Sec. of State Jena Griswold pledges to keep Colorado’s elections safe

Politics / By / August 19, 2022

BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

At a meeting of supporters on August 14, incumbent Secretary of State Jena Griswold said that when she was elected four years ago, she became the first Democratic Colorado Secretary of State in 60 years. Soon after, she worked with the legislature, “To lead the largest democracy reform in the country.” She continued, “We added more voting centers, we added more drop boxes; with automatic voter registration, we registered 250,000 people in the middle of the pandemic. We guaranteed, for the first time ever, a voting location at every public school, at every public college, and at every tribal land…We increased the number of drop boxes by 65%…We added transparency by making Ballot Trax statewide so Coloradans could see for themselves when their ballot was sent and when it was counted.”

Jena Griswold told supporters that Colorado’s elections are safe and secure.
Elizabeth Emerson (left) told The Villager that the Secretary of State is a pivotal position because nothing is more important than protecting voters’ rights. Jenn Diffendal (right) said she was there because she is running for mayor of Cherry Hills Village and it’s important, as mayor, to know the Secretary of State.
The crowd listened attentively to the Colorado Secretary of State.
Greenwood Village residents Fay and Mark Plummer came to listen to the candidate. After doing so, Fay told The Villager that Griswold was dynamic, knowledgeable, and dedicated to her job. Photos by Freda Miklin

With a mail-in ballot system designed to ensure maximum voter participation and accurate counting and reporting, Griswold used her knowledge to help other states expand their vote-by-mail capability, so that, “By the time the 2020 election hit, my office had consulted with almost every state in the country to expand vote-by-mail to over 84% of American voters.” She added, “In 2020, Colorado had the second highest voter turnout in the nation.” (Minnesota was first.)

Griswold talked about reaching out to former Republican Secretary of State Wayne Williams, who she beat four years ago, to step into Mesa County and oversee its elections after the elected county clerk there had to be removed to protect the integrity of Mesa County elections. She said, “Colorado needs a secretary of state who isn’t afraid to go into any county to make sure the vote is OK. We need a secretary of state who is not afraid to stand up to election deniers and is willing to ask a political opponent to help make sure elections are secure.” She summarized, “Democracy is on the ballot this November across this country.”

When a supporter complimented Griswold for making a television commercial with Williams in which the current Democratic Secretary of State and the former Republican Secretary of State appear together to say that Colorado’s elections are the safest in the United States, Griswold responded, “The credit should go to Wayne Williams,” for being willing to tell the truth about the safety of Colorado elections, despite political differences.” Jena Griswold will face Republican Pam Anderson on November 8.

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