Published: Nov. 7, 2016

Carla Fredericks with American Indian Law Clinic Students

Julia LaManna, Johanna Kron, Carla Fredericks, and Derik Goatson at CU Law

Although Colorado adopted a mail-in ballot voting process partly to make voting easier for state residents, it unfortunately had a negative impact on members of the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in southern Colorado. The only community polling place on the reservation was the Towaoc Polling station that was closed in 2013. But some students in CU's American Indian Law clinic had a great idea and with the help of their Director, Carla Fredericks - they created a webinar to help local voters better understand the process.

 

“This was a very valuable project for the community, but importantly, the students were able to gain valuable skills in communicating and collaborating with the tribe to build a tool that would best meet their needs as a community and empower their membership,” said Fredericks, who directs the CU Boulder American Indian Law Clinic. “In the end, that’s a lot of what practicing Indian law is about.”

 

Read more about this story and CU's American Indian Law Program - a CNAIS affiliated program - in the CU Boulder Today.