By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics
A Denver judge ruled Friday that the Colorado Libertarian Party’s pick for secretary of state will appear on the November ballot after the party’s original nominee withdrew one day after the deadline to replace minor party candidates.
Following a hearing on Thursday, Denver District Court Judge Adam J. Espinosa approved a motion filed by Sean Vadney asking that state election officials list the 26-year-old Highlands Ranch resident as the Libertarian nominee, concluding that the party met the appropriate “substantial compliance” standard with legal requirements for parties to fill ballot vacancies.
Vadney will face Democrat Amanda Gonzalez, the Jefferson County clerk, and Republican James Wiley, a former Libertarian, for the office held by term-limited Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat who is running for attorney general. Candidates nominated by the American Constitution Party and Forward Party will also be included on ballots, which are scheduled to start going out to most voters on Oct. 2.
Vadney was forced to go to court to win a berth on the ballot after the party’s previous nominee, Alex Astley, notified Griswold’s office that he was formally withdrawing from the race on Aug. 26 — one day past the end of a statutory window that permits the state’s minor political parties to designate replacement nominees for the general election.
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