Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland has covered Colorado politics and government since spring of 2006. She loves the variety and challenge of the state capitol beat and talking to people from all walks of life. Bente's work has aired on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, American PublicMedia'sMarketplace, and she was a contributor for WNYC's The Next Big Thing. She has won numerous local and national awards, including best beat reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Bente grew up in Minnesota and England, and loves skiing, hiking, and is an aspiring cello player. She lives in Lakewood with her husband.
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Even though it wasn't a swing state in 2020, Colorado has been at the forefront of false claims that the election was stolen. -
Colorado's new congressional district was drawn to be highly competitive. Its election pits a Latina Democrat against a Republican who became a politician to fight environmental injustice.
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In Colorado, canvassers have been knocking on doors in some communities to determine whether people actually voted. The effort is raising concerns about voter intimidation.
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People who falsely believe the 2020 election was stolen are knocking on doors around the country to determine whether people actually voted. The effort is raising concerns about voter intimidation.
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Tina Peters — a local Republican election clerk who has been indicted on 10 charges of election tampering and misconduct — is running for Colorado's top election job in Tuesday's primary.
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State Rep. David Ortiz was paralyzed from the waist down while serving in Afghanistan. To give him access to the House podium, legislative staff say they have built the first lift of its kind.
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The Colorado Caroling Company shares the joy of performing holiday favorites for appreciative audiences.
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Election officials are trying to win over voter trust that ballots are handled and counted securely. In Colorado, a clerk went so far as to invite one skeptic to work at his office to see for herself.
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Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who in 2018 became the first openly gay man ever elected governor in the U.S., wed his longtime partner on Wednesday.
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Republicans in more than 30 states have introduced bills to criminalize or limit the rights of protesters. Simultaneously, some Democratic-led states are working to better protect protesters.
