End Citizens United // Let America Vote (ECU // LAV) today endorsed Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold for reelection as part of its first ever “Democracy Defender” program for preeminent Attorney General and Secretary of State candidates in the 2022 cycle. These constitutional officers are critical in the fight in combating dark money-fueled restrictive voting laws being passed across the country and protecting the right to vote. ECU // LAV will spend $7 million in key races across the country, including in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Texas.
Click here for CNN’s coverage of the endorsement.
“Secretary Jena Griswold has fought hard time and time again to defend the right to vote for the people of Colorado. She has expanded voting rights, cracked down on dark money, and pushed back on politicians promoting the Big Lie,” said ECU // LAV President Tiffany Muller.“Secretary Griswold’s expansion of ballot access is the reason Colorado had the second highest voter turnout of any state in the country. Her leadership proves that when a state expands voting rights, more people vote. We are proud to endorse her for reelection.”
“I ran for the Secretary of State because of my passion for voting rights and fighting corruption, and that commitment informs everything I do in office. As Secretary of State, I protected our right to vote, expanded voter access and ensured that all eligible voters, regardless of party, could have their voices heard in secure and accessible elections. I am running for re-election to continue this important work and am excited to have the support of End Citizens United and Let America Vote,” said Secretary Griswold.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold was elected in 2018, becoming the first elected Democratic Secretary of State in Colorado since 1963. She has centered voting rights and anti-corruption efforts as a key part of her agenda. In 2019, she was a leading voice on passing a law that increased the number of ballot boxes and polling locations in Colorado. She was vocal in opposing the Trump administration’s rollback of mail-in voting access and has since been active in defending the integrity of elections from the Big Lie. Secretary Griswold has served as Chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of States since February 2021, where she has been working to elect Democrats across the country and push Congress to pass the For the People Act.
ECU // LAV raised and spent $65.5 million in the 2020 election cycle. Its $12.5 million independent expenditure made it the 5th largest issue group spending on the Democratic side. This will be the first time ECU // LAV is making a multi-million dollar investment in AG and SOS races. The “Democracy Defender” program is part of ECU // LAV’s Fight for Reform (FFR) project that supports candidates at the state and local level.
End Citizens United and Let America Vote merged in 2020. The group is dedicated to combating the two biggest challenges facing our democracy: the corrosive impact of Big Money and attempts to block access to the ballot box. ECU // LAV has more than four million members nationwide, including 160,794 in Colorado.
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