Secretary of State's Biography

Secretary Griswold

Jena Griswold

Jena Griswold

Jena Marie Griswold is Colorado’s 39th Secretary of State. She was first elected in 2018 as the youngest elected Secretary of State in the United States. She was reelected to the office in 2022.

Secretary Griswold grew up in a working-class family in rural Colorado and was the first person in her family to attend a four-year college and then law school. She knows first-hand how important it is for every vote to count and for every Coloradan's voice to be heard, no matter their background.

Since taking office, Secretary Griswold has overseen 10 statewide elections, protected Coloradans Constitutional right to vote and supported the State’s business community by cutting red tape and the cost of starting a business.

"I am honored to serve the people of Colorado as Secretary of State. I will protect every voter’s rights and expand access to the ballot box, increase election security, and provide Colorado’s small businesses and entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed. Every eligible Coloradan – no matter their zip code, race, or amount of money in their bank account – deserves an equal opportunity to make their voice heard in our democracy." – Secretary of State Jena Griswold

During her first term in office, Secretary Griswold:

  • Launched statewide systems so that every Colorado voter can track their ballot and fix signature or ID discrepancies with ease;
  • Increased mail ballot drop boxes statewide;
  • Passed automatic voter registration reform, which has registered hundreds of thousands of eligible Coloradans to vote;
  • Established a unit within the Secretary of State’s office focused specifically on protecting Colorado’s elections from cyber-attacks, foreign interference, and disinformation campaigns;
  • Guaranteed drop boxes and voting centers on college campuses and Tribal lands to make it easy for all eligible Coloradans to cast a ballot.

Secretary Griswold has also prioritized and helped pass legislation to strengthen Colorado’s Democracy and support small businesses, including:

  • Candidate Election Deepfake Disclosures (HB24-1147): Requires clear disclaimers on communications that have been generated or substantially altered by AI that falsely depict what a candidate or elected official has said or done.
  • False Slates of Electors (HB24-1150): The first enacted bill in the nation to expressly criminalize efforts to use fake electors schemes to overturn a state’s electoral results.
  • Solicitations Related To Secretary Of State Documents (SB23-037): Protecting Colorado business owners from deceptive, third-party business filing solicitations that encourage Colorado business owners to pay exorbitant costs for services which can be done directly through the Secretary of State’s Office.
  • The Colorado Election Security Act (SB22-153): A first in the nation law to protect against insider threats that makes it a felony to tamper with voting equipment and election systems.
  • The Election Official Protection Act (HB22-1273): Establishes election officials and workers as a protected class against doxing, classifies doxing as a Class 1 Misdemeanor penalty, and allows professional election workers to file a request to government entities to remove their personal information from online records.
  • Vote Without Fear Act (HB22-1086): Prohibits open carrying a firearm within 100 feet of drop boxes, voting centers, or where ballot processing is occurring.
  • Multilingual Hotline for Voters (HB21-1011): Establishes a multilingual hotline so that voters who speak languages other than English can receive assistance translating ballot content.
  • Campaign Finance Reform (HB19-1248), (HB19-1318), (SB19-232): Makes lobbyist and campaign finance disclosures more transparent.
  • Fee Relief Act (HB22-1001): Cuts the cost of registering a business or trade name with the Secretary of State’s Office to just $1.
  • Combating Business Identity Theft Act (SB22-034): Allows the Secretary of State’s Office and Attorney General to field complaints of fraudulent documents filed with the Department of State investigate them, and remedy records

Secretary Griswold holds a B.A. in Politics and Spanish Literature from Whitman College and a J.D from University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is fluent in Spanish and a graduate of Estes Park High School in Estes Park, Colorado. In 2006, Secretary Griswold was awarded the Watson Fellowship, and in 2009, the Penn Law International Human Rights Fellowship. Secretary Griswold got married in 2024 and lives in Louisville, Colorado.

Prior to being elected Secretary of State, Griswold practiced international anti-corruption law and worked as a voter protection attorney, where she made sure Coloradans were able to participate in our democracy. Griswold also served as the Director of the Governor of Colorado’s DC Office, advocating on behalf of Colorado in D.C. Before her election to Colorado Secretary of State, Griswold ran her own small business, a legal practice in Louisville.