Spreading lies in an effort to keep voters from the polls is indefensible and despicable behavior.
It shouldn’t happen.
But what should a society be willing to give up to police such activity? Free speech rights? We don’t think so.
That’s why we opposed state . Its defeat in a legislative committee Tuesday was good for Colorado public policy.
Let’s be clear: In no way do we condone robocalls that attempt to scare voters from the polls, or efforts to undermine voters’ belief in their eligibility to cast a ballot.
Our concerns center on the chilling effect of criminalizing speech. It is easy to envision how such a law, if it had passed, could have been used to threaten not only the dishonorable, but even well-intentioned voter participation advocates who maybe weren’t exactly right in summarizing complex election law.
Why does it matter? Free speech is a precious constitutional right, and any law that attempts to curb that right — particularly one that makes speech a felony — must be considered very carefully.
Furthermore, a Democratic state Senate candidate from El Paso County. The ad said mistakes when Morse was chief of the Fountain police department led to a man who had been charged with multiple felonies pleading to a single misdemeanor. That was untrue. The guy was convicted of a felony and was sentenced to prison.
Nevertheless, the DA declined to prosecute, saying there was no evidence the Trailhead executive director acted recklessly.
The best defense against such deception is an informed electorate. Voters must take steps to root out the truth, and the media can help them.
We’re encouraged by the growing number of fact-checking websites and believe that social media can be a powerful tool in helping voters sort out fact from fiction.
The best place to punish political liars, in our view, is at the ballot box.
