This article by Faith Miller first appeared on Colorado Newsline on December 14, 2020
Colorado’s nine presidential electors met at the state Capitol on December 14 to cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden, who defeated incumbent President Donald Trump by 13.5 percentage points in Colorado, according to official election results from the secretary of state’s office.
Unlike in previous presidential elections, the Colorado Democratic Party doesn’t have the names of its electors listed on its website this year. Given the landslide victory for Biden in the state, Colorado hasn’t come under much fire from Trump supporters seeking to invalidate election results in other swing states. But the state’s Democratic Party still took steps to protect the people who cast votes for Biden.
“We’re looking at a very different situation this year and this election,” said spokesperson David Pourshoushtari. Across the country, he said, Trump’s supporters are trying to “overturn the will of the voters” and “bully and intimidate election officials and even state legislatures to interfere in our election process.”
While Pourshoushtari didn’t know of any direct threats being made to electors’ safety, he said the party declined to publicize their names this year out of an “abundance of caution.” He pointed to media coverage of armed protesters surrounding the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson while Benson was inside with her young son.
“None of this is normal,” Pourshoushtari said. “This is not how things work in our democracy, not in our country. And it’s a damn shame that these are things we have to worry about.”
Alan Kennedy, a first-time elector, attorney and veteran who still serves as a captain in the Colorado Army National Guard, said he hadn’t received any threats.
“I’m thrilled to be a presidential elector,” Kennedy said. “It’s time to relegate President Trump to the dustbin of history and move our country forward.”
Kennedy said he was honored to be a part of the process, but supports a movement to abolish the Electoral College. Colorado voters in November approved the state’s membership in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a coalition of states who’ve passed laws pledging their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes from individual Americans — instead of the popular vote in a given state.
The agreement does not take effect until enough states have signed on to comprise 270 electoral votes, a majority of the Electoral College. As of December, the National Popular Vote compact had been enacted into law by 15 states and the District of Columbia, representing 196 electoral votes.
“The Electoral College as an institution should not exist,” Kennedy said.
Gov. Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold presided over the meeting of Colorado’s presidential electors, and Chief Justice Nathan Coats delivered the oath of office.
Despite the “unprecedented challenges” posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the spread of misinformation, Griswold called Colorado’s election “incredibly successful.” The state had the second-highest turnout in the nation, she said, with 76.4% of the voting-eligible population casting their ballot.
“As second place, it gives us room for improvement next time, right?” Polis said. “We want to be first. But we should be proud of Coloradans for participating in these record numbers.”