our committed supporters from across the state, who share our desire for elections in Colorado that are more fair and inclusive, we have raised the resources to communicate our message broadly,” said campaign chair Kent Thiry, Chairman and CEO of DaVita. “Propositions 107 and 108 are essential for strengthening our Democracy in Colorado by including the more than 1 million unaffiliated Coloradans who currently pay taxes for elections they are banned from participating in.”
Here is a link to the ad that will begin airing today online and is planned to run on broadcast networks and cable systems in Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction.<
by OnSight | Sep 2016 | Campaign, Tobacco Tax
Big tobacco is at it again, spending millions to push out a campaign of deceit.
The tobacco industry has purchased nearly $7.7 million of television and radio time for commercials in Colorado to divert attention from the purpose of Amendment 72, which is to save lives, reduce smoking and stop thousands of kids from getting hooked on cigarettes.
DONATE TO HELP US FIGHT BACK
Tobacco companies are hiding behind phony fears about our state constitution to avoid addressing the real reason why they are fighting Amendment 72, which is that raising the cost of cigarettes will stop thousands of kids and adults from smoking and hurt their profits.
Amendment 72 is widely supported by Colorado voters because they know cigarettes kill. Over 100 organizations and health care leaders endorse the initiative, including the Children’s Hospital of Colorado, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association.
Remember who is behind these ads – the same industry that used to claim that cigarettes were harmless.
CONTRIBUTE TO HELP US SPREAD THE WORD TODAY
by OnSight | Sep 2016 | BIkes, Pedal the Plains
The Denver Post Community Foundation, the Office of Governor John Hickenlooper and presenting sponsor Viaero Wireless are excited to hit the road for the fifth annual Pedal The Plains Bicycle Tour beginning on September 16th. The ride will spin through southeastern Colorado along its three-day, 154-mile journey. Participants will visit scenic, historical, agricultural and educational stops in route to the three overnight host communities: Ordway, Fowler and La Junta. Off the bike, riders will enjoy locally-sourced food, beer gardens, live entertainment, contests and the community spirit of Colorado’s Eastern Plains.
“Pedal The Plains is not only a fun and challenging Bicycle Tour, but it gives folks a chance to experience our state’s storied Eastern Plains,” said Governor John Hickenlooper. “It’s an opportunity to visit and learn about a part of the state many haven’t visited.”
The ride is a celebration of Colorado cycling culture combining great rides, delicious eats and close friends. Billed as “a ride for the rest of us,” Pedal The Plains has three ride offerings suitable for a variety of skill levels: the full 3-Day Tour, a Century Ride and Family Fun Ride.
Riders will pedal away the weekend between entertainment and festivities, eat meals made with local produce, and stay in accommodations ranging from tents to hotel rooms. Participants can enjoy their time off the bicycle seat as much as on it. From performing pigs to live music, moonlight dances to historic re-enactments, beer gardens to horseshoe tournaments, Pedal The Plains has it all.
“Pedal The Plains truly has something for everyone—whether you’re an avid cyclist, a history buff, a seeker of new experiences or someone who wants to have a weekend of family fun, you’re certain to have a good time,” says Tour Director, Chandler Smith.
The Denver Post Community Foundation, which has managed the world-class cycling event Ride The Rockies through 31 successful years, is also the organizer for this unique Colorado event.
Established five years ago, Pedal The Plains dives into Colorado’s agricultural roots and the state’s frontier heritage on the Eastern Plains, and provides significant economic benefits and opportunities for host communities through lodging, restaurant and retail businesses, as well as entertainment, community meals, home stays and transportation.
Additional tour highlights include:
- Bobby’s Animal Farm
- Crowley Heritage Center
- Olney Springs All Vets All Wars Memorial
- Crowley Correctional Center
- Fowler Historical Society
- Larson’s Apishapa Ranch
- Viaero Wireless Tower Talk
- Arkansas Valley CSU Research Center
- Hirakata Farms
- Otero Junior College
- Comanche National Grasslands
- Purgatoire River Region / Historic Cattle Corral
- Bent County Fairgrounds / 4H Exhibits
- Las Animas Fish Hatchery & Rearing Unit
- Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
- Health in Rural Colorado
- Colorado Ranchers & Cattlemen
- Powering Colorado: The Evolving Energy Industry
Proceeds from the ride will benefit The Denver Post Community Foundation in support of Colorado Future Farmers of America Foundation and Colorado 4-H. Both of which will receive a $7,000 grant. In addition, The Denver Post Community Foundation will provide a $3,000 grant to each of the three host communities to benefit a local organization of their choice. Pedal The Plains will also donate 10% of total registration fees to a charity of choice to teams of 10 or more.
Viaero Wireless, the Tour’s presenting partner since its inception, is joined in supporting the ride by founding partners Western Dairy Association, Anadarko Petroleum, Noble Energy, Suncor Energy and CoBank.
Online registration for all ride offerings is now closed. Walk-on registrations are welcome during the Tour.
by OnSight | Aug 2016 | BIkes
Last night Yeti Cycles hosted the Giddyup Getdown where we released the course stages and celebrated the 1,200+ hours of trail work our volunteers have put in on JeffCo trails this year. We want to thank our other sponsors and supporters including JeffCO Open Space, Laws Whiskey House, Earth Treks, Proudfoot, MTB Enduro Training, Vida Skills Clinic (who were giving away a free clinic for 9/17!) and, of course, New Belgium Brewing for the refreshments.
If you weren’t able to make it, here are the details you’ve been waiting for: six stages, three climbs, three descents, and a day of rocking fun. Our riders will take off in waves of 12 every five minutes starting at 7:30AM on race day, with the Chimpex and NTM course riders starting shortly after the full course.
Let’s remember one key thing: be safe, don’t be stupid. If you get cited for riding unsafely between now and race day, we’ll yank your registration. We have this amazing opportunity — let’s not screw it up.
PS: We need volunteers! Tell your friends, family, and share around in your networks. We have spots to fill throughout the day for course marshals, expo assistance, timing and all around the event. Most shifts are 3 hours, so plenty of time to take in some of the excitement while volunteering out on the course and still enjoy the festivities at the expo in Lions Park.
by OnSight | Aug 2016 | Elections, Let Colorado Vote, politics
Colorado voters will be asked this fall to re-institute a presidential primary and to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in taxpayer-financed primary elections without choosing a party.
The measures were approved for the ballot today by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office after verifying that enough voter signatures had been collected.
“Colorado voters value independence and want elections that encourage participation,” said Kent Thiry, Let Colorado Vote Campaign Chair and CEO of DaVita. “Only 5% of voters participated in the March caucuses, which is not a sign of a healthy democracy. Our initiatives will fix that and allow more than 1 million unaffiliated voters to participate in elections that they currently pay for, but thus far have been excluded from.”
The two measures would change state law (as opposed to amending the constitution):
- Initiative 140, which will restore a presidential primary and allow unaffiliated voters to participate without affiliating with a party;
- Initiative 98, which will allow the state’s more than 1 million unaffiliated voters to participate in taxpayer-financed primary elections without affiliating with a party.
“We believe, strongly, that allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in taxpayer funded primary elections is a matter of fairness,” said John Hereford, Let Colorado Vote Vice Chair and founder of Oak Leaf Energy Partners. “Engaging a broader cross-section of the voting spectrum in primaries will make our politicians more responsive to the center and not just the extreme wings of their respective parties.”
Colorado leads the nation in the growth of unaffiliated – or independent – voters since 2008, and they now make up 36% of all voters in the state.
But unaffiliated voters in Colorado face barriers that don’t exist in most other states. Colorado is among a minority of states that excludes unaffiliated voters from taxpayer-financed primary elections, and history shows that this system discourages participation.
Turnout for Colorado’s primary elections has been dropping since 2010, and just 1 in 5 voters participated in the state’s June primary.
The current primary does not include the presidential race, which is handled through a caucus system with preference polls rather than official ballots. Fewer than 190,000 of the state’s 3 million voters participated in the March caucuses.
Other campaign Vice Chairs are: Kelly Brough, President/CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber; Don Childears, President/CEO of the Colorado Bankers Association; Cole Finegan, partner at Hogan Lovells US; and Mike Kopp, executive director of Colorado Concern.
Let Colorado Vote is supported by a diverse array of individuals and organizations, including: Gov. John Hickenlooper; former Govs. Bill Ritter, Bill Owens, Roy Romer and Dick Lamm; former U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Hank Brown; Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers; former Transportation Secretary Federico Peña; and civic and business groups, including: the Denver Metro Chamber, Colorado Concern, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Club 20, the Colorado Association of Realtors, the Colorado Contractors Association, the Metro Mayors Caucus, Progressive 15, the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and the Vail Valley Partnership.
For additional information, visit: www.letcovote2016.com.
