On March 7, news broke that Denver is slated to become the second United States jurisdiction to pilot a blockchain-powered mobile voting platform in its upcoming municipal election. Absentee voting will start on March 23 and will run until the Election Day, May 7. The announcement came almost exactly one year after the first initiative of this kind — deployment of mobile voting solution in West Virginia primaries and then midterm elections — was made public in March 2018. Once again, it was the Tusk Philanthropy foundation that spearheaded the effort, while Boston-based technology company Voatz took care of the …

The official Colorado legislation portal reveals that a bipartisan bill proposing a study of blockchain use in agriculture has been introduced on March 15. The bill, jointly filed by four Colorado representative and senators, proposes that the commissioner of the department of agriculture should assemble an advisory group to study blockchain application in the industry. The document also specifies some potential use cases that should be studied, including end product tracking, inventory management and monitoring of in-field conditions. Moreover, the proposed regulation also suggests researching blockchain systems for equipment records storage, data verification and certification of organic products, as well …

A new bill to exempt cryptocurrencies from some securities laws is currently under consideration by the Colorado Senate, documents released on Jan. 4 confirm. A bipartisan effort sponsored at Senate level by Republican Jack Tate and Democrat Steve Fenberg, the “Colorado Digital Token Act” aims to offer limited extra freedoms for cryptocurrencies and traders. The move comes as local regulators crack down on illegitimate offerings in the industry in a bid to formalize the local landscape. “The bill provides limited exemptions from the securities registration and securities broker-dealer and salesperson licensing requirements for persons dealing in digital tokens,” a summary …

The Colorado Division of Securities has filed cessation orders against four Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) allegedly involved in fraudulent and illicit practices, according to an official announcement Nov. 20. Colorado Securities Commissioner Gerald Rome issued the new cease and desist orders following investigations by the Division’s ICO Task Force. Rome has issued 18 cessation orders to ICO projects offering unregistered securities since May, 2018. According to the announcement, at least two more orders are still pending. The recent orders affected four crypto and blockchain-related firms; Global Pay Net, Credits LLC, CrowdShare Mining, and CyberSmart Coin Invest. All the companies were …

Crypto loans company Salt Lending Holdings Inc., once associated with high-profile crypto industry stalwart Erik Voorhees, is facing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) probe over its 2017 $50 million token sale, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Nov. 15. Founded in 2016, Salt — which uses clients’ crypto holdings as collateral against fiat currency loans — is reported to have received a subpoena from the securities regulator this February, according to “sources familiar with the matter.” Among other issues, the SEC is said to be investigating whether Salt’s 2017 token sale was a noncompliant securities offering (i.e. whether …

Two pro-cryptocurrency candidates have won seats to become governors of the U.S. states of California and Colorado in the country’s midterm gubernatorial elections, fintech news outlet TrustNodes reports Nov. 7. In the California race, Democrat contender Gavin Newsom sealed 59 percent of the electorate’s support to defeat the Republican Party’s John Cox. According to local newspaper The Sacramento Bee, Newsom brought crypto onto the party political scene as early as 2014, when he became one of the first high-profile politicians to accept campaign donations in Bitcoin (BTC). The newly-elected California governor notably counts crypto entrepreneurs the Winklevoss twins as donors, …

Colorado Securities Commissioner Gerald Rome has ordered three crypto firms alleged of promoting unregistered Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) to show cause, according to a press release August 28. An order to show cause is a court order that compels a party or individual in a case to justify, prove, or explain something in court. The orders come as part of a state investigation into “what has become a trend of allegedly fraudulent companies looking to make quick money,” according to the press release. The investigations are being conducted under the purview of the of the Division of Securities, which is …

Former Denver Post reporters and editors plan to launch a new local media outlet in partnership with ConsenSys-backed blockchain startup Civil Media Company, The New York Times reports today, June 17. According to the Times, the group left The Denver Post to create a new local state online newspaper, The Colorado Sun, after newsroom layoffs and deteriorating morale following newspaper’s change in ownership. New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital took control of The Denver Post after acquiring its parent company, MediaNews Group, and manages it through a subsidiary, Digital First Media, the Times reports. The Colorado Sun will use …

Political candidates in Colorado could soon accept Bitcoin or other digital currencies for their campaigns, according to reports by the Denver Post on May 17. Secretary of State Wayne Williams made the proposal for allowing donations of cryptocurrencies in political campaigns in draft rules presented on May 16, the Denver Post reports. The US Federal Election Commission (FEC) has already approved the acceptance of Bitcoin as in-kind donations for political campaigns, which gives the campaign 10 days to transfer the donated cryptocurrency into their campaign’s official depository. Donations in crypto would be treated as cash donations, the value being determined …