(Washington, DC, October, 30, 2014) –During a Tuesday night interview on Fox News, Wayne Williams, the County Clerk for Colorado’s El Paso County and GOP candidate for Secretary of State, attempted to discredit new Colorado voting laws that led to the state’s inaugural mail ballot general election this year.
Williams claimed that the mail-in ballots left voters vulnerable to "someone in their household, a union boss, or an employer" who may try to "intimidate" them into voting for candidates they don’t support. There is no record that exists that backs these statements.
In response to the insulting insinuations about Colorado voters, Colorado AFL-CIO President, National Association of Letter Carriers member, and 22 year veteran Letter Carrier Cindy Kirby said in a statement that Williams, “owes every working family in the state an apology.”
“His comments are designed to intimidate working families and discredit a legitimate method of voting. We don’t need people who attempt to intimidate voters like Wayne Williams running our state elections.”
For several election cycles, the national AFL-CIO has run the My Vote, My Rightprogram to raise awareness on voting rights, educate voters on new voting laws, ensure voters are able to vote fairly and without intimidation.
Said Lynn Rhinehart, General Counsel for the AFL-CIO:
“The cornerstone of a strong democracy is active voter participation. Colorado’s election laws, which established Election Day voter registration and expansive opportunities to vote by mail, are the types of positive reforms that modernize the voting process and make it accessible for all citizens looking to fulfill their civic duty.
“The labor movement’s goal is to protect the rights of all voters and ensure working people are informed on the issues and the candidates so that they can make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. The misinformation and scare mongering we saw from Fox News and County Clerk Wayne Williams has no place in our democracy.”
Contact: Emmelle Israel (202) 637-5018