A steady hand for secretary of state
Across the country we see secretaries of state races in which the integrity of certain states’ election system is on the ballot. That is not the case in Colorado this year.
We have two strong candidates to choose from for secretary of state, both of whom we believe are very capable of serving the people of Colorado honorably. That said, at a time when this position is being drawn into the partisan fight, we believe it is important to elect someone who will stay out of the fray.
Republican Pam Anderson has shown she will defy the most strident voices in her own party by running as a moderate in the primary — defeating Tina Peters and her election lies.
Anderson is also well qualified. For the last two decades she’s served as a city clerk then county clerk. She’s been a leader in the state as President of the Colorado County Clerks Association.
When we spoke to her she said she was committed to being a professional public servant, governing in a non-partisan manner. We think that’s appropriate, as this is largely a managerial role.
Current Secretary of State Jena Griswold has been effective. She’s gone after insider threats to our elections, including in Mesa County, and passed new voter protections. Those were important efforts after the 2020 elections given the threats we’ve seen.
We do have to note that her management of the office is somewhat in question after a recent foul-up that resulted in tens of thousands of postcards being sent to non-citizens reminding them to register to vote. They can’t vote.
Most of all though, we are concerned that Griswold dipped too far into partisan politics while in office. This needs to be an independent office, and even the perception of bias is damaging.
We’ll be more than comfortable if Griswold is reelected, but we’d like to see Anderson given a chance to take the office in a new direction reflective of her very serious demeanor. If you are still making up your mind in this contest, we think you should give Anderson your support.
