2021 Colorado Secretary of State – Legislative Agenda

Secretary Griswold to Focus on Combatting Foreign Influence on our Elections during 2021 Colorado Legislative Session

Denver, February 23, 2021 – Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has unveiled her legislative agenda for the 2021 Colorado General Assembly. Secretary Griswold will be leading on efforts to combat corruption, including fighting against disinformation and preventing foreign influenced corporations from using dark money to outweigh the voices of Coloradans in our elections.

“Colorado is the national leader in election security and access, but there is more that we need to do to stop foreign disinformation and prevent corrupt influences from drowning out every day people’s voices,” said Secretary Griswold.  “I look forward to working with the General Assembly in the coming months to pass this important legislative package.”   

Secretary Griswold’s priorities for the 73^rd Colorado General Assembly include:

• Prohibiting Foreign Influenced Corporate Spending on Colorado’s Elections: The Secretary of State will continue the fight against corruption and dark money by pursuing legislation to stop corporations with substantial foreign ownership from spending money to elect or oppose candidates in Colorado. This bill will cut off pathways that foreign corporations use to influence our elections.
• Preventing Foreign Interference in our Democracy: This bill will continue Colorado’s leadership in preventing foreign interference in elections by prohibiting the use of deep-fakes. The bill also prohibits collusion with foreign government officials or agents, and requires candidates to report improper contacts from foreign agents so they can be referred for investigation. This legislation will enhance the resilience of our elections against foreign influence.
• Cleaning up Colorado’s Election Code: After every major election, the Secretary of State assesses our election laws, called Title I, to determine which components need to be clarified or adjusted to ensure they work for the voters and election officials across Colorado. This routine clean-up work is a critical step in strengthening our election administration. Some notable proposed changes include requiring risk limiting audits for recall elections and granting additional flexibility for when political parties conduct their precinct caucus meetings – a critical step to allowing flexibility around religious observances and holidays.