It takes moxie for a lowly election official to stand up to the secretary of state, but that’s just what Debra Johnson of Denver is doing to Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler. And she’s not backing down.
Johnson plans to send ballots to both active and inactive voters in the city and county of Denver for the November 1 election. Gessler claims the law only allows ballots to be sent to active voters and has threatened to sue her if she goes through with her plan. Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert Ortiz has come down on Johnson’s side.
“Inactive” voters include voters who did not vote in the last election as well as those who did not receive a notification mailed to them by election officials. Inactive voters are entitled to vote in elections under Colorado Revised Statutes 1-2-605. Gessler does not want these voters to receive ballots; Johnson does.
“I just feel like not mailing ballots to everyone is disenfranchising voters, and I made the decision months ago not to do that,” said Ortiz in a Denver Post report.
Project Vote applauds Johnson for her commitment to do what is right: to give all eligible voters the opportunity to make their voices heard in the democratic process. Secretary Gessler would be wise to use the resources of his office to encourage Colorado citizens to register and vote–not to sue the county clerks who disagree with his reading of the law.