Public Policy

CANDIDATE FORUMS for UPCOMING ELECTIONS

AAUW of Colorado and the League of Women Voters of Douglas and Arapahoe Counties are co-sponsoring several candidate forums for the Littleton, Centennial, and Douglas County areas in preparation for the local elections. Candidates will be asked general questions pre-prepared by LWVADC and AAUW followed by questions from the audience. You are encouraged to attend.

Candidate Forums for 2025 Centennial Mayor and City Council Candidates

Saturday, October 4th at 11:00 am for the Mayoral Candidates and 12:00 pm for the City Council candidates in the Banquet Room at South Suburban Parks and Recreation District Sports Complex, 4810 East County Line Rd., Littleton, CO 80126.

Candidate Forums for 2025 Littleton Mayor and City Council Candidates

Thursday, October 9th at 5:00 pm for the Mayoral Candidates and 6:00 pm for the City Council candidates in the Large Meeting room at Bemis Library, 6014 S. Datura St., Littleton, CO 80120.

Candidate Forums for 2025 Douglas County School Board Candidates

Thursday, October 2nd at 5:00 PM in Event Hall A & B in the Castle Rock Library, 100 S. Wilcox, Castle Rock, CO.

Lakewood AAUW Branch Candidate Forum for Jefferson County School Board Candidates: Candidates from Districts 1, 2, and 5 are invited; Thursday, October 9, 6:30 pm, Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church, 920 Kipling St, Lakewood, CO 80215.

LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

Littleton Public Schools: https://www.littletonpublicschools.net/page/board-of-education . Meets 2^nd and 4^th Thursday nights each month at 6:30. Attend in person at 5776 S. Crocker St or stream from home. Click on BoardDocs to see information about all past meetings. Click on Watch Board Meetings Live to live stream from home. Click Sign Up to Address the Board to register to speak.

Jefferson County Public Schools https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/page/board-of-education Meetings of the Board are held in the Stewart Auditorium at the VanHoose Education Center, 3332 Newburg Road two Tuesdays each month at 6 p.m. See webpage for exact dates. Residents can attend in person or by live stream at https://www.youtube.com/@JCBE/streams Click on the FAQs for information on how to register to speak at a board meeting.

Douglas County Public Schools https://www.dcsdk12.org/about/board-of-education Meetings are held at the District Administrative Offices in the Wilcox Board Room, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock. The Board meets at 5:00 pm one Tuesday a month. See website for exact dates. Live streaming is under debate. Click on Meetings Via YouTube to view recordings of past meetings.

Cherry Creek School District https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/about-us/board-of-education/board-of-education Board meetings are held monthly, usually on the second Monday of the month, 7:00 p.m., at one of the schools in the Cherry Creek School District. Click on Meetings and Agendas for details. Click on BOE Livestreams and Recordings to watch meetings from home.

How to Hold a Meeting with Your Elected Officials

You don’t need to be a policy expert or a seasoned advocate. You just need to care, be prepared, and speak from the heart. This guide walks you through it, and applies to meeting local and state officials as well:

Advocacy Toolkit-Meeting your Members of Congress Guide

Engage with your Elected Officials

An easy way to engage is to use 5 Calls Civic Action – see the steps below.

AAUW members wanting an EASY way to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives can use www.5calls.org . 5 Calls Civic Action is a non-profit that helps the public make their voices heard on numerous critical issues. Here’s how:

Go to 5calls.org. Set your location. This step brings up photos, names, and phone numbers (D.C. and local) of your U.S. Senators and Representatives.
Click on an issue from the list displayed on the left. The system displays a summary of the issue and where the issue currently stands in Congress.
Dial the phone number of the elected official displayed below the summary. (If you do not want to contact that person, click the blue SKIP button to go to the next official in the list.)
When the call is answered, speak to the person or leave a voicemail. A brief script is provided by 5 Calls. You may read the script verbatim, or customize it. If you leave voicemail, provide your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.
When finished, click the blue button that represents the result of your call (Unavailable, Voicemail, Contact, or Skip). The system now displays the phone number for the next elected official. Continue until you have finished all your contacts.

That’s all there is to it! Research has shown that elected officials pay attention to phone tallies on issues. As the 5Calls website explains, congresspeople use call tallies and personal stories from constituents to support their positions when talking to colleagues. Congresspeople get regular call tally reports, letting them know how strongly their constituents feel about an issue.

You can also sign up to receive email updates from 5 Calls Civic Action. They also have an app you can download on your mobile phone.

Education Bills of the 2025 Colorado Legislative Session

The Colorado General Assembly tackled many education bills in the 2025 legislative session. Chalkbeat, a non-profit news organization focusing on education in Colorado, has posted an article spotlighting the education bills that passed and failed. Bills that passed comprise key areas such as school funding, book
bans, financial literacy, immigration enforcement, and cellphone use, among many others. To read the full article: Chalkbeat Colorado

AAUW National has Just Opened 2 New Funds

AAUW Public Policy fund, and Defending Public Education fund.

Donate when you renew your membership.

Colorado’s Office of the State

Long-Term Care Ombudsman

AAUW members may be concerned about the safety and welfare of family members residing in Long Term Care situations. The Older Americans Act requires every state to have an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP). Colorado’s LTCOP serves residents in long-term care.
To learn about Colorado’s LTCOP click here: https://www.coombudsman.org/

Public Policy

CANDIDATE FORUMS for UPCOMING ELECTIONS

How to Hold a Meeting with Your Elected Officials

You don’t need to be a policy expert or a seasoned advocate. You just need to care, be prepared, and speak from the heart. This guide walks you through it, and applies to meeting local and state officials as well:

Engage with your Elected Officials

An easy way to engage is to use 5 Calls Civic Action – see the steps below.

AAUW members wanting an EASY way to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives can use www.5calls.org . 5 Calls Civic Action is a non-profit that helps the public make their voices heard on numerous critical issues. Here’s how:

Go to 5calls.org. Set your location. This step brings up photos, names, and phone numbers (D.C. and local) of your U.S. Senators and Representatives.

Click on an issue from the list displayed on the left. The system displays a summary of the issue and where the issue currently stands in Congress.

Dial the phone number of the elected official displayed below the summary. (If you do not want to contact that person, click the blue SKIP button to go to the next official in the list.)

When the call is answered, speak to the person or leave a voicemail. A brief script is provided by 5 Calls. You may read the script verbatim, or customize it. If you leave voicemail, provide your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

When finished, click the blue button that represents the result of your call (Unavailable, Voicemail, Contact, or Skip). The system now displays the phone number for the next elected official. Continue until you have finished all your contacts.