Secretary of State Wayne Williams gets major measures through the 2016 session

DENVER, May 16, 2016 -- Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams today highlighted the successes his office enjoyed in the 2016 session, from signature verification for municipal mail ballots to changing how small-issue committees have to report donations.

The session, which ended May 11, is Williams' second since taking office in 2015.

"I was told, 'It's an election year and you have a divided legislature, so don't attempt anything ambitious,'" the secretary said. "But we proposed some major legislation that the Republican-controlled Senate and the Democratic-controlled House passed. 2016 was a good year for us."

The Secretary of State's office worked closely with lawmakers and election stakeholders to initiate 11 measures, eight of which passed both legislative chambers. Of the eight, four involved elections, two campaign finance and two business and licensing. Four of the bills have been signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper, while the other four await his signature. (A complete list of bills is included in an attachment at the end of this release.)

"I am grateful that legislators from both houses were willing to support these important measures," Williams said.

House Bill 1070, by Rep. Patrick Neville and Sen. Tim Neville, addressed the mail ballot process for municipal elections, requiring municipalities to review signatures on mail ballot envelopes to ensure they match the voters’ signatures on file. After a similar bill failed in 2015, the Secretary’s of State's office worked with interested parties, including the Colorado Municipal League, and obtained unanimous approval in both the House and the Senate.

Senate Bill 186 addressed small-issue campaign committees, an issue that has bedeviled four successive secretaries of state. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals twice ruled against the secretary of state, concluding that Colorado's regulatory framework for setting up an issue committee is so cumbersome it violates free speech and is unconstitutional. Taxpayers were stuck paying thousands of dollars in legal fees for the winning parties, and previous efforts to fix the problem failed.

The bill, by Sen. Jack Tate and Rep. Susan Lontine, now creates a tiered-reporting system, so small-issue committees don't have to provide detailed financial reports until they raise a certain amount. An issue committee is any group of two more people formed to support or oppose a measure that has collected more than $200 in its efforts.

Williams also backed a budget measure that provides for better cash management for the Secretary of State's office, and two measures that would have restored a presidential primary, which voters approved in 1990 and the legislature suspended in 2003, in part because of financial problems.

Williams also praised his legislative team, Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Staiert and legislative director Tim Griesmer.

"Numerous lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have told me they appreciated their integrity, availability and just plain hard work," the secretary said.

2016 Legislation handout (PDF)