Acceso

Acceso's Mission

"Provide advice and guidance to the Office of the Clerk and Recorder and its Elections Division to assist in communicating to the Spanish language community for purposes of providing elections information and promoting voting and participation of all citizens in the elections process." 

Acceso's History

• In 1973, a provision was added to the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, mandating that counties must provide bilingual election materials and information if 5 percent or more of their voting-age citizens speak a language other than English, or have limited English skills.
• In 2002, the City and County of Denver met the 5 percent threshold for Spanish speakers, and formed the original Spanish Language Advisory Board (SLAB).  
• In 2008, newly-elected Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O’Malley built upon the efforts of SLAB, creating the Acceso Spanish-Language Voter Advisory Board.
• In 2009, Clerk O’Malley collaborated on and backed an ordinance to formally establish the committee, giving the board permanence and a more formal structure.
• The Acceso ordinance took effect January 11, 2010. The first Acceso board members were appointed in July 2010. Members then elected the committee's officers.
• In 2013, Acceso endorsed the position of Denver Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson in favor of House Bill 13-1303, creating the Voter Access & Modernized Elections Act. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Hullinghorst/Pabon and Senator Giron, advances the goals of Acceso by modernizing elections to reflect the way people vote.

Acceso's Structure

Today, Acceso has 16 members representing various geographic areas of Denver. The members serve three years and participate in scheduled meetings and educational activities about the electoral process.

The Acceso board meets on a bi-monthly basis in 2025. 

Meetings are dynamic, and all board members contribute their ideas and updates to the team, the Director of Elections, and the Clerk and Recorder. The board may schedule additional meetings, and provides notices of all meetings in accordance with the Denver open meetings ordinance.

The Acceso meeting schedule for 2025
Wednesday, April 16 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Re:Vision, 3738 Morrison Road, Denver
Wednesday, June 18 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Re:Vision, 3738 Morrison Road, Denver
Wednesday, August 20 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Re:Vision, 3738 Morrison Road, Denver
Wednesday, October 15 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - STEAM on the Platte, 1401 Zuni Street, Denver
Wednesday, December 10 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Members of the Denver community with an interest in providing information about, and promoting participation in, the electoral process are encouraged to apply for membership on the Acceso board.

Members must: 

• Live in Colorado
• Be involved with the Spanish-speaking Denver community
• Agree to a 2-year unpaid commitment
• Interact with the Spanish-speaking community

Fluency in Spanish is especially welcome, but not required for a board position. 

Applications are reviewed by the Acceso board, and members are appointed by Clerk and Recorder Paul D. López. 

Board members are tasked with the following: 

• Supporting the Denver Elections Division in expanding access to Spanish-speaking communities; 
• Promoting a culture of civic participation beyond voting; and 
• Ensuring Spanish-speaking representation at the polls

The application period is now open!

Apply now

Marisa (she/her/hers) currently works as CWEE’s (Center for Work Education and Employment) Manager of Data Analytics and Impact. Marisa brings person-forward data practices. Prior to joining CWEE, Marisa worked in the nonprofit sector focusing on accessible data and projects supporting BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee-serving nonprofit organizations. Marisa is a Colorado native who attended the University of Colorado Denver, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health with a minor in Psychology. She recently earned her master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration on Nonprofit Management. Marisa is active in the community, serving in a leadership role of the LatinasGive! Giving Circle and volunteering for causes throughout the state. Marisa works to create equitable systems statewide through resource procurement, education and outreach efforts, and community building.

Maite Lara-Roca was born in Denver to a Cuban mother and a Spanish father and she grew up in Spain. She returned to Denver to pursue a double degree in Anthropology and Communication at CU Denver as a Displaced Aurarian and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Translation Studies. She is a court-certified interpreter and presently works full-time as the first and only ever Spanish linguist at the Denver District Attorney’s Office where she performs all “Spanish-related tasks,” such as interpreting victim interviews, listening to jail calls, transcribing body work camera footage, providing expert testimony at trial, and much, much, more. As an extension of her work, Maite aims to raise awareness about key barriers and limitations for Spanish speakers of all sorts, from monolingual Spanish speakers with zero English proficiency to heritage speakers whose Spanish fluency has been displaced by forces of assimilation and acculturation. Maite is the Vice-Chair of the Acceso Spanish-Language Advisory Board and she strives to establish a “gold standard” for language access in government, aiming to influence and replicate this approach beyond a single city office.

Vallerie Bustamante recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from New Mexico State University. She attended Denver Public Schools throughout her grade school career and invested her time and dedication in trying to make positive change in the schools she attended. She has worked with several organizations to push events and/or agendas such as removing implicit bias within her school through Student Board of Education, Ban the Box campaign with the Denver Area Labor Federation, and special events with the Congresswoman Veronica Escobar. She is currently a Parent Organizer for a non-profit organization in Colorado.

Maria is an associate program officer at Rose Community Foundation. She also serves in the steering committee for the Emergent Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) Colorado Chapter, a national network of non-profit and philanthropy professionals focused on equity and social justice.

Maria moved to Colorado from San Luis Potosi, Mexico to pursue her master’s degree in international development from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Before joining Rose Community Foundation, she was the program director for Healthy Learning Paths, a local non-profit focused on health education for children and families, where she coordinated the school and community programs and special events and managed their volunteer program. While in graduate school she also interned for local non-profits in the Denver area, the Mexican Consulate, and the United Nations Development Program for Latin America and the Caribbean. Maria was appointed to the ACCESO board in April of 2020.

Angelica Granados is a graduate of the University of Denver where she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Spanish with minors in Ethnic Studies and Sociology. As a Denver girl born and raised Angelica is a Denver Public School alumni from Abraham Lincoln High School in Southwest Denver. As an advocate for political engagement within the Latino community, Angelica's experience in DU's Political Science Program exposed her to Policy and Research which later led her to become a Capitol Fellow for the Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy and Research. Currently, Angelica advocates for her community and Coloradans across the state in numerous ways.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Rocio Arnaz has over 18 years of experience as a communications professional, working in multicultural and multinational environments. Her expertise includes developing public relations and communications strategies for governments, corporations, civil society organizations, and political parties. Currently, she serves as a Marketing and Communications Associate at the Denver Auditor's Office, where she develops and manages communication strategies that support transparency, equity, and community engagement, including bilingual outreach for Spanish-speaking residents. 

She holds a master's degree in communication and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the communication and journalism program at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.