By hosting Bush-Beauprez fundraiser, Secretary Dennis disgraces her office

Gigi Dennis's partisanship reached new heights today when she hosted President George W. Bush at a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez.

Colorado law states: "No person while serving in the office of secretary of state shall serve as the highest ranking official, whether actual or honorary, in the campaign of any candidate for federal or statewide office." (CPR 1-1-107(7)) Despite this prohibition, Secretary Dennis is the honorary co-chair of today's presidential fundraiser for candidate Bob Beauprez, clearly violating the spirit of the law. Her blatant partisanship disgraces her public office.

Billy Compton, who formerly served as the State Director of Elections in the Secretary of State's Office and the Executive Director of the Denver Election Commission, made the following statement:

"I'm appalled at the blatant, partisan behavior of this secretary. Colorado voters expect their secretary of state to behave in a non-partisan manner befitting the chief election official of the state. Behaving in such a blatantly partisan manner violates the integrity of the elections process.

"In my time as State Director of Elections and as Executive Director of the Denver Election Commission, I never attended or co-chaired any partisan fundraising event because the public expected me to conduct myself in a non-partisan manner.

"Election administrators are held to a higher standard because they serve all voters and their decisions affect all voters, regardless of political affiliation. Secretary Dennis has either forgotten or, worse, discarded this essential principle.

"In my 21 years of election administration, I've never seen anything like this. It is unfortunate that the public perception of bias does not appear to concern this secretary at all."

Today's actions by Secretary Dennis are part of a string of partisan decisions she has made in the past several months. After meeting with Republican lawyers for Bob Beauprez, Trailhead, and the Colorado Republican Party, Secretary Dennis promulgated a campaign finance rule just a few months prior to the election which sought to prevent working men and women from effectively participating in the political process. This rule was struck down by Denver District Court and the State Court of Appeals as beyond her authority.