May 01, 2018 10:26 AM UTC

Coloradans Demand Attorney General Investigation of Walker Stapleton

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

With numerous important questions about the involvement of Colorado Treasurer Walker Stapleton’s gubernatorial campaign in petition fraud in order to qualify for the Republican primary ballot remaining unanswered and the primary election just weeks away, ProgressNow Colorado, the state’s largest multi-issue progressive advocacy organization, urgently renewed its call for an immediate investigation by Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

“Something is rotten with Colorado’s election system, and we believe Walker Stapleton knows much more about the fraud in petitions gathered by his campaign than he is willing to admit,” said ProgressNow Colorado executive director Ian Silverii. “Stapleton should have known that the consultants he hired had a dubious reputation, everyone else did. He knew the petition process was vulnerable to fraud. But it took a rival candidate’s investigation into Stapleton’s petitions to force Stapleton to ask for his signatures to be thrown out—after the Secretary of State had already validated them.”

“Two years ago, ProgressNow Colorado uncovered fraud in Jon Keyser’s petitions that led to legislation adding new checks to petition signatures,” said Silverii. “Unfortunately, Walker Stapleton’s campaign has demonstrated that Colorado elections remain vulnerable to petition fraud, and more needs to be done. It is imperative that Cynthia Coffman set aside partisanship and investigate the violations of election law that Stapleton himself admits took place. The voters in Colorado deserve to know what Stapleton knew, and when.”

Hundreds of Coloradans have signed ProgressNow Colorado’s petition calling for Attorney General Coffman to investigation Stapleton’s campaign. Here are just a few of the comments received:

Judy in Wheat Ridge: “Our elections MUST be clean and fair! Any attempt to grab power by any scurrilous means must be thwarted immediately to protect the integrity of our elections.”

Lynn in Boulder: “The voting process in our country is sacred. No candidate who participates in illegal activity deserves to have his name on our ballot. Stapleton’s lack of integrity is overwhelming!”

Lori in Denver: “The State Treasurer running for Governor should be held to the highest standards. An investigation is warranted on his petition signatures and the person claiming to be illegally gathering signatures.”

Howard in Fort Collins: “We deserve representatives that are honest and hardworking. Not individuals that cheat and steal for their own benefit. Bring integrity back to our political system.”

Amanda in Cortez: “Just because the current presidential administration and the Republican-run Congress support corruption at the highest levels and violation of constitutional safeguards as standard operating procedure, Colorado does not have to. Immediately open an investigation into the alleged lawbreaking by Walker Stapleton’s Campaign. Celebrity name status does not mean a get-out-of-the-rule-of-law card for Stapleton.”

Jo Lynn in Grand Junction: “Democracy exists only when we catch cheaters, using legitimate evidence. Candidates who don’t follow the rules must be held accountable in order for citizens to have faith in their elected officials/government.”

“Walker Stapleton and the right-wing insiders masterminding his campaign want to sweep this petition scandal under the rug,” said Silverii, “but we can’t allow that to happen. The integrity of our elections is too important to simply give Stapleton a pass. If a rival candidate hadn’t caught Walker Stapleton’s campaign red-handed, Stapleton would never have admitted to having submitted fraudulent petition signatures. We can’t trust Stapleton to tell the whole truth. The only solution is a comprehensive investigation by Colorado’s Attorney General into what happened, when it happened, and who knew. Every voter in Colorado, especially voters participating in the Republican primary, deserves nothing less.”