Wayne W. Williams

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Wayne Williams
Wayne W. Williams.JPG
Member of the
Colorado Springs City Council
from the at-large district
Assumed office
April 16, 2019[1]
Preceded byMerv Bennett[2]
Secretary of State of Colorado
In office
January 13, 2015 – January 8, 2019
GovernorJohn Hickenlooper
Preceded byScott Gessler
Succeeded byJena Griswold
Clerk and Recorder of El Paso County, Colorado
In office
2011–2015
Preceded byRobert Balink[3]
Succeeded byChuck Broerman
Member of the
El Paso County Board of County Commissioners
from the 1st district
In office
2003–2011
Succeeded byDarryl Glenn[4]
Personal details
Born
Wayne Warren Williams[5]

(1963-01-19) January 19, 1963 (age 58)[6]
Palo Alto, California[6]
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Holly
Children4
EducationBrigham Young University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)

Wayne Warren Williams (born January 19, 1963) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Secretary of State of Colorado from 2015 to 2019. Williams was elected to the Colorado Springs City Council At-Large in 2019.[7]

Early life[]

Williams grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.[8] His father was the facilities manager of the National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where Williams was raised.[9]

In high school, Williams organized for local Republican Party candidates. He also served as a delegate at the Virginia Republican Party convention.[8] He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science.[10] He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989.[8]

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 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which he accepted in 1992.[8][9]

Bob Isaac, the mayor of Colorado Springs, appointed Williams to the city's Housing Authority board.[8] Williams served for eight years as an El Paso County Commissioner. In 2010, Williams was elected the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder.[11]

In 2014, Scott Gessler, the Secretary of State of Colorado, announced his candidacy for Governor of Colorado in the 2014 Colorado gubernatorial election.[12] Williams ran unopposed for the Republican Party nomination for Secretary of State.[9] He defeated Democratic Party nominee Joe Neguse in the general election, 47.5% to 44.9%.[11][13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

Colorado followed nearly every recommendation made by election experts in the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election prior to the 2018 elections.[16]

On November 6, 2018, Williams lost re-election to Democrat Jena Griswold.[17]

Personal life[]

Williams and his wife, Holly, met at BYU. They have four children: Sean, Greg, Lindsey, and Wendy.[8]

Electoral history[]

Results[]

Candidate Votes %
Gordon Klingenschmitt 24,638 11%
Bill Murray 27,677 12%
Val Snider 12,997 6%
Wayne Williams 42,256 19%
Tony Gioia 18,155 8%
Terry Martinez 23,512 11%
Regina English 16,990 8%
Tom Strand 27,842 12%
Randy Tuck 5,981 3%
Athena Roe 15,143 7%
Dennis Spiker 8,410 4%
Colorado Secretary of State Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democrat Jena Griswold 1,179,509 51.67
Republican Wayne Williams 1,047,309 45.80
Constitution Amanda Campbell 46,512 2.0
Approval Voting Blake Huber 17,613 0.5
Colorado Secretary of State Election, 2014
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. ^ "Our Campaigns - Colorado Springs City Council - At-large Race - Apr 02, 2019".
  2. ^ "Mayor, At-Large City Council Members Take Oath of Office at Colorado Springs Swearing-In Ceremony".
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - el Paso County, CO Clerk and Recorder Race - Nov 02, 2010".
  4. ^ "Our Campaigns - el Paso County - Commissioner - District 1 Race - Nov 07, 2006".
  5. ^ "Wayne Warren Williams - a Colorado Springs, Colorado (CO) Employment Law Firm".
  6. ^ a b Hubbell, Martindale (2001). Martindale Hubbell Law Directory 2001. Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561604395.
  7. ^ "Secretary of State Wayne Williams running for Colorado Springs City Council". The Gazette. Conrad Swanson. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f 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.
  9. ^ a b c Peter Marcus (April 13, 2014). "Williams hopes to succeed fellow Republican Gessler for Secretary of State". The Colorado Statesman. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  10. ^ "Williams, Wayne W." byu.edu. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Wayne Williams appears to win Secretary of State race". denverpost.com. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  12. ^ Rittiman, Brandon (September 17, 2013). "Amid flood disaster, Scott Gessler announces bid for Colorado governor". 9News Colorado. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  13. ^ "GOP sweeps statewide seats for second election in a row". coloradostatesman.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  14. ^ LAKANA (December 20, 2016). "One Colorado elector fails to vote for Clinton, is replaced".
  15. ^ "Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams turns over state voter data to White House commission".
  16. ^ Hawkins, Derek (May 10, 2018). "Analysis | The Cybersecurity 202: How Colorado became the safest state to cast a vote". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  17. ^ "Secretary of State: Jena Griswold Defeats Wayne Williams".

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Colorado
2015–2019 		Succeeded by
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