Is Fort Collins a Liberal City?

Colorado is, surprisingly, an incredibly polarized state when it comes to voting. It’s nearly been half and half when it comes to voting for both sides during the presidential elections for the past few decades.

Fort Collins is a very liberal city, along with the Front Range; whereas the rest of the state is more conservative. Fort Collins is known for being openly Democratic, where nearly 50% of the population voted Democratically during the 2016 presidential elections.

Colorado is polarly divided regarding many different issues. Politics can be a major concern when choosing to move to a new area, however, there’s more to understand and explore than to just simply say yes or no based on the predominant political party of the city.

What Laws Have Been Added and/or Changed?

Stance on Marijuana

Colorado was the first state to legalize Marijuana, alongside Washington and Oregon. When preparing to legalize Marijuana, the state put into the law that Marijuana would be taxed, and whatever money was earned through those taxes would go back into the school system.

In 2012, the state amended the national constitution, in which the sale of Marijuana was legalized and can be recreationally used. The decriminalization of Marijuana came with its ups and downs.

The positives of having marijuana legalized is that smoking is no longer criminal. Marijuana is certainly not the worst thing that can be smoked, and as long as the person smoking it is regulating the amount and taking care of their own health, it’s completely fine.

It was to help regulate the prison system and the impact it had on the judicial system. The school systems in Colorado also benefited from having extra money to put into whatever expenses are needed.

However, there may be a few more downsides to having Marijuana legalized. There are fewer regulations when making sure that the amount of THC is proper and not intoxicating. Many people are experimenting with weed and its tolerances, which makes many people incredibly sick or have died from too much.

There are a variety of marijuana edibles, which is a leading cause for emergency room visits and Marijuana abuse, and related deaths. There are more downfalls than positives, but that was highly debated before Colorado passed the laws regarding the legalization of Marijuana.

Protection of Immigrants

When Trump was elected into office in 2016, many liberals wanted to push back against the election of a Republican president because they were afraid of some of his more radicalistic views regarding immigrants and their removal. It is a normal reaction for liberals to resist Republican views, but this certainly did not sit well with many, which is completely understandable.

Many residents of Fort Collins were disturbed by Trump’s claims to reinforce I.C.E. and kick out those who were assumed to not belong. There were plenty of outbursts in Denver at the capitol, to announce others’ fears and protect the citizens of Colorado.

Repealing the Death Penalty

Many liberals stand behind removing the death penalty, which happened during the presidential elections of 2020. This helped to stay many death penalties that were to occur during the end of the year. This has been a priority for the past few decades, so it was important to get passed. There has been a large decrease in the percentage of people who supported the death penalty throughout the nation.

At the beginning of 2020, with the fear of police brutality, even more repeals have occurred and the state has decided to move away from the death penalty and unfair punishments. The legalization of Marijuana was to prevent an unfair judgment, as well as work on problems within the state that are far more problematic.

Vaccines

In Fort Collins especially, along with Boulder and a few other metropolitan areas along the bottom of the mountains, many people don’t have a desire to vaccinate their children. It is a much-disputed dilemma because this puts vaccinated children with unvaccinated children in the same school. Many parents have expressed fear, and other parents are more afraid of the vaccines themselves.

The state has decided that parents are encouraged to take education courses regarding vaccines and then submit a completion certificate, or they can get a medical provider to notify schools. This is a heavily debated and highly divided topic among citizens of any town, so the state is trying its best to pass bills to pacify both sides of the argument.

What Are Liberals Top Priorities

Education

Education is one of the top priorities for all liberals, truly most people are, especially in Colorado. The taxes from Marijuana needed to be used for something important, and so the schools were at the forefront of the legislations mind. In Colorado, secondary education is important and encouraged.

Many schools offer programs to help students either obtain college credit or go through AP courses provided by the state. At Colorado State University (CSU), the graduation rate is around 70%, as of 2019. This is, of course, higher than the nation’s average.

Climate Change

In 2008, Colorado announced the Climate Action Plan, which would help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The overall goal is to increase the betterment of the air quality, along with the improvement of the overall health of the community. The city endeavored to see what the impact zones were, and what actions needed to be taken to improve the air quality and protect the citizens.

There are a lot of changes needed to improve the air as well as the water, as many people are known to get cancer in certain parts of town. The state had hoped to decrease emissions by over 20% during the year 2020, and then over 80% by 2050. This is an important step for the Front Range, as they work towards creating a healthier environment for the civilians.

Environment

Fort Collins prides itself on encouraging the residents to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Everywhere you step there are dozens of recycling bins. The vast majority of people either shop at Sprouts or Whole Foods. Many of the residents are self-conscious regarding the health of themselves as well as the earth.

Dozens of restaurants encourage a more eco-friendly approach to containers, disposal, and the reuse of items. It’s part of the movement towards leaving a smaller carbon footprint and protecting the earth for future generations.

Health Care

Healthcare comes with pitfalls, for sure, but the liberals in Colorado encourage changes to be made often to accommodate everyone. The Democrats have had a difficult time in getting certain bills passed, but have been able to keep Senate Bill 215 in check.

This bill helps to lower insurance costs for individuals, which will also help to lower premiums so that more people can be insured, especially those who have fewer insurance options available. This is another important step for all Liberals. Obamacare is important for Liberals. It provides a more affordable option, which prevents people from being insured because it is readily available and affordable for all.

Welfare

And last, but not least, welfare. Welfare is in regards to government programs that provide financial aid, as well as other support, to those who are unable to help themselves. The Front Range finds it important to make sure that the homeless are well taken care of and whoever else is less fortunate.

There are a considerable amount of shelters as well as soup kitchens available that the state helps to provide. The state also provides many programs provided through Colorado’s judicial system, such as child care and support, sexual health programs, and so many more. Varying bills are passed periodically to either improve or change the impacts on the welfare programs.

History Of Politics In Colorado

In previous decades, Colorado has normally voted for Republican presidents; however, that has drastically changed in the past few elections. Colorado appears to be changing in its political views. The Front Range is the bluest out of the whole state, in which those areas carry the vote because of the large population.

It is normally the edges of Colorado, the more rural parts, that tend to vote conservatively than the rest. It’s been recorded that since 1952, Colorado voters have voted on the side of the national winner.

It is more noticeably a divided state now than in previous presidential elections. The state is incredibly divided in regards to welfare, health care, schooling, and so forth. Conservatives always tend to be cautious when embracing changes to the state’s mandates and laws.

Because the metropolitan areas tend to have more of a say, conservatives tend to be louder when it comes to changes that they aren’t quite sure of. Conservatives and liberals are divided, and it has been this way for the past few decades.

Politics are important when relocating, but they are not everything. Being friends with those who have differing views can enrich ours and their life. Some of my best friends have opposite political views to mine but we do not base our friendship on that. It has been extremely valuable to know people of differing views so I can learn and understand their perspectives.