Politics
Colorado secretary of state contest puts mail voting and registration rules in focus
Voters will choose a successor to term-limited Secretary of State Jena Griswold in November. Democrat Amanda Gonzalez backs the state’s mail-voting system, while Republican James Wiley has proposed sharply limiting it and requiring voters to register again.
Colorado voters will elect a new secretary of state in November, choosing who will oversee elections, voter registration and campaign finance reporting. The race pits two sharply different approaches to how the state conducts elections against each other.
Democrat Amanda Gonzalez, Jefferson County’s clerk and recorder and a former executive director of voting-rights organization Colorado Common Cause, supports keeping Colorado’s mail-in voting system. She argues it is both secure and accessible.
Republican James Wiley, a former financial services professional and technology consultant who has focused on election integrity since 2020, has proposed major changes. He wants to reduce mail voting, shift toward in-person voting on Election Day, require voter identification and hand-count ballots. He has also called for replacing the state’s current voter registration rolls and requiring eligible residents to register again.
The winner will succeed Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is barred from another term. The office’s decisions affect how Coloradans register and cast ballots, as well as how campaign finance information is reported.
Three other candidates are also running: Libertarian Sean Vadney, a Denver business owner; American Constitution Party candidate Amanda Campbell; and Celeste Landry of the Forward Party.