Our country’s military men and women serving overseas should have the same rights and privileges that we enjoy stateside. One of those fundamental rights is the right to vote in our republican system. A bill I’m sponsoring this year in the House of Representatives, HB 1130, ensures that military personnel serving overseas have access to ballots in local elections.

My bill, co-sponsored in the State Senate by Sen. Owen Hill, updates Colorado law and conforms it to the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), a standard for local election administrators that establishes guidelines for how to administer elections overseas. Every other election in Colorado already complies to UOCAVA provisions – my bill would bring municipal elections up to that same standard.

HB 1130 would move up the date for nomination petitions to be filed in certain municipal elections, like those for mayor and city or town council, in order for ballots to be shipped to remote parts of the world where our uniformed service members are deployed. The goal of my bill is to bring these local elections under the same guidelines as special district elections, coordinated elections and other elections.

While some towns and cities are getting this practice right and ensuring that military voters have enough time to cast their ballot, other communities across the state lack uniform guidelines. HB 1130 ensures that all municipalities in Colorado conform to federal rules and follow a standard set of guidelines. In an environment where collaboration is rare and bad bills are all too common, HB 1130 is reasonable, bipartisan and supported by a broad coalition from around the state, including the Colorado Municipal League, Secretary of State Wayne Williams and El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman.

This bill will primarily affect elections held in statutory towns, those small municipalities with under 2,000 residents. Military men and women, wherever they choose to live in Colorado, must have access to the ballot and the right to participate in our republic if they are serving their country overseas.

Doing right by our military men and women shouldn’t be a partisan issue – it’s only common sense. On Feb. 25, HB 1130 passed the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee unanimously, and it is my hope that it will pass the whole House with similar bipartisan support.

I have the privilege to serve the citizens of House District 14, which encompasses much of northern Colorado Springs. I’m also honored to represent many members of the U.S. military as well as their families; coming from a military family myself, I know the challenges faced by many of our neighbors in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.

When our service personnel go abroad to serve and defend our country, their rights to vote and participate in our elections are still valid. Their votes and voices matter, and while we can never repay the debt of gratitude for their service, we can stand up for one of their most fundamental rights – the right to vote. Our servicemen and women fight for our rights every day. Now it’s our job to stand up for them, and I’m glad to say that the Colorado Legislature is doing just that.

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Rep. Dan Nordberg, R-Colorado Springs, represents Colorado House District 14 in the state legislature. You can reach him by email at Dan.Nordberg.House@state.co.us.