ACCESO-SPANISH LANGUAGE VOTER ADVISORY BOARD

Denver Revised Municipal Code ch. 15, art. VII

in effect

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-76 Election committee created.

Sec. 15-76. - Election committee created. There is created an election committee known as the "ACCESO-Spanish Language Voter Advisory Board" (the "board") to operate in accordance with the purposes set forth in this article. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-77 Purpose.

Sec. 15-77. - Purpose. The purpose of the board is to advise and recommend to the Denver Clerk and Recorder and the Denver Elections Division (DED) necessary policy and initiatives designed to assist and inform the DED of methods to maintain an effective and efficient Spanish language assistance program in accordance with the language assistance provisions of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, and C.R.S. § 1-5-905. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 1, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-78 Composition.

Sec. 15-78. - Composition. The board shall be composed of a minimum of seven (7), with no more than fifteen (15), voting members. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 2, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-79 Method of appointment.

Sec. 15-79. - Method of appointment. All members of the board will be appointed by the clerk and recorder and confirmed by a simple majority of the board membership acting by resolution. Appointments to the board shall mirror, as much as possible, the demographics of the Latino population of Denver County. These demographics may include ethnicity, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, political viewpoints and affiliations, income, and geographic location. In particular, the board shall make a good faith effort to include representation from individuals of the Denver Latino community who are civically engaged in the City and County of Denver. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 3, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-80 No compensation.

Sec. 15-80. - No compensation. No member of the board shall receive any compensation for serving on the board, except that members may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in performance of their duties pursuant to the rules and regulations of the city for such reimbursement and as approved by the clerk and recorder or director of the DED. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-81 Terms.

Sec. 15-81. - Terms. Board members, upon appointment and confirmation, will serve for three-year terms, except that one-third of the initial board will serve for one (1) year; one-third of the initial board will serve for two (2) years; and one-third of the initial board will serve for three (3) years (or until a successor has been duly appointed and confirmed), to establish staggered, overlapping terms and provide for continuity of membership. No member will serve more than three (3) consecutive terms; except that a member may serve past the expiration of their third term until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 4, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-82 Officers.

Sec. 15-82. - Officers. Only appointed members of the board are eligible to serve as an officer. Staff members from the office of the clerk and recorder are not eligible to serve as officers of the board. The board shall elect from its membership a chairperson and such other officers as it may designate. Elected officers will serve for such term(s) as the board shall specify. The chair and other duly elected officers shall constitute the executive committee. The chair may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in such capacity. The chair shall be responsible for representing the board at public DED meetings and public forums, and shall attend such meetings as is determined necessary to regularly report the board's recommendations, resource requests, progress, and other information. In case of a vacancy in the office of chair, the board will, within thirty (30) days from the date of such vacancy, elect a successor, who shall serve the unexpired balance of the predecessor's term. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-83 Meetings/quorum/majority vote.

Sec. 15-83. - Meetings/quorum/majority vote. (a) Meetings. The board shall, at minimum, meet on a quarterly basis at a regularly scheduled time and place, except that the board may elect not to meet during the month of December and one (1) agreed upon summer month. During times leading up to general and local elections, the board shall, at minimum, meet monthly at a regularly scheduled time and place. The board may schedule additional meetings provided that notice of such meetings is issued in accordance with D.R.M.C., article III, chapter 2, "open meetings." In coordination with the clerk and recorder or a designated representative in advance, any board member may have an item placed on a board meeting agenda. (b) Quorum. A simple majority of the appointed voting membership constitutes a quorum. A quorum must be present, either in person or electronically, to conduct a board meeting. Voting by proxy is prohibited. The chairperson, in consultation with the clerk, may direct that an electronic ballot be taken on matters requiring immediate decision. All board members and the clerk must be notified at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to this action and a majority of all appointed members is required to carry official action under this procedure. A record of this electronic vote shall be maintained by the chair. In the event of a board vacancy, whether by removal, death, or resignation, the number established to constitute a quorum shall be adjusted downward until a successor has been duly appointed and confirmed. (c) Majority vote. A simple majority vote of the members present shall be required to take any action. In the event that a simple majority cannot be achieved, a second formal vote of the voting members shall be taken by roll call and, if achieved, a simple majority of votes cast shall prevail. In the event of a conflict of interest, the affected voting board member shall recuse himself or herself from the vote. The code of ethics of the City and County of Denver shall be used as a guiding resource document to determine if a conflict of interests exists. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 5, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-84 Qualifications.

Sec. 15-84. - Qualifications. All board members shall be residents of the State of Colorado. There shall not be pre-established educational or training experience requirements of board appointees. These positions will be referred to the clerk for appointment in accordance with the board's recruitment and nominating process. The board shall use best efforts to assure that a minimum of thirty (30) percent of the full board membership is bilingual with Spanish language proficiency and local cultural language proficiencies. Appointees of the board should use best efforts to aid the full board to meet the stated bilingual-Spanish/English requirement. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 6, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-85 Attendance/resignation.

Sec. 15-85. - Attendance/resignation. Board members are expected to participate on a regular basis. The unexcused absence of any board member from three (3) consecutive meetings, unless the board has excused the absence for good and sufficient reasons as determined by the board, will constitute a resignation from the board. A board member may resign his or her position at any time by providing written or email notice to the clerk and recorder or the board chair. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-86 Removal/vacancies.

Sec. 15-86. - Removal/vacancies. (a) Removal. Only the clerk and recorder may remove a member from the board. The clerk and recorder may remove a board member for inappropriate conduct before the expiration of the board member's term. Before removing a board member, the clerk and recorder will specify the cause for removal and will give the board member the opportunity to make a personal explanation. The executive committee may recommend removal of a board member for cause. If the executive committee recommends removal of a board member, it will specify the cause for removal and whether it gave the board member the opportunity to provide a personal explanation to the executive committee. (b) Vacancies. Any vacancy, whether by removal, death, or resignation, occurring during the term of any member, will be filled within forty-five (45) days from the date that a seat becomes vacant. In the event of the death, removal or resignation of a board member, the succeeding appointment shall serve the unexpired portion of the term. (c) Resignation for candidacy to elected office. Board members must resign from the board if the member becomes a candidate for any elected political office for which the DED will or may conduct the election (except for an election to the Denver Employee Retirement Board). If the board member does not resign, the member's resignation shall be deemed automatically tendered and accepted when the member publicly declares his or her intent to seek office. Board members must declare at a board meeting their association with any candidate, candidate committee, political party committee, issue committee, or political committee, and must abstain from consideration of any issue that comes before the board related to such association. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-87 Staff support.

Sec. 15-87. - Staff support. The clerk and recorder shall provide staff support to the board. Any staff members providing assistance to the board shall be ex officio members without authority to vote. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 7, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-88 Annual work plan.

Sec. 15-88. - Annual work plan. The board may develop an annual work plan to recommend identified needs and goals for non-English language assistance during elections. The annual work plan will include proposed methods to respond to identified needs and goals along with any resulting budget impact. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10; Ord. No. 65-23, § 8, 2-13-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 15-89 Disputes.

Sec. 15-89. - Disputes. In the event of impasse between the board and the clerk and recorder, the board and the clerk and recorder may elect to engage in nonbinding mediation or a comparable form of dispute resolution. (Ord. No. 7-10, § 1, 1-4-10)

Source: City and County of Denver, Revised Municipal Code and Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/co/denver/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIREMUCO_CH15EL_ARTVIIACANLAVOADBOFetched: 10/27/2026