Wayne W. Williams
Wayne Williams | |
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Williams in 2018 | |
Secretary of State of Colorado | |
Assumed office January 13, 2015 | |
Governor | John Hickenlooper |
Preceded by | Scott Gessler |
Personal details | |
Born | 1963 (age 54–55) |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Holly |
Children | 4 |
Education |
Brigham Young University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
Wayne W. Williams (born 1963) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he is the Secretary of State of Colorado.
Early life
Williams grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.[1] His father was the facilities manager of the National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where Williams was raised.[2]
In high school, Williams organized for local Republican Party candidates. He also served as a delegate at the Virginia Republican Party convention.[1] He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science.[3] He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989.[1]
Career
Williams began practicing employment law and labor law in the Salt Lake City office of Holme Roberts & Owen. He was offered a job with Sherman & Howard in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which he accepted in 1992.[1][2]
Bob Isaac, the mayor of Colorado Springs, appointed Williams to the city's Housing Authority board.[1] Williams served for eight years as a El Paso County Commissioner. In 2010, Williams was elected the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder.[4]
In 2014, Scott Gessler, the Secretary of State of Colorado, announced his candidacy for Governor of Colorado in the Colorado gubernatorial election, 2014.[5] Williams ran unopposed for the Republican Party nomination for Secretary of State.[2] He defeated Democratic Party nominee Joe Neguse in the general election, 47.5% to 44.9%.[4][6]
On December 19, 2016 Michael Baca, a Colorado presidential elector, was replaced by Williams with Celeste Landry after Baca failed to vote for Hillary Clinton as he was pledged; Landry voted for Clinton.[7] Two Colorado electors filed suit against Williams in August 2017.
Colorado Secretary of State
In 2017, Williams complied with Donald Trump's request by sending publicly available voter data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.[8]
Colorado followed nearly every recommendation made by election experts in the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election prior to the 2018 elections.[9]
Personal life
Williams and his wife, Holly, met at BYU. They have four children: Sean, Greg, Lindsey, and Wendy.[1]
Electoral history
Colorado Secretary of State Election, 2014 | |||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Wayne Williams | 932,588 | 47.34 |
Democrat | Joe Neguse | 886,043 | 44.98 |
Constitution | Amanda Campbell | 77,790 | 3.95 |
Libertarian | Dave Schambach | 73,413 | 3.73 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jamie Swinnerton (July 7, 2014). "Wayne Williams on his run for Secretary of State and the Honey Badger's seat". Westword. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Peter Marcus (April 13, 2014). "Williams hopes to succeed fellow Republican Gessler for Secretary of State". The Colorado Statesman. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ↑ "Williams, Wayne W." byu.edu. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- 1 2 "Wayne Williams appears to win Secretary of State race". denverpost.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ Rittiman, Brandon (September 17, 2013). "Amid flood disaster, Scott Gessler announces bid for Colorado governor". 9News Colorado. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ↑ "GOP sweeps statewide seats for second election in a row". coloradostatesman.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ LAKANA (20 December 2016). "One Colorado elector fails to vote for Clinton, is replaced".
- ↑ https://coloradopolitics.com/colorado-secretary-state-wayne-williams-turns-over-state-voter-data-white-house-commission/
- ↑ Hawkins, Derek (2018-05-10). "Analysis | The Cybersecurity 202: How Colorado became the safest state to cast a vote". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
External links
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Scott Gessler |
Secretary of State of Colorado 2015–present |
Incumbent |