Here’s a look at the Colorado political news that might have breezed by right under your nose over the last week.

? A couple of Mesa County women didn’t fool anyone – at least not the people they needed to fool – when they allegedly tried to cast second ballots in last fall’s general election by forging the names of current or former relatives. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported the two face possible voter fraud charges.

? It doesn’t sound like the SAT test this year’s 11th graders took is anything like their parent’s SAT tests. Could it be … easier? The new-look SAT replaced the ACT as the mandatory state test for that grade, according to Chalkbeat.org. And the updated SAT doesn’t require as much memorization – students won’t need to know the definition of infamous “SAT words” – and puts a greater emphasis on critical thinking. And fewer questions means students have more time to explain their work.

? If you’re from the East Coast, the idea behind a different type of convenience store planned to open on Broadway in Denver may not be that new. But for Denverites, it may be something worth checking out. BusinessDen reported a new convenience store brand called Choice is borrowing ideas from two East Coast store brands. So, compared to the 7-Elevens of the world, Choice plans to keep its menu local and fresh ” – think Rosenberg’s bagels and Corvus Coffee for breakfast, or house-made sandwiches and salads for lunch,” according to the BusinessDen story.

? Probably one of the most important issues to Republicans are taxes and opposing anything resembling a tax hike, right? Well, a survey by the Colorado Hospital Association found that wasn’t the case when it came to the hospital provider fee. Many Republican lawmakers have strongly opposed a move to designate the fee as an enterprise fund, claiming it would basically be an end run around TABOR. But as Denverite reported, that survey from the Tarrance Group, a Republican polling firm, found a majority – albeit a very narrow one – of Republican Colorado voters support changing the fee’s classification.

? Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana, now it will host the country’s first academic conference covering cannabis from April 28-30, and a story in 5280 Magazine reported Colorado State University-Pueblo’s 10-month-old Institute of Cannabis Research is the only university program to focus on cannabis research that goes beyond medicinal purposes. In other words, they’re looking at hemp and its possibilities in both scientific and economic arenas.

? Would you give up your transportation independence for an Amazon gift card or a free bus pass? The Colorado Department of Transportation wants to find ways to get more people to car or van pool, take mass transit and stay off the ever-congested I-25. Their pilot project caught the eye of the Fort Collins Coloradoan. In their story, CDOT officials said people who regularly commute on I-25 between Colorado Highway 7 and 120th Avenue – between Broomfield and Thornton – are eligible for the program. CDOT will pay Smart Commute Metro North about $80,000 to run the program during a phase of the $97.5 million North I-25 Express Lanes project, which is scheduled to last about a year and a half. It includes a new asphalt surface from 120th Avenue to Colorado Highway 7. There’s an application available online for those seeking gifts in exchange for their steering wheels.

? And finally, while it seems nearly every Colorado politician on both sides of the aisle (and even some non-politicians) want to be the state’s next governor and are throwing their hat into the ring for the 2018 primary elections, here’s something a bit more unusual – er, at least some very early political ambition. Chalkbeat.org had a story about Auontai “Tay” Anderson, student body president of Manual High School, chair of the Colorado High School Democrats and command sergeant major of the Junior ROTC 5th Battalion. He wants to be on the Denver school board and has filed the necessary paperwork for the  northeast Denver seat currently held by Rachele Espiritu. The most heartening part: Tay is just 18 years of age. Go Tay!