Legacy
For nearly a decade, Liberty Scorecard has tracked how faithfully Colorado lawmakers uphold the principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free markets in their votes.
From the beginning, our mission has been to give citizens a clear, data driven view of what happens at the Capitol once campaigns end and legislating begins. Each year builds on the work before it, creating a growing record of votes, trends, and legislative behavior that cannot be erased by spin or short memories.
As Colorado continues to change, the Liberty Scorecard remains focused on one constant question: are elected officials protecting the rights and freedoms of the people they serve, or expanding the power of government at their expense.
Statement of Principles
The Liberty Scorecard is grounded in a consistent set of principles that guide how we evaluate legislation and legislative behavior.
Individual Rights
You should have the freedom to live your life as you choose, as long as it does not infringe on someone else’s rights and freedoms.
Personal Responsibility
Choices have consequences. Government cannot and should not attempt to legislate all behavior or shield individuals from every outcome of their decisions.
Free Markets
Where there is a willing buyer and a willing seller, there is a free market. Government intervention distorts markets and favors one person, business, or industry over another.
Property Rights
Government has no legitimate authority to interfere with the peaceful use of private property.
Limited Government
The proper role of government is to protect individual rights. It should not grow beyond the scope defined in the Constitution.
State vs. Federal Balance of Power
It is the proper role of state government to assert its Tenth Amendment rights when necessary to combat federal overreach.
Fiscal Responsibility
Spending should be limited to those functions specifically defined in the Constitution. Taxes should be imposed only to cover those functions.
Equal Protection / Rule of Law
All citizens are equal before the law. No classes should be defined for special treatment or protection.
Methodology
Each legislative session, the Liberty Scorecard team of volunteer analysts meets weekly to review bills introduced at the Colorado Capitol.
Before each meeting, analysts have already done their homework: reading bills, studying their history and fiscal notes, listening to testimony, tracking which organizations are lobbying for or against them, and contacting sponsors when clarification is needed.
During these meetings, discussion focuses on a single question: does the bill uphold or undermine the principles of individual rights, free markets, and limited government. After thoughtful debate, the team votes to take a position: support, oppose, or, when principles conflict, do not rate.
These positions form the foundation of the Liberty Scorecard, which compares our evaluations with legislators’ votes on final committee actions and Third Reading in both chambers. When a bill is substantially amended, we revisit it and may revise our position, though this is rare and most often results in a do not rate designation instead. Absences are not factored into scores.
We maintain open communication with members of the General Assembly from both parties, many of whom seek our perspective on pending legislation. While no scoring system can capture every nuance, Liberty Scorecard analyzes roughly 500 bills each session, representing 40,000 to 50,000 data points. This approach makes the Liberty Scorecard one of the most thorough and comprehensive measures of how faithfully Colorado lawmakers apply the principles of liberty in their votes.
2025 Colorado Legislative Session By The Numbers
The Liberty Scorecard captures the scope and direction of each legislative session in straightforward, measurable terms.
120
Days in session
657
Bills introduced
439
Bills scored by Liberty Scorecard
90
Bills supported
20.5% of scored bills
349
Bills opposed
79.5% of scored bills
The Liberty Scorecard is the most comprehensive legislative scorecard in Colorado.
Officers & Bill Analysts
The Liberty Scorecard is produced by a volunteer team of officers and bill analysts dedicated to careful, principled review of legislation.
Legacy of Liberty Scorecard
1991
Republican Liberty Caucus is founded. It is the longest-running national Liberty Republican organization with active charters in several states. It is a 527c voluntary grassroots organization funded primarily by membership fees.
2011
Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado is chartered. Earl Bandy is elected State Chairman.
2011 - 2018
Principles of Liberty, founded by political activists Rich and Laurie Bratten, runs a legislative scorecard based on the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government.
2016
After several years of dormancy, the Colorado Charter of the Republican Liberty Caucus is reorganized and rechartered. Sue Moore is elected State Chairman.
2019
Upon moving to Wyoming, the Brattens issue their final scorecard in May 2018. The Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado replicates the methodology used in the POL scorecard and produces the 2019 Liberty Scorecard.
2020
RLCCO subscribes to Bill Track 50, a legislative search engine that allows the Liberty Scorecard team to automate bill tracking and vastly expand the number of bills rated each year.
2021
Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado is renamed Colorado Liberty Republicans and registers as a 501c4. The Liberty Scorecard is renamed the Colorado Liberty Scorecard. It is the most comprehensive legislative scorecard in the state of Colorado, rating upwards of 500 bills per year.