2026 Legislative Priorities
Contact: Hon. Su Ryden, Advocacy Director– AAUW of Colorado 303.898.5797 suryden25@gmail.com
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is one of the oldest women’s organizations in the country, empowering women since 1881. The mission of AAUW is to advance equity for women and girls throughresearch, education, and advocacy. AAUW of Colorado represents over 700 community leaders in branches around the state
of Colorado.
We are available to provide information and assistance on legislation relating to our 2026 Legislative Priorities:
General Priorities
Support a strong system of public education that promotes gender fairness, equity, diversity and inclusivity, and to address the barriers and implicit biases that hinder the advancement of women and girls.
Achieve economic security for all women.
Guarantee equality, individual rights and social justice for a diverse and inclusive society.
Specific Priorities
Support Public Education
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- Challenges facing Higher Education
- Student loan access
- Funding Early Childhood Education
- Funding Pre-K-12
- Promoting Compliance with Civil Rights Laws and Accountability Requirements
- Supporting Career Readiness Programs
- Defending Title IX Protections
Prevent Violence Against Women
Protect Reproductive Health Rights
Funding Behavioral Health Services
Promote Equal Pay/Anti-ageism/Retirement Security
Gun Violence Prevention
Human Trafficking Prevention
When it’s ballot petition signing season:
Be careful. Be smart. Beware before you sign.
Signature gatherers are everywhere these days–at the grocery store, at the park, or even in church. As well-meaning as they may be, as positive as the message may sound, please wait until you ‘ve had a chance to really read the proposal to make a decision to sign a petition.
It often takes over $1 million to get an initiative on the ballot due to the signature requirements and the need to pay petition circulators to get the required signatures. Grassroots efforts rarely succeed. That means you need to know who is financing the effort and why.
The other type of ballot measure is the referendum—a measure that is referred to the ballot by the State Legislature by either a majority or super-majority vote. In Colorado, these are usually tax measures or measures that amend our State Constitution.
For 2026, here is the link to the Secretary of State’s website that lists the proposed initiatives and where they are in the process: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/index.html
You can see the text of the proposal, the supporters, the opponents and other pertinent information. Here is a list of proposed ballot measures for 2026 that have been approved for circulation:
- #81 Admission to State Institutions of Higher Education
- #85 Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes
- #95 Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements to Federal Authorities
- #108 Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor
- #109 Male and Female Participation in School Sports
- #110 Prohibit Certain Surgeries on Minors