AURORA | You can vote for Ryan Frazier in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, but it remains to be seen if that vote will count.
After a tangled web of legal actions left both the former Aurora city councilman and Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha wondering about their place on the June 28 ballot, a Denver judge ordered them both onto the primary ballot after appealing earlier rulings by the Secretary of State that would have otherwise ended their campaigns.
The latest order, issued Thursday afternoon, May 5, lifts the previous stay on the Secretary of State certifying the primary ballot, which was originally due to be completed April 30 before Blaha and Frazier sought more time for their appeals to be heard.
In essence, the deal allows the Secretary of State’s office to proceed with printing ballots regardless of Frazier successfully appealing an earlier ruling that found him deficient in valid petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. The order makes a stipulation that Frazier will submit a letter of withdrawal from the race if his appeal fails. In that case, any votes cast for Frazier would not be counted.
Earlier in the day, Blaha solidified his spot on the ballot after Denver District Court Judge Elizabeth Starrs wrote that Secretary of State Wayne Williams must accept 87 signatures collected by James Day, a petitioner for the Blaha campaign in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. That mandate pushed Blaha’s total number of valid petition signatures over the threshold required to make the ballot in that district. Senate candidates were required to gather at least 1,500 valid signatures from registered voters affiliated with the candidate’s political party in each of the state’s seven congressional districts.
Starrs’ order clarified a previous ruling issued late Wednesday that told the Secretary of State to accept previously rejected signatures for the Blaha campaign, but neglected to rule on those signatures gathered by Day. That ambiguity caused yet another hold-up in a primary race already mired in red tape.
“I’m thrilled to be on the ballot after a very long week,” Blaha said in a statement.
Amid the ballot uncertainty, Blaha called for the Secretary of State’s resignation late Wednesday, citing incompetency.
“I spoke out so strongly regarding the Secretary of State because this process is a perfect example of bureaucracy run amok,” Blaha said in a statement. “When I represent the people of our state as their next U.S. Senator, Coloradans will see conservative leadership, a willingness to speak out, and boldness in my actions.”
Secretary of State office spokeswoman Lynn Bartels said Thursday that El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn would have the top line of the ballot, followed by Frazier, Blaha, former Colorado State University athletic director Jack Graham, former state Rep. Jon Keyser, and a space for a write-in candidate.