Colorado Secretary of State’s Office Hires Native American Outreach Coordinator

Denver, October 27, 2020 – The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office today announced the hiring of Raymond Baker as Tribal Registration and Voting Education Coordinator, a new non-partisan position created to provide information on registering to vote and returning a ballot for the November 3 General Election during the COVID-19 pandemic to those living on Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribal lands.  The temporary position is another initiative from Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold to help increase access to voting for Colorado’s Native American tribes. 

“The right to vote for Native Americans living on tribal lands in Colorado was not recognized until 1970.  We have worked with the Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute to reverse the effect of this historic suppression,” said Secretary Griswold. “As part of this work, I’m proud to announce that Raymond Baker has joined our team as Tribal Registration and Voting Education Coordinator to help ensure people living on tribal lands have the information they need to vote.”    

Baker, who started earlier this month, is working with the Southern Ute Tribal Council and Ute Mountain Ute tribal leadership to organize nonpartisan voter education on the process of voter registration and voting during the COVID pandemic.  He is responsible for developing, coordinating, and presenting information on how to register to vote while also educating the tribal communities on the steps needed to complete and return a ballot.  For the upcoming election, there is a voting center located at Southern Ute Tribe Cultural Center and secure 24-hour drop boxes located at Farmer’s Fresh Market in Ignacio and the Tara Community Center in Arboles.  There is also a drop box at the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Headquarters and a voting center at the Ute Mountain Ute Recreation Center in Towaoc.  All of the drop boxes and voting centers on those tribal lands have been added within the last two years. The position of Tribal Registration and Voting Education Coordinator is made possible with federal CARES Act funding, awarded to states to help conduct elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A Southern Ute Indian Tribal (SUIT) member, Baker is a 30-year retired disabled veteran of the United States Navy and was raised in the Durango, Colorado area. He has worked for the SUIT Growth Fund as a Safety Officer and later on as the Executive Officer.  Now fully retired, he spends his off time as the Vice President of the SUIT Boys and Girls Club and SUIT Veterans Association and a board member of the SUIT Ethics Commission.

Last year, Secretary Griswold helped pass one of the largest democracy reform packages in the nation specifically designed to address greater accessibility, which included guaranteeing voting centers on tribal lands. Native Americans who do not have an address recognized by the U.S. Postal Service are also now able to register to vote using the unrecognized address, the tribal council headquarters address, or any other address approved by the tribal council.  They now can also drop off their voter registration application to their tribal council, who will then forward it to the county clerk and recorder. 

Early in-person voting in Colorado has already begun, with drop boxes and Voter Service and Polling Centers open throughout the state. 

To register to vote, check your registration, or for election information, please visit www.GoVoteColorado.gov.