Giron recall e≠ort advances
The votes cast by state Sen. Angela Giron in support of tougher gun laws nowhave the Pueblo lawmaker faced with a looming fall election date as organizersMonday amassed enough valid signatures in their recall effort.
Only about 6 percent of the signatures submitted in Giron’s recall effort were deemed invalid by the Colorado secretary of state’s office — a striking percentage that her opponents said showed strong support for their cause.
Organizers with Pueblo Freedom and Rights submitted more than 13,400 signatures to the Colorado secretary of state’s office and had 12,648 verified. They needed about 11,300 verified for a recall election and outpaced that figure by about 1,300.
Giron becomes the second Democrat in less than a week— along with Senate President John Morse — who now must deal with a recall election for passing laws that limit ammunitionmagazines ofmore than 15 rounds and require universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers.
“We fully expected to have enough signatures verified,” said Victor Head, president of Pueblo Freedom and Rights.
Giron could not be reached for comment Monday. She is expected to contest the signatures verified by the secretary of state’s office.
Head, along with about 80 volunteers, said organizerswent to the PuebloCounty clerk and recorder and picked up an active voter registry of Giron’s Senate District 3.
“Fromtherewe plugged it into an Excel spread sheet andwere able to on-the-spot recognize if a signer lived in the district and was registered,” Head said. “We were doing the work of the secretary of state before they even received the signatures. ... We knew what would be valid and what would not.”
Giron’s Senate District 3 leans heavily Democratic. According tothe most recent voter registration totals, it consists of about 34,000 Democrats, 17,300 Republicans and 18,000 unaffiliated voters.
“The signatures verified clearly shows a lot of passion in her district,” said political analyst FloydCiruli. “And in a recall election, there’s going to be low turnout, which raises questions if she can get her supporters out there.”
Ciruli notes that Giron is married to Pueblo City Council President Steve Nawrocki.
“This will be a major fight,” Ciruli said. “In Pueblo she’s tied into the political circles and can get out her message and quite possibly the vote.”
Since the recall effort began in Giron’s district in April, she’s remained steadfast that Democrats passed “common sense” gun laws that are supported by the majority of her constituents.