Colorado Secretary of State election, 2014

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Colorado Secretary of State Election

Primary Date: June 24, 2014

General Election Date: November 4, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Wayne W. Williams

Incumbent prior to election: Scott Gessler

Colorado State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Treasurer

The Colorado Secretary of State election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Scott Gessler (R) was first elected in 2010 and was eligible to seek re-election in 2014 but opted to run for governor instead. He lost in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

Gessler's successor, fellow Republican Wayne W. Williams, was elected secretary of state over competitor Democrat Joe Neguse in the general election.

The race to replace Gessler featured four candidates in all: University of Colorado Regent Joe Neguse (D), El Paso County Clerk Wayne Williams, Libertarian Party candidate David Schambach and Constitution Party candidate Amanda Campbell. The campaign themes section linked here highlights the candidates' views on important issues like voter ID, vote by mail and election integrity.

This seat was targeted during the general election by SOS for Democracy and SOS for SOS, outside groups who were lobbying for liberal and conservative secretary of state candidates, respectively.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.

Colorado utilizes a semi-closed primary system. According to Section 1-7-201 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, "An eligible unaffiliated elector, including a preregistrant who is eligible under section 1-2-101 (2)(c), is entitled to vote in the primary election of a major political party without affiliating with that political party."

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Candidates

General election

Wayne W. Williams - El Paso County Clerk
Joe Neguse - University of Colorado Regent, 2nd Congressional District
David Schambach
(American Constitution Party) Amanda Campbell - American Constitution Party Membership Secretary and Treasurer

Filed for other office

Scott Gessler - Incumbent

Results

General election

Secretary of State of Colorado, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Wayne Williams	47.3%	932,588
	Democratic	Joe Neguse	45%	886,043
	American Constitution	Amanda Campbell	3.9%	77,790
	Libertarian	David Schambach	3.7%	73,413
Total Votes				1,969,834
Election results via Colorado Secretary of State

Campaign themes

Joe Neguse, Wayne W. Williams and David Schambach were asked by Colorado Public Radio (CPR) about their views on issues facing Colorado voters. The following sections quote their responses verbatim to questions supplied by CPR:

Encourage more voting

Joe Neguse

“	As a first generation American, I believe the right to vote is sacred, and will work to ensure that all eligible voters can cast their vote. Working together, across party lines, we can make Colorado the best state in the country for voter registration and participation. As secretary of state, I will work to empower voters across the state and break down barriers to the ballot box, making it easier for those who are eligible to participate in the democratic process. For example, we can expand voter access by streamlining the process for our active military voters to register and vote, ensuring that those protecting our democracy can fully participate in it. We also should partner with county clerks to increase voting options in our rural areas, utilizing tablet technology to ease the voting process for voters with disabilities and voters in group residential homes, and deploy new ballot trace technology and a mobile voting app that will provide voters with comprehensive information (such as turn-by-turn directions to their nearest voter service polling center). Similarly, by working with our colleges and universities and engaging in creative outreach programs, we can empower more young people across our state to exercise their constitutional right to vote and increase voter participation.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

David Schambach

“	Proliferate mail-in voting, and take strides to get our youth involved!	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Wayne W. Williams

“	As county clerk in the state's largest county, I've run media campaigns to encourage voter registration and updating addresses. I’ve worked with the current secretary of state to mail Coloradans who appear to be unregistered the necessary information to register to vote. We have added a dozen 24/7 mail ballot drop boxes – and for those who choose to return ballots by mail we have listed the specific postage necessary (instead of just saying “affix sufficient postage”). We have worked with all parties and groups to ensure that our polling locations are located in easy to reach locations and we’ve exceeded legal requirements by opening more locations and opening them for longer hours. As a result of these efforts, more citizens have voted than ever before in my county. As secretary of state, I will continue these efforts across the state.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Voter ID

Joe Neguse

“	Colorado already has a robust identification law that requires citizens to present an acceptable form of identification, and the law strikes the right balance in recognizing that different Coloradans will have access to different types of identification. Colorado has a long history of clean elections, and we should spend more time focused on empowering voters and making voting easier and more accessible for those who are eligible to do so.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

David Schambach

“	Yes, I think that is a fair requirement. There are 14 different accepted forms of ID, pretty easy criteria to meet unless you are a hermit... Do hermits vote?	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Wayne W. Williams

“	Yes. Colorado law already provides free photo identification to indigent and elderly residents. Requiring photo identification -- particularly when a voter's address has not been previously verified -- will ensure the integrity of the election system. Citizens are more likely to vote when they have confidence in the system. (Current law permits an individual to present a utility bill -- which may or may not be legitimate – and cast a regular ballot. Real ID – like a driver's license or a free state-issued ID card should be required.)	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Support voting by mail?

Joe Neguse

“	Yes. Voting by mail allows Colorado citizens the time and flexibility to vote at their convenience and increases voter participation. I supported the important statutory reforms made to our election laws last year, one of which ensures every registered voter receives a mail ballot. I believe we need a secretary of state who will protect these important reforms, and if elected, I will do precisely that.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

David Schambach

“	YES!!	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Wayne W. Williams

“	Yes, as long as signatures are verified and addresses are correct. Colorado law needs to be updated to ensure signature verification for all mail ballots, including local elections. Voters should have the choice as to how they receive their ballot.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Election technology

Joe Neguse

“	Colorado’s election technology is woefully out of date. The system we use to maintain voter registration records and conduct elections was designed primarily for use at polling places. It is time for Colorado to invest in new voting technology that will make our elections more efficient. If elected, I plan to work with Colorado's county clerks, the governor’s administration and voters to modernize Colorado's election technology. By working with the bright talent we have in Colorado, including at our state universities, we can build a homegrown system that will make our elections better than ever.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

David Schambach

“	Eliminate television campaign ads, they are obnoxious, not representative of the truth, and an EXPENSIVE waste of money.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Wayne W. Williams

“	Current systems use software that is no longer supported. I have worked with my fellow county clerks and the secretary of state to improve our voting systems and make them more accessible to individuals with disabilities. Going forward we need to work together to ensure the best possible experience for Colorado voters.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Election fairness

Joe Neguse

“	Like many Coloradans, I am tired of the barrage of ads we face every election year from shadowy groups that refuse to disclose their donors or even try to present factually accurate ads. I will work to increase transparency in our campaign finance system, including creating a website that provides all available information about each entity running commercials concerning Colorado’s elections. I will also enforce our campaign finance laws by holding violators accountable. Additionally, I will work with county clerks to enhance our current election technology, for example, deploying statewide the ballot trace technology currently used in the city and county of Denver.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

David Schambach

“	Elect a third-party candidate to the SOS office. Not a Dem or Rep.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Wayne W. Williams

“	As county clerk, I added large windows to the public hallway so that anyone and everyone can observe our ballot processing and counting. We opened up our processes to a public third-party audit to verify the accuracy of our systems. We provided support to our city government to enable them to verify signatures of mail ballots, even though that wasn’t required by law. As secretary of state, I will continue these efforts to make elections fair and transparent.	”
—Colorado Public Radio, (2014)

Past elections

2010

Attorney General of Colorado, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Gessler	49.5%	852,818
	Democratic	Bernie Buescher Incumbent	43.9%	755,522
	Constitution	Amanda Campbell	6.6%	113,756
Total Votes				1,722,096
Election results via Colorado Secretary of State

2006

Attorney General of Colorado, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Coffman (Colorado)	50.8%	772,403
	Democratic	Ken Gordon	49.2%	748,532
Total Votes				1,520,935

2002

Attorney General of Colorado, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Donetta Davidson	58.2%	789,004
	Democratic	Anthony Martinez	37.8%	513,085
	Libertarian	David Aitken	3.2%	43,169
	Constitution	Clyde J. Harkins	0.8%	11,303
Total Votes				1,356,561

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $875,410 during the election. This information was last updated on April 7, 2015.

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Joe Neguse	Colorado Secretary of State		$588,341
Wayne Williams	Colorado Secretary of State		$287,069
Amanda Campbell	Colorado Secretary of State		$0
David Schambach	Colorado Secretary of State		$0
Grand Total Raised			$875,410

Key deadlines

Deadline	Event
March 31, 2014	Filing deadline (Primary, all parties)
June 24, 2014	Primary election
July 10, 2014	Filing deadline (General, Independents)
July 17, 2014	Filing deadline (General, Write-ins)
November 4, 2014	General election
November 21, 2014	Last day to complete the canvass for the general election
January 13, 2015	Inauguration day for state executive officials in general election

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Colorado Secretary State Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Colorado Secretary of State election, 2014 - Google News

See also

• Colorado Secretary of State
• Colorado state executive official elections, 2014
• State executive official elections, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Secretary of State of Colorado