Two advocacy groups ask Colorado to bar Trump from ballot

Two advocacy groups are leading a rally in Colorado Friday urging Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) to bar former President Trump from the state’s ballots on constitutional grounds.

The rally, led by Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for the People, is part of a broader push to ask secretaries of state nationwide to eliminate Trump from contention because of his actions on and leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. 

“Donald Trump violated his oath of office when he led the charge to overturn the results of the 2020 election. His actions only confirmed what the Latino community has long known: he is dangerous,” said Héctor Sanchez Barba, executive director and CEO of Mi Familia Vota. 

“The disqualification clause in the 14th Amendment is clear: anyone who violates their oath of office is ineligible to run for higher office in the future. Secretaries of State have the power to bar Trump for the ballot. There is ample evidence as to why he is not fit to hold office again, now all we are asking is for a Secretary of State to act.”

The push to remove Trump comes on the second anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, and as Democrats have lost control of the House, likely dooming any further investigations into the former president’s role.

“The bipartisan House January 6th Committee showed that Trump engaged in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election, culminating with his incitement of violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, campaign director for Free Speech For People.

While the push for secretaries of state to scrub Trump is national, organizers said they chose Colorado for the rally in part because it’s the home state of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R), seen as one of the former president’s staunchest supporters in Congress.

“The Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause is clear: Trump’s actions were a violation of his oath of office and therefore make him constitutionally ineligible for any future run for office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Secretaries of State now have a duty to uphold the Constitution and protect our democracy by ensuring Trump is barred from the ballot,” Flores-Quilty said.