Denver clerk calls mayor's budget a "threat to democracy"
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Clerk Paul López, front right, discusses budget cuts at a press conference Tuesday. Photo: John Frank/Axios
Denver's elections chief said the real threat to democracy isn't President Trump — it's Mayor Mike Johnston.
Why it matters: The hyperbolic remark from Clerk Paul López, who oversees city elections, represents an escalation of a simmering battle between two top Democrats that has recently burst into public view.
Driving the news: Speaking to reporters at his office Tuesday, López blasted the mayor for proposing a $4.5 million cut to the Clerk and Recorder's budget compared to 2024 budget levels, bringing it down to $14.2 million in 2026.
- The year-over-year reduction is only 1.5%, or $211,000, but the clerk says the appropriate comparison is to 2024, an election year, when costs are higher.
- The mayor said Monday that the reduction is necessary because Denver faces a $200 million budget shortfall and all city agencies must help absorb the deficit.
Yes, but: The cuts, López said, are needed only because of the mayor's "gross mismanagement" of city spending.
- With less money, the clerk's office would be forced to reduce the number of voting centers and ballot drop-boxes to the minimum required, per López, jeopardizing turnout and potentially disenfranchising voters in next year's election.
- The cuts would also lead to fewer election judges and delay the posting of results, the clerk claimed.
What he's saying: "The greatest threat to democracy in Denver, Colorado, is not coming from the Trump administration's bombastic threats, but instead the realistic cuts from Denver's own mayor," López said.
- "We didn't prepare for the last six years to defend this election system — to defend our right to the ballot box — just to be stabbed in the back in our own backyard," López added.
The big picture: The independently elected clerk is a leading critic of the first-term mayor.
- The bad blood between them recently turned personal when Johnston laid off the deputy executive director for the city's Office of Children's Affairs, who is close with López.
- López declined to comment on what he called "personal matters."
The other side: "Our budget is not a threat to democracy," Johnston spokesperson Jon Ewing told Axios on Tuesday. "The clerk is going to have everything he needs."
- In his budget presentation Monday, Johnston said all other independent agencies, except the clerk's, worked collaboratively with his office to craft a budget proposal.
- López disputed the account, saying he met numerous times with the administration and calling the mayor a liar.
What we're watching: The budget proposal next goes to the City Council, where López is asking members to restore the proposed cut funds.
- "We sincerely hope that the City Council … will support a budget amendment to ensure Denver voters continue to have full access to the democratic process, especially at this critical time in our country's history," López said.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the $4.5 million cut López mentioned derives from a comparison of the 2026 budget to 2024's, and to note that the year-over-year reduction for his office is $211,000.