1 hour ago - Politics

1-minute voter guide: Gonzalez and Wiley vie for Colorado secretary of state

Mitchell Byars

Illustration of a stack of money contrasted with abstract ballot elements. — Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Colorado voters will choose a new secretary of state in November, deciding who will oversee the state's elections, voter registration and campaign finance reporting.

Why it matters: The race could determine whether Colorado maintains its current election procedures or pursues major changes to how residents register and cast their ballots.

Driving the news: Five candidates are running to replace Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is term-limited.

Amanda Gonzalez (Democrat): Jefferson County's clerk and recorder and a former executive director of Colorado Common Cause, a voting rights advocacy organization.
James Wiley (Republican): A former financial services professional and technology consultant who has focused on election integrity issues since 2020.
Sean Vadney (Libertarian): A Denver business owner.
Amanda Campbell (American Constitution Party): A third-party candidate.
Celeste Landry (Forward Party): A third-party candidate.

Between the lines: Gonzalez supports maintaining Colorado's mail-in voting system, arguing it is secure and accessible.

Wiley wants to dramatically reduce mail-in voting, move toward in-person voting on Election Day, require voter identification and hand-count ballots.
He has also proposed scrapping Colorado's existing voter registration rolls and requiring eligible voters to register again.

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1-minute voter guide: Gonzalez and Wiley vie for Colorado secretary of state

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