Dear Colorado Voter, You’ve probably heard by now that Colorado’s mail ballots may proceed as usual. The Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Postal Service may NOT change mail-ballot procedures this year. Justices Alito and Thomas dissented, while Justice Kavanaugh thought the USPS argument had merit but concurred with the majority that “officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before” the November 2026 election. As a candidate, my life continues

Dear Colorado Voter, On Friday – the deadline for certifying the ballot! – a judge allowed the Libertarians to replace their dropped-out candidate; we are back to 5 candidates running for SoS. I called the new Libertarian nominee yesterday to remind him that yesterday was the deadline for filing a campaign finance report. I am behind the major-party candidates in fundraising, but I have been frugal and have about $25,000 on hand, compared to the Democrat with ~$84,000 and the

Dear Colorado Voter, Political wisdom says that Labor Day is when most voters start paying attention. To kick off this new campaign period, please march with us in the Louisville Labor Day parade. Last week, the Libertarian nominee for Secretary of State withdrew from the race, just after the minor-party deadline for replacing him. He didn't have much chance of winning, but "privileging the major parties" once again reared its ugly head. There are 4 candidates in the SoS cont

Dear Colorado Voter, Did you know that not all secretaries of state oversee elections? (If you follow me on social media, then you do. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122122699785255242&set=a.122098661517255242 ) Karen Brinson Bell, the former Executive Director of NC's State Board of Elections, spoke to CO election administrators about conducting elections in a time of crisis. She oversaw elections in 2024 during Hurricane Helene and had a lot of tips and advice. She poi

Dear Colorado Voter, I have 3 goals in this campaign: To win and become the next Secretary of State To alert Coloradans about unprecedented, unconstitutional special elections To offer a nonpartisan-type candidate to be (an ideally nonpartisan) Sec of State Regarding #2, you can trust me to protect your right to vote! As I have noted in previous emails, I'm the only candidate who seems concerned about voters in special elections being disenfranchised based solely on their bel

Dear Colorado Voter, Tuesday was a big day! I spent the whole day with Colorado county clerks and elections staff at their summer conference. In the evening I spoke to Longmont City Council at second reading for two ballot measures to adopt ranked voting and to transition to a 3-winner at-large contest in 2029 and 3 separate ward contests in 2031. Both measures are headed to the ballot! On the campaign trail, I meet many people who want me to win and be the next Secretary of

Dear Colorado Voter, Greg Lopez and Shimon Blau hit the headlines this week when they both qualified for the November ballot as unaffiliated candidates. They are giving voters another choice in the gubernatorial and U.S. House CD-1 (Denver) contests, respectively – two contests that were not looking very competitive. Greg Lopez briefly served in the U.S. House in 2024 replacing Ken Buck. Lopez is expected to draw votes mostly from Republicans, but I doubt he'll prevent the Re

Dear Colorado Voter, I believe I'm the best candidate for Secretary of State. I'm not necessarily the best-known candidate though. I have worked mostly behind the scenes in the nonpartisan elections and voting space. If elected, I would be the first CO Secretary of State not beholden to a major party. With a majority of Colorado's electorate registered as unaffiliated, it's time to have a nonpartisan official running our elections. The Forward Party is a political party, but

Dear Colorado Voter, The two Democrats competing in the Secretary of State primary election spent $600,000. The winner, Amanda Gonzalez, was outspent two to one. The primary election is only round 1. Any media and pundits prematurely proclaiming Amanda G. the "next Secretary of State" are disrespecting the process. Allow the voters to consider me and the other SoS candidates on the November ballot! (Two Amandas are running. The other is Amanda Campbell of the American Constit

Dear Colorado Voter, I'm sometimes asked, "Why are you running for Secretary of State?" 1. I have the experience, vision, and leadership qualities to be a great Secretary of State. For about a decade, I have worked with the office and legislators to make Colorado's elections and election laws the best in the nation, often as a member of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters (LWV). 2. Two bills passed in 2025 that, for the first time in American history, disenfranchise voters

Dear Colorado Voter, It's hot in Colorado, and too much of the state is on fire. I hope you and your loved ones are staying cool and safe. The Democratic primary's Sec of State contest had significant roll-off compared to other contested statewide contests on the ballot (July 6th unofficial results). Clearly, the Sec of State contest was not top of mind for many people. ~71K fewer votes than U.S. Senate (Hickenlooper vs Gonzales) 888,686 votes ~65K fewer votes than Governor (

Dear Colorado Voter, Colorado is the only state with a primary election today. I'm flying my Colorado flag today as I do every time Colorado holds a primary election! Thanks to all the candidates running for office, at least all the serious candidates – notice that I did not say "viable." I think viability is largely determined by the media who should be paying attention to all serious candidates regardless of party affiliation. This has been a busy week for elections and com

Dear Colorado Voter, This 38-week campaign is at its halfway point! So far, I've been to 52 of the 64 counties. See photos by going to the map of CO counties on my website's Home page. I've participated in two candidate forums. You can watch the June 15th forum at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l__Ryf8npR_MYYSPVAv9ac9N-an3NRI4/view or by going to my website's News page. Many supporters have asked for guidance on which Sec of State candidate to vote for in the Democratic pri

Dear Colorado Voter, Yesterday I participated in a Common Cause forum for secretary of state candidates. Several recipients of these weekly emails watched me, the Republican, and one of the Democrats discuss important issues for the job we want. I have requested a link to the forum recording to post on my campaign website's News page. I was disappointed that the candidate who has raised by far the most money did not show up. Neither did she participate in the March 31st Denve

Dear Colorado Voter, On Monday county clerks began sending out ballots for the 2026 primary election. The Secretary of State sent out a clear press release about the 4 different ballots and who gets to vote which ballot. UOCAVA voters, like my daughter, were sent their ballots in May! UOCAVA stands for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. I hope everyone eligible to vote in the primary election does so, but since Colorado is neither an open primary state nor a

Dear Colorado Voter, A frequent question I get is, "How's the campaign going?" At first, I would say, "What metric should I use to answer that question?" More recently, I respond, "I think I'm supposed to hand you a contribution envelope" and proceed to do so. I'm an advocate for better elections. I'm not a professional candidate. I'm having a fantastic time traveling the state and learning more about Colorado's amazing diversity. From Meeker to Holyoke, from Dove Creek to Ca

Dear Colorado Voter, If you visit or follow me on social media – and I recommend that you do! – then you saw this May 24th post: Boring Election Officials, Please! – Kevin Johnson of Election Reformers Network (ERN) talks on Democracy Lab with host Eveline Dowling (who I know from her Boulder days) about ERN's efforts to encourage nonpartisan election administration. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-we-need-boring-election-officials/id1851286602 I am scheduled to spe

Dear Colorado Voter, Last week's email discussed two 2025 Colorado bills that allow the government to disenfranchise voters in non-primary elections based on party affiliation. I'm so pleased to announce that on Friday LWVCO filed a lawsuit challenging this form of disenfranchisement. https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/league-women-voters-colorado-challenges-one-party-elections-law-federal I heard about the lawsuit an hour after mentioning these unconstitutional elec

Dear Colorado Voter, Thirteen weeks done, 25 more weeks until Election Day. Thanks for joining me on this journey! I often hear people talk about "disenfranchising" voters so let's discuss the concept. First, a definition. In elections, disenfranchisement refers to being deprived of the right to vote. A city council member claimed that voters are disenfranchised in odd-year elections, pointing to low voter turnout. I pushed back. Those voters may choose not to vote in an odd

Dear Colorado Voter, I hope to see many of you Colorado readers this Saturday midday in Highlands Ranch for a Forward Party Meet and Greet with me, U.S. Senate candidate Bob Chew, and U.S. House (CD4) unaffiliated candidate Tim Veldhuizen. Details here: https://www.coloradoforwardparty.com/meet_greet_may9 Last week the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled on Louisiana v Callais. The media describes the decision as "gutting" the Voting Rights Act. The decision doesn't take away t