SOS Candidate Ken Gordon Wants a “Whole” Democracy

Ken Gordon dropped by Club 20 in Grand Junction last Saturday to catch some of the state house and senate debates. We caught up with him in the hall….

Q: Why haven’t you made a big deal about Secretary of State Gigi Dennis’s recent election rulings?

A: “First of all, I assumed the Secretary of State would not be partisan in her decisions and in that belief, I did not want to criticize her for what she felt must be done. However, when I learned that she made those changes after pressure from Beauprez’s campaign, I did complain and react. Dennis is a nice person, but she should not be depending on the Republicans to make policy.”Q: You were quite visible supporting Referendum C, even walking across the state urging voters for their support. But, you’ve been somewhat MIA during the SOS race.
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A. “I have been spending my time on the phone.”

Q: Oh, the old political favorite: “dialing for dollars?”

A. “Yeah and I’ve been very successful. We raised $72,000 in August alone without any PAC donations (his campaign does not accept any.) And a fundraiser with Governor Tom Vilsack helped us collect an additional $10,000. Now, we can buy TV. And now I can start my “traveling stage.”

Q: If you don’t accept PAC money, doesn’t that really limit your fundraising?

A. “I want to have a government that represents the will of the people, not the financial interests of lobbying groups. I think that PAC political donations can skew future policies and laws, discouraging the average person from participating in the political process.”

Q: What’s your past record concerning Western Slope issues?

A. “In the legislature, I have supported Western Slope water issues. I supported Referendum C and rejected Referendum A. My opponent did the opposite.”

Q: Can we depend on the electronic voting machines? How can we prevent election count disasters like in Florida and Ohio?

A. “I introduced SB 198 in 2005 that prohibits any Colorado Secretary of State from being a campaign director like what happened in those two states. Remember Kathleen Harris? She was Florida’s SOS and also George Bush’s state campaign chair. Plus, under my bill all voting machines must have a verified and audited paper trail. The Secretary of State made the mistake of certifying certain electronic voting machines without proper procedures and now we have to wait for a September 20th hearing about their use in the 2006 election.”

Q: Any last words?

A: “I want people to go out and vote. I’d rather people vote for my opponent than not vote at all. If only 50% of the people vote, it’s only half a democracy.”

Photo: Ken Gordon stopped for a chat at Club 20. Photo by Leslie Robinson.