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Logan County Democrats and their guests socialize before the meal at the Call to Action Dinner April 29, 2023. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)

Some special guests attended the Logan County Democrats Call to Action Dinner at Jake Uhrig VFW Post #3541 on April 29.

In addition to the keynote speaker, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, the event also welcomed a team of officers from the state party, including newly elected state chair Shad Murib.

Murib noted that he, first vice chair Indira Duggirala and vice chair of party operations Jarrod Munger, had spent the day on the Eastern Plains, with stops in Fort Morgan, Sedgwick and Yuma prior to their visit to Sterling.

Its extremely important for the state party to be involved in rural politics, Murib said, adding that for too long, the party had focused solely on the Front Range.

He vowed to help build programs that have you in mind and to coordinate efforts in elections at every level.

Were going to find ways to succeed and send a message to (Congressional District 4 representative) Ken Buck, he said.

To that end, the guest list also included two Democrat candidates vying for Bucks seat in 2024: Ike McCorkle and John Padora. Both candidates briefly introduced themselves and spoke about their reasons for running.

After enjoying dinner, Griswold stepped up to the podium and spoke about the right to vote, which she called the foundational freedom that allows us to have a society where Americans can live the lives that they want.

Where you can hopefully achieve your American dream, whatever that means work hard, create what you want for your life. Where you can love who you love. Where you can have control over your body. Where you can decide when to have kids for yourself.

She recalled coming to Logan County as a young, first-time candidate for a fundraiser, and her impression that it is a place where people across the political spectrum can come together to find solutions, and thats what democracy really is all about.

She noted her efforts during her first term to pass the largest democracy reform package in the nation.

We added more access, we added more security, we passed automatic voter registration, we increased drop boxes by over 65 percent. We passed parolee re-enfranchisement, and started to shine light on the dark money that I really think corrodes our democracy and our politics, she said. And all of those improvements continue. Last year, I worked with the county clerks and the clerks association to pass protection for election workers against doxxing, threats and retaliation.

Griswold said that while democracy has been under attack from extremists and election deniers who have filed hundreds of bills over the last several years to suppress voting rights, she remains optimistic about the future.

Although we see the effects of extremism on womens bodies, on the questions of marriage equality, on the attack on democracy itself, why Im so optimistic is that theres good people like you guys, Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliateds, who are coming together across the nation to defeat it, she said.

She suspects the effects of extremism will continue over the next few years, but Im so confident that Americans will continue to come together to reject it, and well get through this phase in American history, she said.

Griswold said shes honored to serve as Secretary of State.

Its a wonderful honor every single day to think about how are we making the right to vote more accessible to every single Coloradans, and its an honor to fight for all of our fundamental freedoms as Secretary of State, she said.

While she noted that she was the first Democrat to win the Secretary of State seat in 60 years, her speech had a non-partisan tilt.

What were up against, it isnt our Republican neighbors. It is not that, she said. Republicans and Democrats and unaffiliateds, its ok if we have different policy thoughts; thats how this country is set up. We have different policy disagreements, but we come together, we cast our ballots, when the elections are over we come together as Americans. So as we look to the next two years, next four years, remember to be kind to our neighbors. Remember that if someone disagrees with you, it doesnt mean theyre a bad person, and remember that fundamentally, were all Americans working hopefully to preserve this great country we have.

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Griswold decries attacks on voting rights at Logan County Democrats Call to Action Dinner - Journal Advocate